Dear Bloggie
It’s been awhile, and I’ve been feeling the guilt of not posting anything with you. The stress of finishing a novel and the relief after it was done can be my only excuse. Writing can take a lot, and sadly you get neglected in the mad rush of fiction and fanfiction.
It’s the fanfiction that brings me back, and hopefully for a now weekly (or more frequent) posting. I’ve been thinking about the comments reviewers leave me and one of the most common is about my cliffies—cliffhangers at the end of chapters. I’ve been called cruel, evil, mean. All high compliments to my writing, since it means my readers were so caught up that when they reached that moment, they were left hanging. (Pardon the pun.)
So why do I do it?
Personally, I love a good cliffhanger. That moment before the commercial that takes your breath away, or the pause between chapters when you are left panting for more. I love those writers that leave us hanging, just not for too long. One of my favorite novelists left her last book with a little tiny cliffie at the end and I was screaming for more and wondering how long until the next book came out (since I bought it on the day of the release? A full year of course) I think it adds so much more to the tension of the story, those moments when the reader (or viewer) is left screaming begging for just a little more.
Of course, the other thing is I’m pretty sure I’m possessed by a cliffhanger demon who makes me do it. His name is Scopulus and try as I might to get rid of him—he seems to enjoy Latin—he just won’t leave. So we work together on stories, Scopulus and I, he prods and pokes until the end reaches the screaming point. He gently encourages those chapter endings that leave readers begging for more. So, he’s the one, really, who makes me do it! Yeah, really! Complain to Scopulus.
For now, I have to admit, I will continue with the cliffies, and Scopulus will be there encouraging me along the way.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Mythology
Dear Bloggie,
I am considering mythologies. Not the large mythologies that govern our lives, not those of the myriad religions that cover the planets, no not those at all. I am considering personal mythologies, or rather, the mythologies that writers create to motivate and move their characters.
All fiction (and to a lesser extent non-fiction) contains mythologies. The people, the places, the motivations are all part of the writer's personal creation and the mythology that governs the work. This is even more true when one dives into the realms of the fantastic--science fiction, fantasy or horror. As you write these, you are creating a mythology that not only governs the characters actions, but their world as well. What are the physical properties of the world, what are the spiritual properties of the world, what is the technology, does magic exist. And once you begin, once the mythology is created, you have to be willing to play in the world you created, even if some factor of your creation becomes inconvenient.
Of course, that brings us to those who deviate from their mythologies. Yes, occasionally the world we create can limit us, but that is part of the game, you can't suddenly change something because it is a stumbling block. If you are writing non-fantastic literature, you can't suddenly decide, say, the sun rises in the west, you can't break the laws and rules that govern the world. When you have created your own world the same rules apply. Tolkien could not suddenly decide that Orcs could fly and would toss down their arms for pear pie any more than someone else can change the movement of the stars in the sky. The rules are set. You have to play by your rules, and writers (books, television, movies) who suddenly deviate, or even discard, their own mythologies are not playing the game, they are breaking the rules and they lose my respect.
It's something to think about, reading a favorite author or watching a favorite movie or television show. Is the writer true to the world they created? Or are they cheating, and if they are cheating what does that mean to you?
I am considering mythologies. Not the large mythologies that govern our lives, not those of the myriad religions that cover the planets, no not those at all. I am considering personal mythologies, or rather, the mythologies that writers create to motivate and move their characters.
All fiction (and to a lesser extent non-fiction) contains mythologies. The people, the places, the motivations are all part of the writer's personal creation and the mythology that governs the work. This is even more true when one dives into the realms of the fantastic--science fiction, fantasy or horror. As you write these, you are creating a mythology that not only governs the characters actions, but their world as well. What are the physical properties of the world, what are the spiritual properties of the world, what is the technology, does magic exist. And once you begin, once the mythology is created, you have to be willing to play in the world you created, even if some factor of your creation becomes inconvenient.
Of course, that brings us to those who deviate from their mythologies. Yes, occasionally the world we create can limit us, but that is part of the game, you can't suddenly change something because it is a stumbling block. If you are writing non-fantastic literature, you can't suddenly decide, say, the sun rises in the west, you can't break the laws and rules that govern the world. When you have created your own world the same rules apply. Tolkien could not suddenly decide that Orcs could fly and would toss down their arms for pear pie any more than someone else can change the movement of the stars in the sky. The rules are set. You have to play by your rules, and writers (books, television, movies) who suddenly deviate, or even discard, their own mythologies are not playing the game, they are breaking the rules and they lose my respect.
It's something to think about, reading a favorite author or watching a favorite movie or television show. Is the writer true to the world they created? Or are they cheating, and if they are cheating what does that mean to you?
Monday, May 12, 2008
The MuffyBlog
Welcome to the MuffyBlog, my little bit of ego on the world wide web. I think I will begin all entres with Dear Bloggie, to keep up with the idea of my own secret diary, shared with the world.
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