One thing that really drives me up a wall when reading most modern crap today is the portrayal of female characters, whether they be the lead or just in the background. The two most common views are the following: the rebellious hot babe or the quiet homemaker who has little part to play in the story.
Now to explain. The rebellious hot babe, who usually has a major or semi-major role, is the beautiful girl who goes out to war and kicks butt there, and usually doing such things out of rebellion, typically with a parent or guardian-figure. These girls often sometimes can be bad-tempered or feminist, saying that they can handle things as well as the men and don't like being held back because of it. Not only are they determined to make their mark on the world, but they also are often the love interest of a main male character, usually a romance based solely on physical appearances. An example of this character is Arya from Christopher Paolini's "Inheritance Cycle". However, these girls are not always pushy and let you know that they're as good as men; sometimes, it is more subtle, usually quietly spoken by when they pick up a sword and start helping during a battle.
The quiet homemaker has a few varying forms, but they are generally the submissive, motherly types who are often the love interests for minor male characters and serve no other purpose then their relationship to the men. An example of this, also from Paolini's series, is Elaine, a minor character who has a pregnancy that lasts for pretty much the entirety of two books (how that is biologically possible escapes me, but that is not relevant), and she does nothing else for the story besides being a mother to a few other minor characters. Another example would be Bella Swann from "Twilight".
Related to the homemaker is the damsel in distress. This is a female character who may not be the quiet girl, but she is often either related to the protagonist or romantically involved in some way. She may be told that she has an importance in saving the world, but in the end she is only used for advancing the plot by being kidnapped, rescued, and then re-kidnapped again; the only example I can think of for this one is in a non-published work that I have read. Or, on a related note, a similar damsel is told she has a big part to play but in the end is nothing more than a minor character, overshadowed by the protagonist, who is often a male; an example of this one is Taryn from Nikk Fensterman's "Twins".
Now, having these characters is not necessarily a bad thing, but it gives the appearance of very weak and stereotyped female characters. You can have strong females without resorting to these stereotypes, and I will give two examples, both from George R. R. Martin's "Song of Fire and Ice" (granted, I have only read the first book "Game of Thrones", so you'll have to forgive me for relying on one book). The first one is Catelyn Stark, married to Lord Eddard Stark, one of the main characters of the story. Even though she married him more out of arrangement and not for love, the two have a good non-angsty relationship, and she loves her husband and her children very dearly. As the plot picks up and conspiracy rises, Catelyn, wanting to find out who tried to kill one of her children, quietly travels all over the kingdom to seek this information and to bring the assassin to justice. Despite her motherly nature, she comes across as strong because she does not go into battles but neither does she sit at home and do nothing. The second female in the book that comes across as strong is Cersei Lannister. Cersei may be the king's wife and daughter of a prominent family, but she is not to be trifled with. She may seemingly not to much, but the reader can tell that there is more to her that meets the eye and that she is certainly manipulating events. Other strong female characters in literature would be Jane Austen's female protagonists like Elinor Dashwood, who is quiet but has great emotional and mental strength, and Elizabeth Bennett, who has her faults but only seeks to uphold her family's honor and reputation. There are many more examples of strong women in literature, but these are a few examples.
So, please, do not fall into this modern literature trap. Your females do not have to be aggressive bulls, but neither do they have to be doormats. There is a happy balance here, so seek it and write it.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Avoiding Marys and Garys: Part 2
And, now that I have a bit of a breather for, hopefully, the next hour, I will continue my discussion on Mary Sues.
If you remember, I gave a short list of normal Mary Sue traits on my last post. As I said, some of these traits are not bad. In fact, many of these descriptions could describe any of our characters. But, the difference between a good character and a Mary Sue is execution, how the author carries it out.
If you decide to make your character extremely talented and beautiful, you still have to keep them realistic. To keep them from looking like demigods that should be loved and admired by all, you have to remember that they are only human; no one is that perfect, even in a fictional story. Say, for example, you decide to make a character an expert linguist or magician. At the same time, make them absolutely horrible in another area like mathematics, athletics, or even just having no everyday sense at all. Another example would be a character who is stunningly beautiful physically; you could give it a real nasty temper or bad attitude that makes people back off.
