Dame Jackie

Even when a story is more action-oriented than character-driven, I think most would agree that it’s important for readers to connect with the characters. If readers don’t care whether the protagonist lives or dies, well, that’s a problem. It’s rare for readers to stick with a story when they’re not invested in the main character. If you think about it, no matter how engrossing the plot of a story, it pretty much always comes down to rooting for the protagonist to succeed. That means authors have to take pains to make their characters sympathetic. Maybe they’re also entertaining to read about. Maybe they’re incredibly cool. Maybe they’re literary awesomeness and should be walking around in capes because fabulousness is their super power. But first and foremost, there’s got to be something about the protagonist that readers care about. It’s the protagonist who carries the burden of making the reader want to keep reading. That means authors have to create multifaceted, interesting main characters.

Now, I don’t know about you, but for me, characters usually don’t pull an Athena and spring fully formed out of my head. Yeah, I joke that Death did exactly that when I was writing HUNGER, but it took me a while to really get him. Even someone like Death has motivations (besides, you know, being there when living things die), and I had to take a lot of time to figure those motivations out. Along with those motivations, I had to come up with his history. I had to create an overall goal for him — which isn’t always the same thing as having a motivation. And, of course, I had to create obstacles, because otherwise there’s no tension. (Debra Dixon wrote all about Goal, Motivation & Conflict, which I’ve heard is a terrific resource for writers.)

To do all of this, I had to give myself room to discover the character. I had to give myself permission to take my time, and to make lots (and lots) of mistakes. This is part of the reason why there can be — and maybe even should be — multiple drafts before we’re ready to revise into something that’s ready for prime time.

Character development is a lot like cultivating new friendships. It’s not as simple as telling the characters what to do and making sure they do those things. There’s got to be some give and take. It’s like walking a dog: you can’t keep that leash taut all the time. And there are times when the dog runs ahead and you have to jog to keep up. (Of course, I’m writing that as someone who’s lived most of her life with cats and has never had a dog.) Writing characters is sort of like that: you’re connected to them, and you’re in charge of them, but there comes a point when they really come to life and you suddenly find yourself running to keep up with them. (This is me, hoping I don’t sound too crazy.) There’s a balance between being in charge and giving the characters not exactly free rein but enough slack to run with so that they’re not tripping over your feet or strangling. How much slack is all about finding the trust.

What I mean by that is there comes a point when our characters don’t give a damn what we’ve written in our synopses or outlines — they have their own agenda, which may or may not have anything to do with the plot of the book. We, as authors, have to trust our characters enough to let them develop in their own way…while still keeping control of the story. That’s not always easy. Here are some steps I’ve taken that you may find helpful when you’re thinking about how to develop your characters:

1. Have an overall story plot in mind. In fiction, something’s got to happen. A girl saves the world. A boy falls in love. A teen learns a paralyzing truth. There’s something there, and the characters have to see to in that the plot actually comes to pass. Having a terrific character doesn’t help if you don’t have a story in which that character can appear. You don’t have to have a fully developed plot; it could be as simple as a one-sentence summary. (“A bullied teenage boy is tricked into becoming the White Rider of the Apocalypse.”) Let’s say we’re writing a story about a girl who saves the world.

2. Pick the right character name. This sounds trite, but I find it to be extremely useful. Names don’t always have to have capital-m Meaning to them; sometimes, they just feel right. Sometimes, names are titles. (“The Doctor.”) Sometimes, names are a play on words or other names. (“Daunuan” = Don Juan.) But a character isn’t a character without a name. If you haven’t found a name for your character yet, take some time to explore. Check out baby name websites for ideas. For our story about a girl who saves the world, let’s call her Theodora (Theo) Broma. (The seeds of the theobroma cacao plant is where chocolate comes from. Named after chocolate!)

3. Find the character’s goal. While some of us may go through life without a purpose (or at least feel like we’re going through life without a purpose), our main characters need to have a reason to be in the story. It could be to win their true love’s heart. (And if you’re writing a supernatural story, that could be literal.) It could be to save the world. It could be to discover the truth about their parents and, in the process, about themselves. It could be to find the Last Chocolate Bar. (Ooh. Yeah!) Give your main character a purpose — even if the character doesn’t know what that purpose is at first. So our gal Theo, who has to save the world, must find the Last Chocolate Bar.

