Debra Dixon, GOAL, MOTIVATION & CONFLICT, and Plotting

This last weekend I was lucky enough to attend a workshop headed by Debra Dixon and hosted by the Southwest Florida Romance Writers.

For those of you who are writers, you probably know who Debra Dixon is. She wrote GMC: GOAL, MOTIVATION & CONFLICT, from Gryphon Books for Writers. I consider this to be an essential text for writers, and especially those writers just starting out.

When I first started writing fiction, I was finishing my BS in Geology, starting my Masters in Writing Popular Fiction, and perpetually broke. Buying GOAL, MOTIVATION & CONFLICT at that time, a hardcover book at $20 a pop + shipping, was a splurge for me. But I had heard it referenced time and time again by writers, so I took the plunge and bought it.

Thank the void I did!

No writing book is a bible. No one book will give you all the answers. As writers, we’re all looking for a formula, a magic bullet, a 1, 2, 3 step-by-step guide to best seller fiction.

That does not exist. (Sadly!)

However, this book is one of the VERY BEST tools you can add to your writing toolkit.

I have read it cover to cover at least 4 times over my writing career so far. That is the max number of times I have read any writing book.

What I love about this book:

• Basic language, very approachable. It is not wrapped up in theory.
• Excellent examples that perfectly illustrate the concepts Dixon is preaching.
•   Worksheets. I’m a sucker for something tangible I can take away from a book, and Dixon’s GMC worksheets are excellent.

I have used Dixon’s GMC worksheet on every character, minor or major, in every book I’ve written or worked on, since I first read GMC. It’s not a magic formula, but it is a great jumping off point.

“But, I’m not a plotter, I’m a pantser! This book is useless to me!”

Not true! Dixon takes no concrete stance on whether you need to do this first, mid-book, or when revisions start. She just lays out a basic formula that resonates with the human experience (based on Joseph Campbell’s and Christopher Volgler’s works on storytelling and myth).

The idea of GMC is worth considering no matter what stage of the draft you’re at.

The book is now (finally) available in ebook, if you want that format. Otherwise, if you want the physical book, like me, you want to go directly to the publisher’s website: 

www.Gryphonbooksforwriters.com. It’s cheapest there.

 Now here I am, a decade after I started out as a very poor college student writer, and you can bet your sweet bippy that I STILL have that book, and that I very proudly, like the fangirl that I am, got it signed by Debra Dixon.

Go Forth. Read GMC. And Conquer. 

Writing Without Words - Day 1

This little writer is going back to school!

Today I had my first day of class at Florida Gulf Coast University. I have enrolled as an ... wait for it ... ART MAJOR!! (enter disbelieving laughter here)

It’s true!

Those of you who have known me all my life will likely find this hilarious. And if you haven't known me that long, trust me, hilarity is about to ensue. I can't draw a straight line with a ruler. I can't hit the broad side of a barn with a ... uh ... a ruler. Drat. I botched that one.

Anyway, I am officially an Art student at FGCU, and my first class is "Drawing I." Before you start with the "WTF is going on here??" let me rewind it.

If I'm happy as a clam to be a full-time writer, living my dream, what sent me back to school as an art major?

Writing.

Yup, I'm going to study the visual arts as a means to further my writing. It might be better to say that I am studying the visual arts in order to broaden and foster my well of creativity, which will in turn increase the emotional depth of my writing.

What brought this on? The dreaded "SOPHOMORE SLUMP," otherwise known as "I AM LIVING IN FEAR OF MY SECOND PUBLISHED NOVEL BEING A FLOP."

2015 was a dream year for me. My debut scifi novel TheEmpress Game was well-received by critiques and fans. The positive response was so far past what I'd hoped for that I spent the second half of 2015 feeling like a princess in a fairytale. But with success comes expectations, and suddenly I'm staring at a second book and thinking, "Have I upped my game with this one? Have I grown as an author?"

It didn't hit me until just now, but what I've really been adjusting to since October is the idea that I am a full-time writer now. Writing is no longer the side job. It's no longer the pastime. It's no longer the "fit it in when you can, but don't jeopardize your day job" thing. For the last 4 years, even though I've been writing books, I've spent the majority of my self-improvement efforts on becoming better at my day job. Being a better editor for Nasdaq, learning to edit more carefully, more quickly, and multi-tasking like a fiend. I've been developing the editorial role at Nasdaq on the whole, researching the job, identifying weaknesses in training, working with management on changes, yaddie yaddie.