On a related note, no character can be perfectly loved by all the good guys. We all have our own serious personality/ attitude flaws as well as our own perspectives on life and various events that we watch unfold before our eyes. Just because your character may think that the military needs to be more aggressive against the enemy or that the school needs a new pop machine doesn't mean that's the right view and that everyone else who thinks otherwise is an enemy. I am currently trying to put this into practice with my own fantasy novel; it is set during a war, and you have various captains, lieutenants, and then the king all trying to protect the land, but they all have different views from each other; just because a lieutenant thinks that the king and his nephew (the protagonist) have idiotic ideas doesn't automatically make him a villain nor a rival.
This leads into another point. A common flaw with Mary Sues is that they don't make mistakes or, if they do, they end up fixing it and solving the problem entirely; they don't really learn anything or retain the lesson permanently. Don't be afraid to let your characters make major mistakes with no easy solution or with one that doesn't completely solve the problem. In real life, the older we grow, we look back over mistakes we make and regret being foolish, but it is ultimately those mistakes that teach us and mold us. It is how your characters react to their mistakes and learn from them that will give them greater maturity and cause them to change.
I may continue this discussion later when I have more time.
If you remember, I gave a short list of normal Mary Sue traits on my last post. As I said, some of these traits are not bad. In fact, many of these descriptions could describe any of our characters. But, the difference between a good character and a Mary Sue is execution, how the author carries it out.
If you decide to make your character extremely talented and beautiful, you still have to keep them realistic. To keep them from looking like demigods that should be loved and admired by all, you have to remember that they are only human; no one is that perfect, even in a fictional story. Say, for example, you decide to make a character an expert linguist or magician. At the same time, make them absolutely horrible in another area like mathematics, athletics, or even just having no everyday sense at all. Another example would be a character who is stunningly beautiful physically; you could give it a real nasty temper or bad attitude that makes people back off.
On a related note, no character can be perfectly loved by all the good guys. We all have our own serious personality/ attitude flaws as well as our own perspectives on life and various events that we watch unfold before our eyes. Just because your character may think that the military needs to be more aggressive against the enemy or that the school needs a new pop machine doesn't mean that's the right view and that everyone else who thinks otherwise is an enemy. I am currently trying to put this into practice with my own fantasy novel; it is set during a war, and you have various captains, lieutenants, and then the king all trying to protect the land, but they all have different views from each other; just because a lieutenant thinks that the king and his nephew (the protagonist) have idiotic ideas doesn't automatically make him a villain nor a rival.
This leads into another point. A common flaw with Mary Sues is that they don't make mistakes or, if they do, they end up fixing it and solving the problem entirely; they don't really learn anything or retain the lesson permanently. Don't be afraid to let your characters make major mistakes with no easy solution or with one that doesn't completely solve the problem. In real life, the older we grow, we look back over mistakes we make and regret being foolish, but it is ultimately those mistakes that teach us and mold us. It is how your characters react to their mistakes and learn from them that will give them greater maturity and cause them to change.
I may continue this discussion later when I have more time.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Avoiding Marys and Garys
A major problem in stories nowadays is the huge amount of what are called "Mary Sues", basically a shallow character that is a self-insert for the author (male versions of these are often called "Gary Stus"). There is nothing good about these characters, as they are annoying and distract from the story, making it hard to read.
Here are some signs of a Mary Sue (took me a little research to make sure these were correct):
- Unusual, special character. This Mary Sue is unique in the world and has very special powers or gifts that no one else has. They may have a unique name and unique features, often including great beauty or being very attractive. The character has special magical powers or great talents like being an expert at oil painting in their early teenage years. They may also take an extremely short time to learn certain skills that would normally take years.