4. Motivate the character. Okay, so you know what the character is supposed to do in the book — Theo, in order to save the world, must find the Last Chocolate Bar. Dandy. Why is Theo going to do this? It’s got to be for a better reason than “Because I’m the author and I said so.” (Yeah, that argument doesn’t really work with my kids, either.) Maybe Theo is doing this (to borrow from Suzanne Collins) so that her beloved little sister wouldn’t have to risk her life to find the Last Chocolate Bar. Maybe she’s doing it because her true love (who also needs a name) is going on the great quest for the Last Chocolate Bar. Maybe Theo is a criminal and this is her punishment. Maybe it’s her salvation. Maybe she’s incredibly bored and this Chocolate Quest promises to be the adventure of a lifetime. Let’s go ahead and say that Theo was imprisoned for stealing, and she chooses to go on the dangerous quest to find the Last Chocolate Bar to shorten her sentence.

5. Don’t make it easy for the character. If the protagonist does everything easily, there’s really no point in reading, is there? This is why someone like Superman has kryptonite and a vulnerability to magic: even the Big Blue Boy Scout needs to run into the risk of getting seriously hurt and maybe even dying. Give the protagonist obstacles. So in our Chocolate story, let’s say that Theo isn’t the only one on the quest for the Last Chocolate Bar — maybe her true love is also looking for the Chocolate for reasons that are mysterious at first, but over the course of the story, it’s clear that her love is going to betray her. Da da DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! And let’s throw in some explosions and booby traps and deadly flying penguins for fun. And…she’s deathly afraid of penguins because of the Gruesome Penguin Attack that had left her and her sister orphans! Suddenly, Theo has a real fight on her hands — both external and internal. (Those penguin scars run deep!)

6. Let your inner critic speak. Grab some post-in note paper and write down every single thing that comes to mind as you think about your character. Do you have nagging questions? Get ‘em down. Are there plot holes that need to be resolved? Write them down, one page per question/idea. Soon you will have a stack of paper. Next step is to answer the questions. This may spark ideas that will become better world-building, better character history, better emotional development, better everything. Why did penguins savagely kill Theo’s parents? Why is there no other chocolate in the world? What’s the big deal about the Last Chocolate Bar? Will eating it clear up Theo’s Embarrassing Acne? Does chocolate have Magical Healing Powers? Why was she stealing in the first place? And does she even like her little sister? These are burning questions that we have to answer — because once we know the answers, they will flesh out the overall story.

7. Give your characters room to grow. So Theo is off to find the Last Chocolate Bar and save the world in the process…and learning what it means to be betrayed by someone she had loved. I’m sure she’ll pull through — she is the protagonist, after all. But by the end of the book, she’ll be a different character than she had been at the beginning. This is crucial: characters have to learn along the way. They need to grow — which isn’t the same thing as becoming more mature, but these may go hand-in-hand.

I hope these tips help you learn more about your protagonists. Let them out to play. Have fun getting to know them. Yell at them, and be prepared to have them yell right back. Soon, you’ll find the right balance between leading and being led. Once you trust your characters, the story will snap into place.

And if it doesn’t, well, you can always eat chocolate.

We Dames love to hear what you’re reading.  If there’s a new book you think we should get our hands on, let us know in the comments!

Now, onward to new book goodness:

  THE TROUPE – by Robert Jackson Bennett

Vaudeville: mad, mercenary, dreamy, and absurd, a world of clashing cultures and ferocious showmanship and wickedly delightful deceptions.

But sixteen-year-old pianist George Carole has joined vaudeville for one reason only: to find the man he suspects to be his father, the great Heironomo Silenus. Yet as he chases down his father’s troupe, he begins to understand that their performances are strange even for vaudeville: for wherever they happen to tour, the very nature of the world seems to change.

Because there is a secret within Silenus’s show so ancient and dangerous that it has won him many powerful enemies. And it’s not until after he joins them that George realizes the troupe is not simply touring: they are running for their lives.

And soon…he is as well.