Now, (and it took me 3 months to really embrace this fully) ALLLLLLLL of that intense effort should be, and can be, turned toward my writing career. I am no longer content to just write the stories that come to me. I want to be More. Better. Deeper. Wiser. Craftier. Subtler. I want to be raw and pain and sophistication and art. I want to GROW. And this is a freedom. This is an amazing freedom, to be able to focus on my writing as my career. It also makes me think, "HOLY SHIT. THERE IS SO MUCH TO DOOOOO!"

Since finishing the draft of Book 2 of the Empress Game (which I think will be titled Cloak of War) I've become obsessed with improving myself as a writer. I've amassed a pile of craft books that I've been working my way through. (Slowly) I've been reading more critically. I've been searching for inspiration outside of my comfort zone.

I now have the time to fully become the writer I want to be.  That's in bold because it is so profound and so important to me.

And that will be a major focus of my 2016 year. Not just to write, but to work at becoming the writer I want to be.

It's a journey that will take the rest of my life, and I am looking forward to it. :)

Part of that journey means expanding my creativity. If you know me, you know I am an analytical person. I was born to be a scientist. I followed that path all my life until grad school, when the writing fever ambushed me. (And I've never regretted that for one second!)  But I love logic. And efficiency. I love to plan, to think things out, to discover all the angles and possibilities and outcomes before making a move. I am deliberate and calculating. It rules my life.

I wouldn't have it any other way. For me, I find a sense of security in obsessing about details and logistics, knowing I've set myself up for success as best as possible. This is even helpful in my writing. I'm going back to my roots as a plotter (after pantsing the last 1.5 novels I wrote). However, all the outlining and plotting in the world will not make for a great read UNLESS there is emotion behind it. Real, painful, dirty, gritty, beautiful, sacrificing, sublime emotion. I want my books to make logical, rational sense, but I want them to breathe. I want their hearts to beat. I want them to bleed.

And that is where Drawing I comes in.

I'm going to crack open my head and see what pours out when words are forbidden and only creativity remains. I'm going to see what happens when it's just me, a blank page, and a pencil. When I don't have to worry about questions like, "Am I using the passive voice here?" "Is this motivation plausible?" "Will this satisfy my readers' expectations for Kayla?" "Will the critics like it?" "Will this novel be labeled as stereotypical and trite?" "Am I being cliche?" "Is this too obvious?" "Did I foreshadow this enough?" and on and on and on and on and on and on......

In this class I am looking forward to creating art for an audience of one: Me. I'm going to please myself. I'm going to work hard and have fun with it. I'm going to free myself to fail. My career does not depend on my mastering the art of drawing. This class is just for me and my soul.

And I couldn't be more excited about that. :)

Confessions of a Writer -- A Game of Tag!

 I’ve been tagged by the famously talented J.L. Gribble to participate in the “Confessions of a Writer” game of tag. J.L. Gribble is a fellow graduate of Seton HillUniversity’s Writing Popular Fiction MFA program and a great speculative fiction writer. Her debut novel, Steel Victory was released earlier this year by Dog Star Books.

The “Confessions of a Writer” tag is a game of great fun! Especially if you want to know a little bit more about your favorite authors.

To read the original rules of the Tag, go here.

Here are my answers to the questions:

The Questions:

1. When did you first start writing? Was being a writer something you always aspired to be?Nope! I wanted to be a scientist. I have always loved animals and the outdoors. I got my B.S. in Geology and Environmental Science at UMass Lowell. I had never written a thing until my senior year in college, and then I discovered that I had a fantasy novel that I HAD to write. When I was looking at grad schools for Geology, I realized that my “true path” (if you will) was writing genre fiction (I have always been an avid reader) and I got my M.A. and Writing and I haven’t looked back since.

Although, I still love rocks and mineralogy. Igneous petrology will always have a place in my heart. J

2. What genre do you write?

I write speculative fiction (SF), meaning I write across the entire science fiction-fantasy genre. (I am afraid of the dark, so I tend not to write horror, which is part of SF) J I am currently writing Space Opera, but my first love (and next planned series) is High Fantasy.

3. Can you tell us a little about your current work in progress? When did you start working on this project?

I am writing the second book in TheEmpress Game trilogy, published by TitanBooks. It is tentatively titled Cloak of War, but don’t quote me on that. It’s Space Opera in the vein of Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy, with a kick-ass female protagonist and an empire on the line.

4. What was your first piece that you can remember writing? What was it about?

An easy one for me, because it wasn’t until my senior year of college. I had zero training in writing. I had always believed English to be my worst subject, b/c I received C’s in middle school, so I never took AP courses or Honors courses in English in high school, only the sciences, and avoided it in college.