- Everybody loves him/her. This character may have a stubborn, unintelligent, and mean personality, but all the other characters fawn over him/her, not caring about their faults. The good guys often love this character and bad guys hate this character, and there's no in-between. Basically, the character can do no wrong in the author's eyes, and so everyone must agree with them with no criticism or anything bad said toward them.
- They usually have a very shallow romance. The kind of romance where he/she falls in love with the hottie, usually the popular person that everyone else has fallen head over heels for.
- In relation to the first point, Mary Sues are given preferential treatment in regards to their appearance. They are physically perfect in every way and may even have oddly colored eyes or hair. Some Sues often have a special mark on them that speaks of their unique position, though this is not always the case.
- This is not always the mark of a Sue, but they have some very special role to play in killing the villain and saving the world.
- This is also not always the mark of a Sue, but they often have very troubled pasts like abuse, dead family members, etc... and this turns simply into a way for them to angst and for the readers to feel sorry for them.
- A Sue may be a wish fulfillment of the author, having the same physical appearance as him/her, similar interests and hobbies, etc... Or, they may be what the author wishes they could be, like being more attractive or more talented.
This is not a comprehensive list, and it was largely taken from the following website: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CommonMarySueTraits
To test out your characters for any signs of Suedom, try out the following link: http://www.ponylandpress.com/ms-test.html However, I would say, use caution, as sometimes it may call a character a Sue when it is not. Still, try to beware of this severe flaw that is floating around nowadays.
Here are some signs of a Mary Sue (took me a little research to make sure these were correct):
- Unusual, special character. This Mary Sue is unique in the world and has very special powers or gifts that no one else has. They may have a unique name and unique features, often including great beauty or being very attractive. The character has special magical powers or great talents like being an expert at oil painting in their early teenage years. They may also take an extremely short time to learn certain skills that would normally take years.
- Everybody loves him/her. This character may have a stubborn, unintelligent, and mean personality, but all the other characters fawn over him/her, not caring about their faults. The good guys often love this character and bad guys hate this character, and there's no in-between. Basically, the character can do no wrong in the author's eyes, and so everyone must agree with them with no criticism or anything bad said toward them.
- They usually have a very shallow romance. The kind of romance where he/she falls in love with the hottie, usually the popular person that everyone else has fallen head over heels for.
- In relation to the first point, Mary Sues are given preferential treatment in regards to their appearance. They are physically perfect in every way and may even have oddly colored eyes or hair. Some Sues often have a special mark on them that speaks of their unique position, though this is not always the case.
- This is not always the mark of a Sue, but they have some very special role to play in killing the villain and saving the world.
- This is also not always the mark of a Sue, but they often have very troubled pasts like abuse, dead family members, etc... and this turns simply into a way for them to angst and for the readers to feel sorry for them.
- A Sue may be a wish fulfillment of the author, having the same physical appearance as him/her, similar interests and hobbies, etc... Or, they may be what the author wishes they could be, like being more attractive or more talented.
This is not a comprehensive list, and it was largely taken from the following website: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CommonMarySueTraits
To test out your characters for any signs of Suedom, try out the following link: http://www.ponylandpress.com/ms-test.html However, I would say, use caution, as sometimes it may call a character a Sue when it is not. Still, try to beware of this severe flaw that is floating around nowadays.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Alien Culture
Sorry for the lack of posts, but I'm in the middle of a creative drought at the moment, where I want to write something but have absolutely no clue what and nothing new is coming to mind. Anyway...
Ok, now the title of my post has nothing to do with little green men hovering in space ships above our planet. I was camping this week at a lovely little place on the lake in the middle of the mountains (not as pretty as Lake Nantahala, but better than Lake Lanier) when I was brainstorming about a possible culture for a story when I thought about creating different cultures.