  FEVER- by Andrea Cremer

Rhine and Gabriel may have escaped the beautiful prison of Wither’s mansion, but they are far from escaping danger. First they’re chased for stealing a getaway boat, and then the fleeing pair ends up in the eerie den of Madame, an old woman who collects girls and sells them to the highest bidders. Worst of all, Vaughn, Rhine’s sinister father-in-law, seems to be on her trail every step of the way. Rhine remains determined to get to her brother in Manhattan—but the road they are on is long and perilous.

Now that Rhine has finally regained her freedom, what lengths will she need to go to in order to keep it?

  A PERFECT BLOOD – by Kim Harrison

Ritually murdered corpses are appearing across Cincinnati, terrifying amalgams of human and other. Pulled in to help investigate by the I.S. and the FIB, former witch turned day-walking demon Rachel Morgan soon realizes a horrifying truth: a human hate group is trying to create its own demons to destroy all Inderlanders, and to do so, it needs her blood.

She’s faced vampires, witches, werewolves, demons, and more, but humanity itself might be her toughest challenge yet.

  A BEAUTIFUL EVIL – by Kelly Keaton

After the epic graveyard battle at the end of Darkness Becomes Her, Ari and her friends know what they’re up against: Ari is facing the Medusa curse and is haunted by the image of what she will become. To make matters worse, the heinous goddess Athena has kidnapped young Violet and is threatening to destroy Ari.

Ari, along with the superhot Sebastian, is doing everything she can to learn more about Athena and to get Violet back. But the battle of good and evil is bigger than she realizes, and she’s about to be pulled into a world more horrific than she could ever imagine….

  TEMPTED BY BLOOD – by Laurie London

Deep within the forests of the Pacific Northwest, the battle for supremacy rages on between two Vampire coalitions:Guardian enforcers sworn to protect humanity, and Darkbloods, rogues who kill like their ancient ancestors….

First lines, to me, are vital.  Coming from a short-fiction background, I think first lines and first paragraphs are invaluable tools.  They are the writer’s promise to the reader.  They set the tone, hint at the kind of story that is about to follow, and hopefully start off the writer-reader dance without stepping on anyone’s toes.

I love it when the perfect first line falls off my fingertips.  But when the deadline’s tight and the most important thing for me to do is Get Words On The Page, I don’t worry if I’ve nailed the  first line or not.  I try out maybe three or four first lines and just go with the one that is close to what I want.  I know I  will change it or replace it later, after the book is finished.

Of all the skills I learned from writing short fiction, I find myself relying on three things heavily when I write novels:

1. Being unafraid to edit, brutally.
2. Being unafraid to mess with an idea until I find a little-used take on it.
3. Being unafraid to revise, rework, or re-genre a story, and still keep the core idea, characters, and emotions intact.

Basically, short fiction taught me to be cool with edits, love revisions, and be open to messing with my ideas.  It taught me to risk and gamble and not fear loss.

When someone told me that I needed to learn how to write short fiction because it would teach me how to write a novel, I thought they meant it would give me the world-building, outlining, plotting, pacing and composition skills that would be vital to novel writing.  Nope.  What it gave me was a sense of confidence in the face of change.

Very few writers publish the raw first draft of their novels. I actually don’t know any writers who do that, but hey, maybe someone does. Most writers go over their work at least once to catch inconsistencies, echoed phrases, or just to spiff it up a bit. Some writers do this line-by-line during the first draft process, others do it as a second-pass revision process.  Some writers have beta readers, critique groups, editors, and copy editors who point out the confusing bits or sections that could use a little more attention.

We all go over our work at least once. We all change it. We all know it takes a certain amount of effort to make changes (some changes take more effort or time than others). Why not go toward those changes (and that effort) confidently? After all, if we don’t like the revision, we can go back to the previous version of the work. There is no loss here, there is only change.  And through change we often gain improvement.

So when I finished the very raw, very rough draft of my book, I found myself back at the beginning, staring at the even rougher first sentence. However, now that I had the whole book on paper, I knew exactly what kind of promise I wanted to make to the reader.  I knew the tone the book needed to hint at, the rhythm of the dance the reader and I would be taking together.  Once I had finished the book, I knew where to begin.

And so I did.

Honestly, the best news of late is that not only did I make a couple more sales on the sexy ebooks, I also have that persistent storytelling bug crawling under my skin again.