Once I realized that after a lifetime of reading fantasy novels, I wanted to write one, I had to train myself to be a writer, but there is a TON to know about craft. An amazing amount. I had the fantasy story that I wanted to write in my head, but I didn’t want to “waste” the “Book of My Heart” on the process of learning how to write, so the first thing I wrote was actually a Historical Romance. (Regency, if you know the genre)

I enjoy reading them for their clever dialogue and they have a predictable structure, so I was able to focus on the craft of writing while working within a set structure/plot. That way I didn’t have to learn everything at once. Once I learned a lot about the craft of writing (and had been critiqued) and finished that novel, I applied for the SHU Masters program and wrote the Book of My Heart, an unpublished High Fantasy novel titled Sworn Sword.

Side note: The historical romance did get published with a small press. As a starter book, I’m still proud of it, since I learned so much while writing it.

5. What’s the best part about writing?

Rewriting. I absolutely HATE writing first drafts. But rewriting? That’s where the magic happens, the rough sketch becomes something beautiful and the language can be refined. Ideally, I’d like to do 3 passes on a manuscript (with time in between) as a revision process. Sadly, the publishing schedule (and my slow writing speed) doesn’t allow for this.

6. What’s the worst part about writing?

Lack of oversight keeping you on task. I have a lot of experience working from home and keeping myself on task, and I still prefer working on a clock to being in charge of my own time. Sometimes it’s hard to force your butt in the chair when no one else is watching you or keeping track of your efforts.

7. What’s the name of your favorite character and why? 

My fave character of all time is Tae, the protagonist of Sworn Sword, the high fantasy Book of My Heart. The entire reason I gave up my career in Geology and became a writer was to tell Tae’s story. She is amazingly tough, driven and focused. But she is tortured, haunted, driven by demons. She has risen to the top of her profession as a swordfighter but it will never be enough for her. She can never be good enough to make up for what she failed to protect in the past. I loved exploring her drive versus her prejudices versus her trust issues versus her warped self-image. She’s an amazingly pained character that I’d like to get back to some day.

8. How much time a day/week do you get to write? When is the best time for you to write (morning or night)?

I prefer to write from the moment I wake up until I run out of steam in the afternoon. I mean I directly roll out of bed, get dressed, grab my bowl of cereal and eat it while starting writing. I can be at the desk and writing in less than 5 minutes after waking up.

I worked full-time as an editor while writing full-time as well for 4 years. It was killing me slowly. Or, perhaps, not so slowly.

Once I got my 3 book contract with Titan Books and needed to be writing a complete novel in one year (I had been taking 2 years per book before that) I realized that I couldn’t do both. Luckily for me, I have the most supportive husband in the world, who has been encouraging me to quit my job and write full time for the last 3 years. I finally made the leap and as of a month ago, I now write full time (all day). I tend to be useless as the evening rolls around.

That’s what Netflix is for, right??

9. Did you go to college for writing? Or if you haven’t been to college yet, do you plan to?

My undergraduate degree is a B.S. in Geology and my masters degree is an M.A. in Writing Popular Fiction. Before I went to grad school, I had no formal training in writing. I highly recommend Seton Hill’s Writing Popular Fiction program (now an MFA program) for anyone who writes genre fiction and wants to take their writing/career to the next level.

10. What bothers you more: spelling errors, punctuation errors, or grammar errors?

Couldn’t care less about any of them. Only bad writing and ridiculous/unbelievable motivation bother me.

11. What is the best writing advice that anyone has given you?

“Writers write.” It’s that simple and that hard. If you’re creating stories and characters, putting words on the page, you’re a writer. Doesn’t matter if you’re getting paid or recognized or any of that. If you’re writing, you’re a writer.

If you’re just talking about being a writer but not actually putting stories and words to paper, you’re not a writer. If you published years ago, have 5 doctorates in the subject, but never intend to put pen to paper again? You’re not a writer. You were a writer.

12. What advice would you give to another writer?

“There’s no such thing as writer’s block.”  I believe this wholeheartedly. If you’re sitting at your desk, fingers poised over the keyboard, waiting for words to come and nothing happens, you don’t have writer’s block, you have “only trying one method” block. Writing is not a one-process affair.

People talk about “plotters” and “pantsers” and the truth is, there’s no pure thing. Every writer, whether they realize it or not, is using an amalgam of techniques to push their way through. If you’re staring at that blank page and thinking “I have writer’s block,” what you need to do is try another technique.

When the words won’t come for me, I switch to a different arena for working on the story. First, I try to outline the scene instead of writing it. I ask myself, “what am I trying to accomplish in this scene?” “what does this scene need to do?” “Where am I headed?” and I start to rough out an idea of where I want to go and what I want to happen.