One thing that really bugs me in a story is how someone can "create" a unique culture for a fantasy or sci-fi story, but it does not come across as alien; in other words, you could plop this culture in our world and essentially it would not be very different to us. There are still familiar elements in it, like the typical wedding/ marriage where you usually have a ring, a ceremony, and then a big party afterwards. In the end, this said wedding doesn't look unique and could be taking place in 21st century New York City or something like that. Or, another example. In most fantasy stories, the "age of manhood" where a boy becomes a man is generally between sixteen and eighteen, but he comes across as immature or there's no real reason for the age to be that young.
So, a few little suggestions for adding a bit of alien spice to your cultures. Look up lesser-known ones and their rites for maturity, naming, etc... and get some ideas. You could write it so that wedding ceremonies are very private affairs and the celebration is only for others, not for the couple, or vice versa. In the case of the maturity age, you could raise or lower it (Tolkien's hobbits didn't reach maturity until they were 33 years old), but please, no whiny, angsty characters; in the 1800's, you had girls who got married at 13 years old, but they certainly weren't the immature types you see today, rather the hard-working women who were fully ready to manage a household.
Sorry if my thoughts seem a little disoriented today, but I am a bit tired.
Ok, now the title of my post has nothing to do with little green men hovering in space ships above our planet. I was camping this week at a lovely little place on the lake in the middle of the mountains (not as pretty as Lake Nantahala, but better than Lake Lanier) when I was brainstorming about a possible culture for a story when I thought about creating different cultures.
One thing that really bugs me in a story is how someone can "create" a unique culture for a fantasy or sci-fi story, but it does not come across as alien; in other words, you could plop this culture in our world and essentially it would not be very different to us. There are still familiar elements in it, like the typical wedding/ marriage where you usually have a ring, a ceremony, and then a big party afterwards. In the end, this said wedding doesn't look unique and could be taking place in 21st century New York City or something like that. Or, another example. In most fantasy stories, the "age of manhood" where a boy becomes a man is generally between sixteen and eighteen, but he comes across as immature or there's no real reason for the age to be that young.
So, a few little suggestions for adding a bit of alien spice to your cultures. Look up lesser-known ones and their rites for maturity, naming, etc... and get some ideas. You could write it so that wedding ceremonies are very private affairs and the celebration is only for others, not for the couple, or vice versa. In the case of the maturity age, you could raise or lower it (Tolkien's hobbits didn't reach maturity until they were 33 years old), but please, no whiny, angsty characters; in the 1800's, you had girls who got married at 13 years old, but they certainly weren't the immature types you see today, rather the hard-working women who were fully ready to manage a household.
Sorry if my thoughts seem a little disoriented today, but I am a bit tired.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Accepting Criticism
Let's face it: you spend time, blood, sweat, and tears on a story, leaving you feel so proud and on top of the world; the last thing you want to hear is criticism. I know this for a fact, as I have personally felt it myself.
However, if you really love your story, then you must be willing to accept what people say about it and contemplate it. If someone says "your writing is horrible, your characters are unsympathetic, yada yada yada", your first reaction is to get defensive or to ignore the comment, only focusing on the good people say. Any author's response should be to listen to what people say, especially if you plan to publish, because heeding criticism makes you into a better writer. It reminds me of a few years ago when I was working on a fantasy novel and wanted feedback; I had gotten positive from a peer and from an adult, but my father tore apart the first chapter. I felt discouraged at first and later gave up the novel, but, looking back over it, the critique was actually good and the story was a piece of trash. And it was this that has helped me to grow in my writing, but I still have quite a way to go.
Accepting harsh words about your writing is not easy, but it is necessary. Do not ignore them, as they are vital to growing in your abilities and they will make your story better. This advice is not only to aspiring authors but also to those who have already been published; being published does not automatically let you off the hook for criticism, despite what many authors may think.
However, if you really love your story, then you must be willing to accept what people say about it and contemplate it. If someone says "your writing is horrible, your characters are unsympathetic, yada yada yada", your first reaction is to get defensive or to ignore the comment, only focusing on the good people say. Any author's response should be to listen to what people say, especially if you plan to publish, because heeding criticism makes you into a better writer. It reminds me of a few years ago when I was working on a fantasy novel and wanted feedback; I had gotten positive from a peer and from an adult, but my father tore apart the first chapter. I felt discouraged at first and later gave up the novel, but, looking back over it, the critique was actually good and the story was a piece of trash. And it was this that has helped me to grow in my writing, but I still have quite a way to go.