This, my friends, is priceless. It was absent for a little time. I was working on projects, but I wasn’t feeling the excitement of them like I should have been. Yeah, stresses like being ill, medical bills and the frustration of my writing career not moving as fast as I’d like didn’t help, but I’ve always been able to crawl into my fiction. When I couldn’t, it scared me a bit.

Funny thing is, I relied on other writers to get me through this. Not only my wonderful writing friends—including the irreplaceable Dames—but unknown writers who have penned those stories that take us out of our own reality when we need it. I watched shows-some that Dame Kaz mentioned earlier this week. I watched all of the UK version of Being Human and loved it. I read books. Mostly, I turned to movies that have taken me into a new reality more than once. Not the deep, thought-provoking movies that would make me cry, but mostly silly or feel good movies with the occasional “Oh, I’m just in the mood for this one” thrown in. So, I thought it might be fun to share some of the “in the mood for fun” movies on my keeper shelf.

Practical Magic (Just love this one. It’s paranormal, moody, romantic and fun.)

Return to Me (Sooo romantic and I sincerely want this restaurant and all the people running it to be near me.)

Bend it Like Beckham (Love the different cultures, the family dynamics and again, the romance.)

Love Actually (Sensing a theme here…)

Underworld (Can we please have more cool urban fantasty movies???)

La Femme Nikita (This movie changed the way I wrote forever. See my Luc Besson post here.)

The Fifth Element (LB again. Is this movie silly fun or what?)

The Big Blue (LB again. I must confess. I liked the main character. I loved Jean Reno’s character.)

The Professional (LB again. Quite simply, one of my favorite movies ever.)

Beauty Shop (Queen Latifa fan here and this movie makes me smile every single time. Kevin Bacon is a riot.)

Quigley Down Under (Watched so many times!)

Chocolat (“I’ll come ’round sometime and get that squeak out of your door.” Roux quote. I bet you wouldn’t mind Depp getting out your squeak, eh? )

As Good As It Gets (Nicholson blows me away in this movie. Plus, I adore all the characters. And the dog.)

Fried Green Tomatoes (Such a wonderful movie of friendship and love.)

Too Wong Foo (Silly, fun movie.)

Gattica (Cand we please have more good science fiction like this one??? Please?)

The Matrix (Love the first movie like crazy.)

Men in Black (Another silly and fun movie.)

Clueless (Oh, we have a silly and fun theme happening here.)

O Brother, Where Art Thou (“Damn, we’re in a tight spot.” Simply brilliant movie-especially if you’re familiar w/The Odyssey)

The Princess Bride (Don’t have to even try to explain.)

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (“Never had a lesson.” Another fun “feel good” movie.)

Amelie (Talk about feel good.)

Groundhog Day (Love, love, love the character growth.)

Legally Blonde (I confess, I love goofy movies like this one and House Bunny.)

Finding Nemo (Okay, there are a LOT of kids movies I turn to. Monster’s Inc, Wall-E, The Incredibles… like Pixar movies.)

Whip It (Young girl learning about herself, finding her place, succeeding at something she loves. Good stuff.)

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (This one is so fun. It will change the way you use Windex, too.)

Zerophilia (Indie film that really appealed to me because it explores love and gender-roles. Has good music, too.)

Dame Kaz

I settled on TV shows – which worked out well as I’m only watching five at the moment, anyway.

Kaz’s CURRENT* Top 5 TV Shows:

1. The Vampire Diaries

This is still my top TV show. Is it entirely without fault? Of course not. But it moves so fast, with more twists and turns in one episode than in many entire seasons of lesser shows, that I can’t help going back for more. It’s kind of addictive. *ahem*

2. The Walking Dead

The second season just returned (finally!), after that agonising mid-season break. I haven’t watched yesterday’s episode yet, but can’t wait to do so later this week. I never thought I’d get so caught up in a zombie show, but well… there you have it. It helps that Andrew Lincoln (a Brit!) is an amazing actor.

3. Castle

Hell-o, Nathan Fillion.

Oh, I’m sorry. Where was I? Castle is just plain loveable. I mean the show as a whole, although that does of course apply to the eponymous hero. And getting my mind off Mr. Fillion for just a moment, I do love Stana Katic. She’s an incredible actress – can’t wait to see where her career goes next, although I’m hoping there’ll be plenty more of this fun show beyond the current fourth season.