If that doesn’t come to me, I look at character goals. Where are they headed? What does the character want? I will work on Goal-Motivation-Character sheets, learned from Debra Dixon’s excellent book called Goal, Motivation, Conflict. (Not surprisingly).

If filling out and re-evaluating those sheets doesn’t help, I turn to my whiteboard. There I outline the major plot points I’m carrying through the novel. Where am I trying to get to? How do all of these plot threads relate?

If that doesn’t work I go for a power-walk. While walking (yay Vitamin-D and exercise!) I open my mind to anything. I work on a different subplot, I go over a new character’s backstory. I get away from my current block and just let the creativity flow. When I get back home, I write down whatever I’ve learned, planning to use it later. Often, that’ll direct me to where I want to go with my current scene.

If that doesn’t work, I take a break and read a book on the craft of writing. I actually rarely finish these b/c as soon as I start reading, I get ideas for how to apply their teachings to my current problem.

If that doesn’t work I talk to my critique partners (who read my rough draft as I go along). Jen Brooks and Diana Botsford. If I’m stuck I ask them where they see the novel going. What they envision, what they expect from what I’ve written so far. Usually I disagree with all of it, but it gets me thinking on what I DO what to write.

Jen Brooks, Author of In a World Just Right

Diana Botsford, Author of Four Dragons and The Drift

So, in summary, when you say “I have writer’s block” what you’re really saying is, “Sitting at my desk and staring at a blank page isn’t getting it done.” Writers have to be flexible. You have to be willing to try ANYTHING to move forward.

If none of that works? Maybe you need a break. Take a nap. Have a glass of wine. A brownie. Clean your house. Spend time with your family. Just remember that that book is there, waiting for you, and it’s up to YOU to figure out how to tap into it and get it written.

14. Besides writing, what else do you enjoy doing? What are your hobbies?
    
    Not surprisingly, I read a great deal. Perhaps surprisingly, I read almost entirely outside of my genre. A lot of famous minds will tell you that if you’re not reading everything current and historic in your genre, then you’re not doing your job as a writer. Me? I think that’s crap. I have a lifelong love of SF and grew up devouring it. Once I started writing in the genre, however, I reduced my reading of it.

Oh, I still read the biggies that everyone is talking about, but more often than not you can find me reading suspense, thrillers, historical novels and even romance. Reading is my escape and writing SF is my love/job. When I read, I want to take a break from work.

Beyond that I love to spoil my rescue bulldog, Grace.

We live in Florida and I love to go to the beach and snorkel every chance I get, especially if we can escape to the Florida Keys for the weekend. I’m also a big-time gamer, getting hooked with Neverwinter Nights and Elder Scrolls back in the day. I never played Everquest, but I am a horrible WoW junkie.

15. What is the best book you’ve read this year?

Heidi Ruby Miller’s yet to be released STARRIE.

It’s a fantastic Science Fiction Romance with the most amazing pacing. The action kicks in on page 1 and never lets up. I was asked to review and ARC of it and very happy for the chance to do so!

Here is the blurb I wrote for it:

"With explosive action, kick-ass heroes and romance that hits all the right notes, STARRIE gives fans of science fiction romance everything they want—at a breakneck pace. Plan to stay up all night finishing this one, it’s impossible to put down!" 

16. What is the best movie you’ve seen this year?

I’ve seen ExMachina and you’d think that would be my fave. I’m going to stick my neck out and say that I enjoyed the lower budget The Machine better than Ex Machina. (Don’t tell anyone!)

However.

The best movie I saw this year was just after Christmas, when I was home with my mum and family, and my husband James was horribly ill. We watched Maleficent with Angelina Jolie and I was blown away. I cried. My heart hurt after watching it. For me, that is a moving tale, and heroine worth cheering for.

Side note: I am a life-long Disney AND Angelina Jolie fan, so, it might as well have been Rhonda-crack.

17. What is your favorite book or series of all time?

No brainer. Melanie Rawn’s TheDragon Prince trilogy, every time.

18. Who is your favorite author?

This is almost impossible to answer. I honestly enjoy the work of my two crit partners, Jen Brooks and Diana Botsford so much, that I am one of those lucky author/fans who gets to work with her fave authors on a daily basis.

Beyond that?

Melanie Rawn will forever hold that place in my heart. No matter who writes something “better,” her works of “The Dragon Prince” trilogy and the unfinished “Exiles” trilogy hit me in my formative years, and the deep emotion and ties of loyalty in those books helped me to become the person, sister, daughter, wife and writer that I am today.