Accepting harsh words about your writing is not easy, but it is necessary. Do not ignore them, as they are vital to growing in your abilities and they will make your story better. This advice is not only to aspiring authors but also to those who have already been published; being published does not automatically let you off the hook for criticism, despite what many authors may think.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Bad Romance
One thing that really kills any story is how romance is portrayed. The unfortunate tendency in stories, especially in our modern day, is to have two characters look shyly at each other for a while then fall head over heels in love, with no substance or depth to their romance. Here are some examples of overdone, horrible love stories.
- Eragon and Arya from "The Inheritance Cycle". The two are destined, in a not-so-subtle way, to fall in love forever. However, Eragon's "feelings" are nothing short of lust for this hot elf babe, and she is nothing more than the arrogant, cold-hearted woman, and yet he still wants her.
- Will and Lyra from "His Dark Materials". The two young teenagers are companions for two books, and then suddenly, one day, they decide to have a make out session in the woods. Afterwards, they then are madly in love and are terribly pained when they have to separate. For goodness' sake, they're only thirteen, fourteen!
- Various romances in the "Binding of the Blade". Even though they are not as painful as Eragon and Arya's, there is little substance or depth to these various relationships. Most of them are the "love at first sight" kind, and there is little real chemistry between the characters.
- Robbie and Celia from "Atonement". I hate to add this book to the list, as it is very well-written, but I did not like the romance. Basically, the rich girl and the servant boy ignore each other most of the time and then decide to have sex in the library, where they then proclaim their love and maintain it for the course of the book, even though they are pretty much apart and have little contact during that time.
- Various romances in Erin Hunter's "Warrior" series. These are bad because they are the typical stereotypes and become very repetitive and annoying, especially as the series progresses. You have the forbidden love aspect (which shows up at least three times in the series) where two characters are not supposed to be together but are anyway and then the two characters who don't like each other then end up as mates.
- Paul and Chani from "Dune". Even though I enjoy the series to an extent for their great detail and complex plots/ schemes, Paul and Chani's relationship was a bit weak for me. Basically, the two fifteen-year olds meet for the first time, Paul knowing that they are destined to be together, and a few days later they have sex, beginning a long relationship that lasts the rest of Chani's life. They never marry, though Paul technically does to another woman but he treats Chani as his real wife and ignores the other woman. My issue is that there was little reason for them to be together apart from destiny, which means there is little substance to their love.
- Arkady Renko and his ladies in the Martin Cruz Smith books. Renko has two relationships with two women in these two books, and neither of them are deep or even well-written. He is more or less bewitched by one girl and continues sleeping with her, even though she's revealed to be a slut. The other relationship is sudden and unrealistic, with Renko 'feeling alive' with this girl but there's no evidence of this or of the relationship except for her nearly hitting him with a book and one sex scene.
The best romances, I believe, are those with chemistry and depth. Let me explain. The characters have to be attracted to each other, but not out of their rank or physical appearance. And, there has to be a spark between them, real interaction. I can't really explain except that it's something you see between a couple, the way they act together, that tells you if their love is real. Looking at pictures of various engaged couples over the years, there are some who just have a light on their smiling faces and eyes where you can tell "oh, yeah, they're in love", rather than a smile that looks forced and unreal.
Here are some suggestions for writing good romances.
- Begin the relationship as a friendship. My dad once told me that that is how love starts, and I think this has been seriously forgotten nowadays.
- Avoid the use of destiny or fate. If you do want to use it, then have more substance to the relationship, more of a real spark and less of how they are destined to be together.
- Leave room for disagreements. Even the best couples don't agree on everything, and most romances are written from the perspective of two lovey- dovey people too in love to argue. It doesn't have to be disagreements that end in the couple being separated, but it does have to be more than arguing over what outfit to wear to the party or something of that nature.