4. Fringe

Another one where we’re into Season 4. I’m a little behind at the moment (no spoilers, please!), but hope to catch up soon. Still loving the wacky plots. Still loving the wonderful performances. I think Fringe fills the little hole left in my soul by The X-Files… (Also, is there going to be a fifth season? I’m not sure if that’s been confirmed yet. I hope so!)

5. Dexter

The sixth season started well, lost its way in the middle, but then finished with a bang. There’s no way I could miss Season 7 after that cliffhanger of an ending. Bring it on!

I’m sure there are other shows that would make this list if I was able to watch them (I’d like to try Once Upon a Time and Grimm, but am waiting until DVDs are available).

What about you? What are you watching at the moment – any spoiler-free recs for me?

*It’s gotta be something still ongoing.

My hero, Hunter Teague, is the son of the queen of the Unseelie Court, and he’s been sent to the mortal world on a mission to seduce Kiera Malone, who, unbeknownst to her, is the half-mortal daughter of the Seelie king. His pretext for getting close to her is that he’s a massage therapist in need of her website design services. He isn’t happy with his mission, but he has no choice but to obey the Queen of Air and Darkness.

***

Hunter’s nostrils flared the instant he stepped into his apartment. He recognized that stink, like poorly tanned leather. With a flick of his wrist, he unsheathed the knife he kept hidden up his sleeve. Cautiously, he moved farther into the apartment, his nose twitching as he followed the stench of goblin until he found the uninvited guest in the room that would one day be his massage studio. Already, the room sported a massage table, CD player, and a stack of CD’s with soothing, tuneless music on them.

Bane didn’t hear Hunter’s silent footsteps—he was too busy uncapping and sniffing the collection of massage oils and lotions Hunter had purchased. In fact, the goblin had no hint of his presence until the silver blade of Hunter’s knife was pressed into the flesh of his throat.

The goblin’s natural appearance was hidden behind a mortal glamour, and to top it off, he was disguised as a stinking, filth-encrusted street person. The stench made Hunter’s eyes water, and he hoped it wasn’t rubbing off on his own clothing.

“I don’t remember inviting you in,” Hunter growled in the goblin’s ear, increasing the pressure on the knife so that the blade broke through just the first layer of skin.

Bane didn’t move, but Hunter sensed no hint of fear from him: no tensing of his muscles, no quickening of his heartbeat. “Her Majesty would be displeased with you if you killed me,” he said calmly.

Hunter’s hand itched to draw the knife across the evil creature’s throat, but he didn’t want to imagine how the Queen would punish him for killing the most vicious of her courtiers. “It might almost be worth it.”

“You don’t have the balls for it, half-breed.”

With effort, Hunter reined in his temper. Bane had goaded him into more foolish acts in his lifetime than he could bear to admit. Just this once, he would refrain from taking the bait.

With a grunt of disgust, Hunter released the goblin and slid the knife back into its sheath. Bane put a little distance between them, then reached up to finger his throat. A thin line of blood beaded where Hunter’s knife had bitten. Bane examined the blood on his fingers, lips twisted into a snarl that showed a flash of fangs behind the glamour.

“If you were going to stick me, Prince, you should’ve done a better job than this.” He licked the blood from his fingers. “Barely enough to annoy me.”

“What do you want?”

Bane chuckled. “What do you think I want, Boy-o? I want to snap your bones, one by one, and hear you scream.”

Hunter met the goblin’s eyes. “Yes, well, I wanted to slit your throat, but I refrained.”

Bane’s chuckle turned into an all-out laugh. “The Queen will be highly pleased with both of us for our self-control.” He looked genuinely amused by their mutual desire to kill each other, and Hunter could do nothing but shake his head.

Neither a lifetime in the Unseelie Court, nor the Unseelie blood that ran through him, was enough to make him understand how these creatures could so greatly enjoy killing. It wasn’t that Hunter had never killed before. Most of the unfortunates he’d hunted for the Queen’s pleasure had been highly reluctant to be taken alive. Usually, he’d been able to subdue them, but there were times he’d “accidentally” killed his mother’s intended victim. There’d been a certain sense of satisfaction with those minor acts of rebellion—despite the inevitable consequences. But he’d never actually enjoyed the killing, not like these goblins did, not like his mother did. Of course, with Bane, he might be able to make an exception.