If I could say one thing to Melanie Rawn it would be “thank you.”

If I could say two things it would be “OMG finish the Exiles trilogy!!!”

19. What are your plans for the rest of the year in terms of your writing?

I just, as of today, finished the rough draft of the second book in my space opera trilogy The Empress Game. From here, I want to do as much revision as I can before the book is due to my editor on November 1^st. Then I’ll get right to work on book 3 in the trilogy.

20. Where else can we find you online?

I probably use Facebook the most: https://www.facebook.com/RhondaMasonWriter

The second best place to get info is my website: www.rhondamason.com

And I am sporadically on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RMasonWriter  

In the spirit of the game of tag, I am tagging the following:

Christina Westcott: http://www.christinawestcottauthor.com/

Jen Brooks: http://www.jenbrookswriter.com/

Diana Botsford: http://dianabotsford.com/

Calico Writes: http://calicowrites.com/

Tonya Burrows: http://www.tonyaburrows.com/

Top Nine Fictional Female Badasses

(I couldn’t come up with a 10^th on short notice, and I didn’t want to put a throw-away name on here!)

So here’s my list of my top 9 fave fictional female badasses. Note, this isn’t my ULTIMATE list, it’s a list I thought up in one day of musing, so it’s subject to change.

I’m going to start off with a list of “who didn’t make my top 9 badass females and why,” just to try to avoid an uproar:

Who didn’t make the list (and why)

• Samantha Carter – Stargate SG-1 (meh. Sure, she’s smart and rocking it in the “boy’s club” of the American Airforce, but she’s SO rules oriented that she almost never follows her heart or colors outside of the lines. She’s too vanilla for me.)
• Hermione – Harry Potter (I’m sure she would make the list, but I’ve never read the books or seen the movies) *dodges tomatoes*
• Princess Leia – Starwars (I like her, sure, but…she never resonated with me.)
• Xena, Warrior Princess – (never watched the show, but she looks badass)

Starting with Number Nine:

Lara Croft (As played by Angelina Jolie in the movies)

I’m pretty sure this needs no explanation.

Number Eight

Black Widow (as played by Scarlett Johansson in the recent movies)

These days, she’s almost a “must have” on this type of list because of the increasing uproar around her role on Avengers and why she doesn’t get her own movie. That aside, she is a SERIOUSLY badass character. She’s one of only 2 Avengers who lack superpowers, but she always keeps up with the “superheroes,” and slays her fair share of bad guys. She’s super savvy, uses ALL of her assets, and Gets. The. Job. Done.

‘nuff said.

Number Seven:

Aviendha (Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series)

When I was reading this series, I couldn’t imagine a more badass character than Aviendha. I pretty much wanted to BE her. She was amazingly tough and loyal. Independent, strong, self-sufficient, important to her people… I love her. She would have ranked higher on my list if Jordan hadn’t neuter her and grouped her in with all of his other female characters who considered men “wool-headed” and so refused to communicate effectively. SIGH.

Number Six:

Pocahontas (As portrayed in the Disney movie of the same name)

Growing up, this version of Pocahontas spoke very clearly to my heart. She was nature-loving, as was I, and thought that was something of worth and the land worth protecting. I still feel the same way and am thankful to have married a wonderful man who shares my conservationist tendencies.

Why do I label her a badass? That’s easy. First, she’s independent and true to herself, even though she knows it’ll earn her censure. Second, she speaks up to the foreigner she meets who doesn’t understand the colors of the wind, and takes time to show him why the earth is worth respecting. Third, she’s not afraid to embrace love where she finds it, no matter how difficult, and fights for it. Fourth, she lets that love go when she realizes it’s the best for him.

Painful sigh! I sobbed with heartbreak at the end of Pocahontas. I’m not kidding, I was inconsolable.

Number Five:

Katniss Everdeen (From The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins)

This might feel obligatory, but it’s not. Honestly, I only read the first book of The Hunger Games. But that one book was enough to convince me that Katniss was a woman who knew how to get shit done. What I love about her? A) Family above all. To me, that is the height of badassery. Well, maybe I should say “worthy family above all.” In this case her devotion to Pru, her younger sister, is so admirable it made me feel lacking. B) She’s a legitimate badass. Collins gave us a great background for why she would know how to hunt and survive in the wild, and why she would be willing to break the rules.

She’s amazing character thrust into insane circumstances. My one quibble with Hunger Games was that enough wasn’t made of the HORRIFICNESS of the Games themselves, of the idea of children killing children. Sure, the Games themselves were expected, but when it came down to actually being in them, I wanted to see some level of disbelief/horror that anyone would condone this.