- Show it. If you want to make your romance convincing, then it has to be more than saying "I love you" or just a shy glance. The guy may give the girl flowers or chocolates, and the girl also has to give something to him, like sewing him a new cloak or making him his favorite meal. Another example, which could be used in a fantasy, if the guy just came through a real hard battle, the girl will want to comfort him emotionally and be a strong shoulder for him, though this could be applied really to any genra of writing.
- And, finally, unless you're specifically writing a romance story, one idea may be to keep the love in the background and not in the forefront. Even though Tolkien wrote his romances sounding more like an epic myth, I did like how in the "Lord of the Rings" books Aragorn and Arwen are in love, but Aragorn, knowing what he has to do, focuses on the task at hand, not griping about how far apart they are and how he misses her.
These are just a few examples, but I urge aspiring writers not to ruin your stories with a bad, predictable romance. It has become a pitfall for many authors, so don't fall into it as well.
- Eragon and Arya from "The Inheritance Cycle". The two are destined, in a not-so-subtle way, to fall in love forever. However, Eragon's "feelings" are nothing short of lust for this hot elf babe, and she is nothing more than the arrogant, cold-hearted woman, and yet he still wants her.
- Will and Lyra from "His Dark Materials". The two young teenagers are companions for two books, and then suddenly, one day, they decide to have a make out session in the woods. Afterwards, they then are madly in love and are terribly pained when they have to separate. For goodness' sake, they're only thirteen, fourteen!
- Various romances in the "Binding of the Blade". Even though they are not as painful as Eragon and Arya's, there is little substance or depth to these various relationships. Most of them are the "love at first sight" kind, and there is little real chemistry between the characters.
- Robbie and Celia from "Atonement". I hate to add this book to the list, as it is very well-written, but I did not like the romance. Basically, the rich girl and the servant boy ignore each other most of the time and then decide to have sex in the library, where they then proclaim their love and maintain it for the course of the book, even though they are pretty much apart and have little contact during that time.
- Various romances in Erin Hunter's "Warrior" series. These are bad because they are the typical stereotypes and become very repetitive and annoying, especially as the series progresses. You have the forbidden love aspect (which shows up at least three times in the series) where two characters are not supposed to be together but are anyway and then the two characters who don't like each other then end up as mates.
- Paul and Chani from "Dune". Even though I enjoy the series to an extent for their great detail and complex plots/ schemes, Paul and Chani's relationship was a bit weak for me. Basically, the two fifteen-year olds meet for the first time, Paul knowing that they are destined to be together, and a few days later they have sex, beginning a long relationship that lasts the rest of Chani's life. They never marry, though Paul technically does to another woman but he treats Chani as his real wife and ignores the other woman. My issue is that there was little reason for them to be together apart from destiny, which means there is little substance to their love.
- Arkady Renko and his ladies in the Martin Cruz Smith books. Renko has two relationships with two women in these two books, and neither of them are deep or even well-written. He is more or less bewitched by one girl and continues sleeping with her, even though she's revealed to be a slut. The other relationship is sudden and unrealistic, with Renko 'feeling alive' with this girl but there's no evidence of this or of the relationship except for her nearly hitting him with a book and one sex scene.
The best romances, I believe, are those with chemistry and depth. Let me explain. The characters have to be attracted to each other, but not out of their rank or physical appearance. And, there has to be a spark between them, real interaction. I can't really explain except that it's something you see between a couple, the way they act together, that tells you if their love is real. Looking at pictures of various engaged couples over the years, there are some who just have a light on their smiling faces and eyes where you can tell "oh, yeah, they're in love", rather than a smile that looks forced and unreal.
Here are some suggestions for writing good romances.
- Begin the relationship as a friendship. My dad once told me that that is how love starts, and I think this has been seriously forgotten nowadays.
- Avoid the use of destiny or fate. If you do want to use it, then have more substance to the relationship, more of a real spark and less of how they are destined to be together.