“Why are you here?” he asked with exaggerated patience.

“A little reminder from Mama,” Bane sneered. “Just because you’re on your own doesn’t mean she isn’t watching you. And she can always get to you if you displease her.”

Hunter had never doubted that for a moment, but he wasn’t particularly surprised she’d felt compelled to send him the message. Nor was he surprised she’d chosen Bane, whom he hated above all others—excepting his mother herself—as the messenger.

“Well, now that your message is delivered, you can get the hell out of my apartment. I’ll have to fumigate just to get the stench out.”

Bane gave him another of his toothy, vicious smiles. “Sorry for the . . . inconvenience. But, since I’ve already inconvenienced you, perhaps I should stain the carpet with your blood while I’m at it.”

“If you thought you could get away with it, you would have gone for my throat already. Now, are you planning to leave peacefully, or will I have to throw you out?”

“I wouldn’t want you to get your hands dirty, Prince,” Bane said, starting toward the door.

Hunter tried to step aside, knowing that Bane would shoulder him out of the way if he didn’t. But it seemed that only a handful of days in the mortal world had already dulled his instincts, for he didn’t read the intention in Bane’s eyes until too late.

As Bane brushed by, he made a fist and poked a lightning-quick jab at Hunter’s groin. The pain drove Hunter to his knees, and for a moment he could barely breathe as his body clenched in agony.

“That’s for the little nick you gave me. Unfortunately, I can’t hit you any harder or you might have trouble performing your stud duties. But if the Queen ever takes the muzzles off of us, I’ll show you what I really wanted to do.”

Hunter had to fight too hard for air to manage a comeback.

***

Buy Prince of Air & Darkness for Kindle.

Buy Prince of Air & Darkness for Nook.

Dame Rinda

Readers on Deadline (ROD) is a monthly Deadline Dame feature where we post an intriguing image and invite readers to be inspired and share the results in up to 250 words right here in the comments. (We now have a Facebook page which mirrors our posts, so make sure to click through to our actual website to add your entries. )

Yes, this is espresso and Bailey’s in a mug that says “I am going to hex your face off.” After I Tweeted that picture, I was snowed-under with queries about where to buy said mug. I got mine in 2006 from a CafePress shop (the shop’s owner was “lalejandra2″) that has now gone under. At least, I can’t find it. Which led to me putting a version of the mug up in my own shop, with no markup. (Because I feel incredibly uncomfortable with the idea of a profit, however tiny, from it.) It goes without saying that if I find the original seller, I’ll change the links and direct everyone there. But I’ve dug and dug, and can’t find her.

Announcement #2 is kind of vague. Remember that zombie-hunting cowboy trunk novel I was working on? The one I was just delighted with, and was sure would never sell? Well…paint me lilac and call me Conrad, it sold. I can’t give any details, but I can say that I’m sort of…bowled over.

Now that’s taken care of, let’s talk about ideas. (WARNING: I am foulmouthed today. Read at your own risk.)

Chuck Wendig, in one of his absolutely hilarious and spot-on writing advice posts (if you’re not reading Terrible Minds and Practical Meerkat, you’re doing yourself a disservice) made a very interesting observation:

Ask a writer: “Where do you get your ideas from?” And the writer will reply: “How do you make yours stop?” Then he’ll bat at his hair as if it’s on fire. I can’t walk ten feet without thinking of a new novel or script idea.(Chuck Wendig)

I am going to take a slight detour here. (It happens at least once a blog post, doesn’t it.) It is ironic that I am starting out recommending collections of writing advice, since I tend to want to throw “writing advice” books across the room hard enough to dent the wall. (Kind of like how I feel about groups and workshops.) I read quite a few, back in my tender youth, and what stopped me was a cresting nausea. I won’t point fingers, but I can clearly remember reading a Certain Book On Writing and getting to the umpteenth time the Precious Author bemoaned how haaaard it is to write, and I just…snapped. I put the book down, gingerly, as if it was full of something noisome I didn’t want slopping out over the sides, and stared at it for a few moments. I was on lunch, and the food court around me was a blur of bright colors, customers (who were, since I was wearing my Retail Face, all Potential Enemies) and a flood of fried and processed pseudo-food smells. I stared at the book on the table next to the wilted salad I’d been forcing down.