Okay, that was a side note. What makes Katniss especially badass, beyond all that? Her faux love for Petra because she knew it was how to Get. Shit. Done. She manipulated any and everyone to survive, and that is what makes her a badass, even if it hurt some people. She wants to survive and save her family.

And in the midst of all that, she still cares for Rue. It’s heartbreaking, heroic and amazing.

Number Four:

Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

This is one of my all-time favorite characters. She’s set in a time-period where women had very little power/say, but she is still a badass. She fiercely protects Jane (her older sister) when she realizes Jane’s heart has been broken. She is not afraid to spar verbally with a man above her station when he is condescending and rude to her, despite her interest in him. She does not shrink like a violet, thankful for any attention. She knows her own worth and stands by it.

When nearly forced into a loveless marriage, she rebels (and is saved from it by a doting father, thankfully). And when she realizes that she was wrong about the man she loves, she admits her mistake, and begs for her father’s acceptance of that man’s suit.

She is fearless and fierce, proud to a fault, but admits when she’s wrong. She’s a protector and she deserves every last second of happiness the book’s end grants her

Number Three:

Trinity (as played by Carrie-Anne Moss in the Matrix movies)

Why is she a badass? I’m pretty sure that question has never crossed anyone’s lips.

Not only is she a bona fide badass before the “ultimate badass,” Neo, even enters the picture, she’s so badass that the entire trilogy opens with her, in a room, trapped in the Matrix, and forced to use every skill and bit of courage she has to escape.

First, she manipulates the Matrix with the power of her mind and defeats the cops sent after her. Then, when the Agents—who are basically undefeatable—come after her, she escapes in a similar badass fashion.

She runs. She’s not too proud to admit when she’s outmatched. We see her fleeing for her life with all the strength and canniness she possesses. What I loved about the movie? They put her in flat-soled boots. Thank F’ing god. They didn’t make her wear 4 inch high Catwoman boots and expect her to somehow beat the agents when she ran across the rooftops.

She dove through a window, convinced that the agents would be on top of her in second. She even had to give herself a nudge. “Get up, Trinity. Get UP.” And she did, fear for her life and her very existence in tow.

When we see that last moment of truth, when she has to race a crazy trash truck to the phone and hope she’s retrieved before the agent kills her, I cheered to see her take the risk and gain her freedom.

Bravery, badassery, and unwavering faith in a cause. She’s amazing.

My only disappointment in the movie was that she was given the HORRIBLE fortune by the Oracle that had nothing to do with her at all. Instead, it was “The man you love will be The One.” SIGH Who gives a shit? Let’s get Trinity a destiny all her own!

Number One (A):

Aeryn Sun (As played by Claudia Black in Farscape)

So, I’m cheating, but numbers one and two are a tie, so I’m going with Numbers One (A) and One (B).

Aeryn Sun is perhaps my favorite character of all time, and if you look closely, an inspiration for both Kayla and the hero of my first ever fantasy novel, Tae.

Simply put, I love her. She is guarded, fierce and dedicated. She knows her role within her military and she fulfills it superbly. When that military turns on her for an act of humanity, she is stripped of all she has ever known and all she believes in. She’s devastated.

But instead of mourning her loss, she picks herself up, checks with her morals to confirm that she did the right thing, and soldiers on.  She moves into a new, unknown world completely alien to her way of life, and maintains her own sense of honor while she navigates it.

She is arrogant and proud, but rightfully so (on the proud part) and diligent in her retaining her own strength. The love story between her and John is one of the most painfully wrought stories I have watched/read. She surrenders herself sliver by sliver to the trust of another being, never losing herself, and learning inch by inch that all she’s known has been wrong, and that she has to adapt.

She does this all without losing her skills or her warrior spirit. In my opinion Aeryn Sun is a model for girls who need to understand that you can love someone without losing yourself.

Number One (B):

Sioned (Of Melanie Rawn’s Dragon Prince Trilogy)

(Sadly, no good picture that does Sioned justice)

I almost can’t speak on Sioned, she’s had that profound of an impact on me. If you ever want to know what makes Rhonda tick, where she learned to be so fiercely loyal to her loved ones and uncompromising on their happiness, you should read Dragon Prince. I read this as an adolescent in high school and it made such an impression on me that I remember it all, even after the thousands and thousands of books I’ve read since.

There has never been a woman more badass than Sioned. If you’ve read Melanie Rawn’s series, I can pretty much stop here and your head will be nodding. The strength of her love, her loyalty, her belief in herself, her powers… she is amazing. She’s confident, strong and willful, but utterly devoted to her love and her people. She is an amazing combination of personal power and social responsibility.