- Leave room for disagreements. Even the best couples don't agree on everything, and most romances are written from the perspective of two lovey- dovey people too in love to argue. It doesn't have to be disagreements that end in the couple being separated, but it does have to be more than arguing over what outfit to wear to the party or something of that nature.
- Show it. If you want to make your romance convincing, then it has to be more than saying "I love you" or just a shy glance. The guy may give the girl flowers or chocolates, and the girl also has to give something to him, like sewing him a new cloak or making him his favorite meal. Another example, which could be used in a fantasy, if the guy just came through a real hard battle, the girl will want to comfort him emotionally and be a strong shoulder for him, though this could be applied really to any genra of writing.
- And, finally, unless you're specifically writing a romance story, one idea may be to keep the love in the background and not in the forefront. Even though Tolkien wrote his romances sounding more like an epic myth, I did like how in the "Lord of the Rings" books Aragorn and Arwen are in love, but Aragorn, knowing what he has to do, focuses on the task at hand, not griping about how far apart they are and how he misses her.
These are just a few examples, but I urge aspiring writers not to ruin your stories with a bad, predictable romance. It has become a pitfall for many authors, so don't fall into it as well.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
No Repetition
I was watching "Pride and Prejudice" (the looong version and the best, in my opinion) last night when a thought came into my head: I haven't read the book in a long time, but I realized how similar "Pride and Prejudice" and "Sense and Sensibility" are. Of course they're written by the same author, but thinking about it made me raise an eyebrow. Here is a list of similarities:
- Both have the dashing, likable man liked (or loved) by one of the female protagonists who turns out to be a complete scumbag
- The scoundrel turns out to be involved somehow with the man that the female protagonist who formerly like him marries
- The scoundrel is lured away either permanently or temporarily by a woman with a lot of money
- The older sister of the family falls in love with a pleasing, likable man who abandons her briefly, crushing her hopes, but then returns suddenly to declare his love and marry her
- The female protagonist marries the man she least expected to, the one who was in love with her the entire time
- One of the females goes to London in pursuit of the man she loves but ends up discovering he's abandoned her
- Both of the sisters end up married, one to the man she's always loved and the other to an unexpected man
- Both stories have a female character who is dedicated to playing matchmaker with one of the sisters
- Mrs. Bennett is reminiscent of Mrs. Jennings in some ways
- Mr. Bennett is reminiscent of Mr. Palmer in some ways
- Jane Bennett is reminiscent of Elinor Dashwood in some ways
Now don't get me wrong; I like Jane Austen, even though I've only read two of her books (I tried reading "Emma" a few years ago but couldn't get past the first few pages). However, my issue with her is that there are a lot of similarities between "Sense and Sensibility" and "Pride and Prejudice"; yes, there are differences, but these similar characters, scenes, ideas, etc... are a bit glaring. To me, it shows a bit of a lack of imagination. Having said that, though, I'm first to admit that I'm very guilty when it comes to this sort of thing. Still, let it be a bit of a warning to you: try not to use the same ideas more than once. Rather, let them develop into something different so that no connection can be made between the two stories in that way. It takes time and a lot of thought, but, in the end, it makes you look as if you have more than a few ideas rolling around in your head.