And I thought, fuck that shit. I’d been mistaking the ersatz “work” of reading the damn books for effort spent refining my craft, but all I was getting was a big handful of “you must DIG and DIG to find inspiration” and “you must be PRESHUS! Like a DIAMOND SNOFLAKE!” and “if you need silence to create, then find a quiet spot,” along with other “advice” that was, in the immortal parlance of my grandfather, useless as tits on a boar hog.

Now that I am older, I can pinpoint the source of my discomfort and anger. Those books saw writing as the problem; it was something that had to be unlocked and solved in order to massage the author’s frail ego. To me, writing is the goddamn solution, and the few books I recommend for starting-out writers are firmly in the “this is the solution, and this is how it can work for you” camp.

ANYWAY. Detour (mostly) over.

Plenty of those PSRBs (Preshus Snoflake Riting Buks, I’m a little bitter, okay?) treat ideas as if they are Magical Fairy Dust sprinkled only over the Deserving and Self-Sacrificing once they have Performed the Magic Ritual and Danced the Magic Dance and Shook the Magic Handshake. Which is, to put it plainly, bullshit.

Ideas are a dime a dozen. The brain is built to come up with millions of them, jumping around like a monkey on crack. (Handy meditation tip: don’t try to stop the monkey mind. Give it a coliseum of cheering voices while it does its acrobatics, and move the rest of yourself out to the parking lot, where it’s a little quieter. You’re welcome.) Not only that, but a writer should be in the habit of looking and wondering.

Often, when a new or young writer says, “I don’t have any ideas,” my reply is, “No, ideas aren’t your problem. Your problem is twofold: first, you need to observe, and second, you have got to start taking your own imagination seriously.”

Taking your imagination seriously partly means giving yourself permission to ask ridiculous questions. (It also means taking your writing time seriously enough to protect it, but let’s not get distracted.) I know perfectly well that while riding along in a car and looking out the passenger window, thinking what if that guy was a secret agent coming home from work, where he’s just killed someone with a frozen string bean through the eye-hole? is ridiculous. Totally, completely, insanely ridiculous.

But it’s an idea. And when you start entertaining those Ridiculous Ideas, your speed in sorting and judging them increases fractionally each time. Observing is a skill, and sifting through your what-ifs and wherefores and I-wonder-whys (in other words, your ideas) is a skill too. After a while, the sorting becomes automatic, and when a Really Good What-If comes along (what if the Devil wanted to hire someone? what if there was this alternate Slovakia where Communism happened alongside a type of magic? what if there was this girl and the Goblin King took her baby brother? what if Billy the Kid had been a vampire? what if a prince suspected his uncle killed his father? what if fairies were real and their king and queen had a nasty fight? what if, what if, what if…) you can pounce on it like a bulldog on a piece of bacon.

You don’t have to wait for the Idea Fairy to shower you with crazycrackdust. The empty space between atoms is jam-packed with frickin’ ideas. What a writer must polish is observing and entertaining, so those ideas aren’t just muttering to themselves in a back alley, covered in vomit and coffee grounds. You bring them in, clean them up a bit, and see if there’s anything worth salvaging in them. The loonies and psychos and bores you throw out–unless they’re really Juicy Good Material. How do you know if an idea is Good Enough? Simple: you don’t, but with practice you get better at weeding out the only moderately juicy ones, not to mention the dry chafing ones. (I hate chafing.)

Ideas are not the problem, just as writing is not the problem. Writing is the solution, and ideas are merely a matter of opening your eyes and sharpening a few reasonable skills, harnessing your monkeybrain’s innate jumping-around to a wagon and making that crazy asshole pull for all s/he’s worth. It’s a lot easier to ride the cart if s/he’s providing some of the momentum.

Then comes the uphill part–actually writing the damn story. But that’s (say it with me) another blog post.

Over and out.

Here is the beautiful Australian cover: (in stores now!)

And here is the stunning UK cover: (also in stores right now!)

And this, my friends, is the fabulous US cover: (available tomorrow! In just a few hours, really!!)