In all of my reading, I have never met so impressive a heroine. So real, believable, and heartbreaking.

If you enjoy fantasy fiction and you haven’t read the series now, run—don’t walk—to your local bookstore. (Then ask if they could order it b/c it’s an older series, and you want to support local stores instead of Amazon!)

If you made it this far, thanks for reading my list. I think badass women, in all their forms, be it kicking ass as an assassin, following orders as a soldier, defending their family on any turf, being a diplomat, or having the strength to treat the wounds of others as needed, makes women amazing. The more we write about them, even in this “first world country” that is America, the better.

Strong, Independent Heroine…or Just a Bitch?

So, if you’ve met me or read my work, you know I love a great “strong female lead.” I love to write (and read!) about kick-ass ladies who get shit done, take names, and are just all-around fierce. And I’m not just talking about Lara Croft, here. They can be kick-ass in any sphere, and words are sometimes the best weapon of all. They can wear dresses, be mothers, have tea, or fight in the octagon and snipe people.

“Why the ‘Just a Bitch?’ line, then?” you’re thinking. Well, here it is. One of my many pet peeves is writers mistaking bitchiness for “being independent.”

So there I was, reading a suspense novel. There’s the strong female lead, let’s call her “Bess.” Bess is a private investigator, but her specialty is really finding and tracking people and things in cyberspace. She’s a tough cookie, she packs a SIG Sauer in an ankle holster, she won’t take no for an answer, and she helps battered women find new identities and escape abusive situations (as pro bono work). She goes after the bad guys like it’s her mission.

She sounds great, right?

Nope. What she actually is, is argumentative, antagonistic, overly-sensitive with a super short fuse and no regard for other people. Oh, and the type to walk off whenever she’s upset and not communicate.

In walks the male lead. (Poor bastard) Let’s call him “David.” (That one’s for you, Dave Medinnus!) Now, David is a detective with over a decade of experience, and he’s a damn fine one.

So Bess can’t get in touch with one of her clients and is convinced that the woman has been murdered. (With no evidence) She goes to David (whom she met once before) and insist he investigate the case (with no evidence). Never thinking, “gee, he’s an insanely over-worked detective who might not want to be doing cases on the sly and getting fired.” When he’s skeptical about this being an actual case,  (because there’s no body, no blood, no evidence, and oh yeah, the woman has been in hiding for 6 months) Bess blows up at him and is all “I can’t believe you don’t believe me!” and huffs off.

Flash-forward a day, David’s worked his actual job all day and night, getting sucker punched by a gang-banger and having to go to a body dump, all that, with paperwork up the wazoo. She calls him THAT NEXT DAY to see what he’s dug up on her “missing” client yet. When he says he hasn’t had time to look into it yet, Bess blows up at him with “I can’t believe a woman’s life means that little to you! Fine, if you’re ‘too busy’ …” and yaddie yaddie.

So the next day, he somehow does manage to investigate the supposed missing person of Bess’s (and finds out that the few leads Bess thought she had were actually duds.) So he tells her that, and she flips out on him again for not believing her.

Then, of course, she goes out and does stupid things on her own because “I don’t need a man’s help!” Uh, gee, Bess, might you maybe need the help of a person actually trained to do these things, maybe? Just…annoying. So, she gets in trouble like an idiot. Then Dave (who, for some unknown reason, cares about her) expresses concern over her getting injured and she blows up at him, “Don’t tell me how to do my job!” and “Maybe if you actually did your job…” and yaddie.

Just…hold on a sec, Bess. How can you NOT see this from Dave’s side?

Speaking of…during this entire novel David is getting about 2 hours of sleep a night, running around doing his real detective job and being exhausted. After one of the times Bess blows up at him for no good reason, she then won’t answer his calls for 3 days. Then, Sunday morning comes, David’s ONE morning to sleep in and he had only gotten in at 4 am that morning. She shows up a 6 am (after not talking to him for 3 days) and is like, “Hey, buddy. Let’s hang out. Want to go for a jog with me?”

If I was David, at this point I’d be like, “No, lady. You’re the most obnoxious, aggressive, selfish, self-righteous idiot I’ve ever met. Also, I just told you I’d only slept 2 hours, and you still think I should spend my time with you this morning? F off.” And finish it off with slamming the door shut, clicking all the locks as loudly as possible, and going the heck right back to bed without one single regret.

It’s obnoxiously bitchy characters like this that make people sometimes groan when they hear the words, “Oh!, this book’s got a strong female lead.”

And that breaks my heart, because it just makes it that much harder for strong female leads to get the attention they deserve.

Theme in a Novel – Does Your Choice Really Matter?

I’m not a person who thinks a lot about theme in a novel. When I dissect why I did or did not enjoy a book, you usually hear me discuss, above all things, believable character motivation. (And a decided lack thereof). Many books suffer from the “why didn’t they just do XYZ, which would have been SO much easier and more straightforward?” syndrome. The author answer is, sadly, “Because then there wouldn’t have been a story, silly!” but that’s just terrible. Honestly, I’ll follow any rickety plot if you convince me that the character is realistically motivated to make the plot decisions they’re making.

After that, I’ll critique plot holes, pacing (for sure!) and the writing. But you’ll never hear me say, “I thought the theme was weak” or “I don’t think the author made full use of the theme.” For me as a reader, theme is only working on my subconscious. (Which is not to say that there aren’t books that have totally NAILED theme. There are tons of them. I just don’t notice that element.)

So when I started to work on a broad outline for The Empress Game’s books 2 and 3—using Libbie Hawker's book on plotting called Take Off Your Pants—and it called for coming up with a theme, I was a little stumped.

This recalled me to a recurring discussion about theme that I keep having with one of my critique partners, the lovely and talented Jen Brooks. She has a fantastic YA contemporary fantasy novel out this year, In a World Just Right.

She wrote an introspective and generous blog post about the difference between a “romance novel” and a “love story.” (Don’t get me going on this debate! We disagree ;-) But her great post is here)

She asked me once what I thought the theme of her novel was, because she constantly struggled against her publisher’s classification of her novel as a “YA Romance.” (She considers it a SF novel with romantic elements). I love the book, but I have to admit, I agree with the publisher. To me, the principle motivator of Jonathan’s actions in the book is his love for Kylie. He wants to do what’s best for her, even when it goes against all of his best interests.

When I told her that, though, she told me what her actual theme was, what message she wanted to get across. It was a great theme, don’t get me wrong, but I have to admit, that wasn’t the message I got from the book. I obviously took my own personal experience and viewed the book through that lens. What I saw was profound, but, as I learned, very different from what the author intended.

This brings me to my 2 points. (And what Take Off Your Pants got me thinking about.)

1)      The only person who really knows what the theme of the book is, is the author. Which, being a fact, is why I don’t enjoy the literary analysis side of English degrees. (And why I mastered in “Writing” instead of “Literature”)

More importantly, to me, is the thought occurring to me today:

2)      It doesn’t matter what theme the author intended. It only matters what the reader takes away from the story.

In the end, you can’t control that. You can try, but everyone’s filters are so strong that invariably your theme will be washed through the experience of your readers’ lives until it (sometimes even) becomes unrecognizable to you.

And that is perfectly fine. After all, as commercial authors, we write to share our stories with others, we don’t just write for ourselves.

I recently met a friend of James’s, and he said that his wife had written an SF novel but she was so shy about it she wouldn’t even let him read it. I offered to help her with the insanity of starting on an agent search and tell her what I’ve learned about the business so far, and her husband said she wasn’t even sure if she wanted to try to sell it. I told him, without any doubt, that I knew, without even meeting her, that she wanted to sell it (or share it at least).

We don’t write a story down for ourselves. We already know the story. It’s in our mind, it keeps us awake, we live and breathe the characters. The reason we slave to capture the essence of the story and these characters on the page is because we are storytellers, yarn-spinners, and we long to share to story with at least that one soul who will “get it.”

I’ve gone totally afield from my topic of theme, but, welcome to the workings of my brain. ;-)

COVER REVEAL: The Empress Game – Debut Space Opera

It’s finally here, the long-anticipated cover for my space opera/science fiction novel The Empress Game!

I love everything about it. They couldn't have captured Kayla, the female protagonist, any more perfectly.

Here’s the back of the book blurb:

One seat on the intergalactic Sakien Empire’s supreme ruling body, the Council of Seven, remains unfilled, that of the Empress Apparent. The seat isn’t won by votes or marriage, it’s won in a tournament of ritualized combat in the ancient tradition. Now that tournament–the Empress Game–has been called, and the females of the empire will stop at nothing to secure political domination for their homeworlds.

The battle for political power isn't contained by the tournament’s ring, however. The empire’s elite gather to forge, strengthen or betray alliances in a political dance that will shape the fate of the empire for a generation. With the empire wracked by a rising nanovirus plague and stretched thin by an ill-advised planet-wide occupation in enemy territory, everything rests on the woman who rises to the top.

The Empress Game is set to release in July 2015.

Pre-order The Empress Game at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Add The Empress Game to your “To be Read” shelf at Goodreads.