Karen has lots of goodies to give away to celebrate this awesome release.  For your chance to win, here’s where you’ll want to go:

The Book Smugglers

All Things Urban Fantasy

And just in case you need one more little teaser, here’s an excerpt from the back of the book:

THE WOOD QUEEN

To keep her best friend, Navin, from being killed at the hands of vicious wood elves, Donna Underwood stole the elixir of life. Now she’s facing an alchemist tribunal while her mother lies dying, succumbing to the elven curse that shattered her mind. In desperation, Donna seeks an audience with Aliette, the fierce and manipulative Wood Queen, who offers a deal: if Donna can use her strange and burgeoning powers to help the wood elves, Aliette will free her mother from the curse.

Along with Navin and Xan, the half-fey guy she’s falling for, Donna struggles to unlock the secrets of her iron tattoos in time to save her mother’s life. But some secrets are better left untold…

Happy release day, Dame Kaz!!

Hello Dames, please may I ask a question?

Was there a point early on in your writing career when you had to face up to the fact that you’re not as good as you thought you were?

That sounds awful, but what I mean is…I’m doing a creative writing module for my Open University degree. I just got a short story back which I thought was pretty good, but I only got a B. I’ve been alone with my writing for so long and have convinced myself that I will be published one day. I know I’ll have to learn to accept and use criticism, but I’m still gutted. That B tells me I’m ok/good but not great. I want to be great

Is this something lots of writers feel, or am I being a speshul snowflake? I really don’t want to be one of those! 

 Thanks for listening either way xxxx

The answer (to both of the questions above) is: yes.

Yes, there comes a point early in (I would venture to say) every writer’s career when we have to face up to the fact that we’re not as good as we thought we were. Not as good as we want to be.

The truth? That point, for me, at least, is every single day.

First, I must mention that I’ve never taken a creative writing class for a grade or school credit. I believe creative writing should be critiqued, not graded, because writing is such a subjective art.

(Need proof? Pick an author (heck, make it one of your favorite authors) and go read his/her reviews on Goodreads. Or Amazon. Or anywhere else. Even if most of the reviews are positive, there WILL be some negative reviews. And inevitably, the negative reviewers will dislike the book for some of the same reasons some of the positive reviewers loved it.)

Does that mean that your teacher’s opinion has no validity? No. S/he may be right, and even if s/he isn’t, you’re certainly going to have to learn to take some criticism if you want to make it in publishing.

But the truth about writing (this little jewel came from my mentor, years ago) is that you’re never as good as your best reviews make you sound, nor are you as bad as your worst reviews make you sound. And in your case, this grade is like a review. All you can do with that grade (and the critique that hopefully came along with it) is decide how much of it you believe to be valid criticism and fix what you think can be fixed.

Will that insecurity and/or disappointment with your own work ever go away? In my experience…no. Never. I’ve written fifteen novels. I’ve sold seventeen novels. And I’m still disappointed with myself and my writing every single day.

I’m not as good as I thought I was when I started writing. Hell, I’m not as good as I thought I was last month. And I’m certainly not as good as I intend to be. And just in case I ever forget that, there are reviewers all over the world just waiting to remind me, with varying degrees of tact and professionalism.

But here’s the thing that, if I were wiser (but I’m usually not), I would keep in mind: I already know that I’m not as good as I want to be. So there’s really nothing any critic, blogger, or creative writing teacher can tell me about my inadequacies that I don’t already know. I am my own worse critic. I’ve actually pointed out the flaws in my own work to perfect strangers thinking of reading my books, because I didn’t want them to have high expectations, then bed disappointed. Then I realized those potential readers may not be as critical of me as I am.

I also regularly find flaws, awkward phrasing, poor grammar, and unbelievable plots in traditionally published books, yet someone (lots of someones) obviously thought those were good enough to see the inside of a B&N. And often the bestsellers lists.

Subjective. This writing thing is subjective.

Knowing that, I’m confident in saying that there’s also nothing anyone in the world could do to make me stop trying to get better at this. Because here’s the thing: it’s not about how bad they think you are now. It’s about how good you’re gonna be someday, if you’re willing to work for it. It’s about how good you may already be, regardless of what one teacher thinks about your work.

And no matter how good you are, or how good you get, there’s always room for improvement.