- Both have the dashing, likable man liked (or loved) by one of the female protagonists who turns out to be a complete scumbag
- The scoundrel turns out to be involved somehow with the man that the female protagonist who formerly like him marries
- The scoundrel is lured away either permanently or temporarily by a woman with a lot of money
- The older sister of the family falls in love with a pleasing, likable man who abandons her briefly, crushing her hopes, but then returns suddenly to declare his love and marry her
- The female protagonist marries the man she least expected to, the one who was in love with her the entire time
- One of the females goes to London in pursuit of the man she loves but ends up discovering he's abandoned her
- Both of the sisters end up married, one to the man she's always loved and the other to an unexpected man
- Both stories have a female character who is dedicated to playing matchmaker with one of the sisters
- Mrs. Bennett is reminiscent of Mrs. Jennings in some ways
- Mr. Bennett is reminiscent of Mr. Palmer in some ways
- Jane Bennett is reminiscent of Elinor Dashwood in some ways
Now don't get me wrong; I like Jane Austen, even though I've only read two of her books (I tried reading "Emma" a few years ago but couldn't get past the first few pages). However, my issue with her is that there are a lot of similarities between "Sense and Sensibility" and "Pride and Prejudice"; yes, there are differences, but these similar characters, scenes, ideas, etc... are a bit glaring. To me, it shows a bit of a lack of imagination. Having said that, though, I'm first to admit that I'm very guilty when it comes to this sort of thing. Still, let it be a bit of a warning to you: try not to use the same ideas more than once. Rather, let them develop into something different so that no connection can be made between the two stories in that way. It takes time and a lot of thought, but, in the end, it makes you look as if you have more than a few ideas rolling around in your head.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Sermons
One thing that is not a good sign in a book is if the author decides to give out a short sermon on a topic that ends up coming across as stupid and an annoyance. I'll give a few examples. In one book, the author did a couple of not-so-subtle sermons on how vegetarianism was right (though this was recanted a book later) and on atheism; readers leapt all over this, as it came across as the author shoving his own views on them. In another book, a different author let out a couple of anti-technology and anti-killing animal views that were not subtle and did not add to the story at all; and not only that, but the sermons did not fit the personality of those who said them, which made it even worse. And these sermons were minor, an add-on to the story. Things can really get bad if you decide to have a sermon as the major part of the story; for example, Pullman's "His Dark Materials" were well-written stories (except for the last one), but the whole anti-God, anti-Christianity message oozed through to ruin it completely.
If you want to use your story-writing attempts to teach your readers a lesson or a "sermon", as it were, I've learned that being subtle yet relevant is the best way. If you want to write a Christian fantasy, you don't have to be too open about it (a minor note here: I appreciate LB Graham for writing his "Binding of the Blade" series and its blatantly Christian themes, but I think a little more subtly could have also been better... among other things). I consider "Lord of the Rings" a very Christian novel series even though there is virtually no mention of God or of organized religion, but it has very strong Christian allegory and themes seen in the characters' morality and in objects like the lembas bread; another novel series I would consider Christian to a lesser extent is Stephen Lawhead's "Pendragon Cycle" (even though the whole "holy grail" thing I think could have been left out), as it does mention God and Christianity but they are not the central part of the story. If you want to write a pro-life message, you can be subtle in mentioning how precious life is. There are other examples, but my mind can't think of them at the moment.
If you want to use your story-writing attempts to teach your readers a lesson or a "sermon", as it were, I've learned that being subtle yet relevant is the best way. If you want to write a Christian fantasy, you don't have to be too open about it (a minor note here: I appreciate LB Graham for writing his "Binding of the Blade" series and its blatantly Christian themes, but I think a little more subtly could have also been better... among other things). I consider "Lord of the Rings" a very Christian novel series even though there is virtually no mention of God or of organized religion, but it has very strong Christian allegory and themes seen in the characters' morality and in objects like the lembas bread; another novel series I would consider Christian to a lesser extent is Stephen Lawhead's "Pendragon Cycle" (even though the whole "holy grail" thing I think could have been left out), as it does mention God and Christianity but they are not the central part of the story. If you want to write a pro-life message, you can be subtle in mentioning how precious life is. There are other examples, but my mind can't think of them at the moment.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
A History Lesson
World building is always fun to do, creating names, cultures, geography, history, etc... But one thing that I have discovered to make your world more believable is to add some history. Don't panic. I'm not suggesting you create a vast history like Tolkien did, but adding a bit to the background makes your world look better.
What inspires me most when adding a background to this fantasy world I've worked on for several years is real history, because it is so complicated. Wars do not happen for one reason; very often, there are several different ones that all collide and explode with deadly results. Rulers battle their own personal demons and troubles within and without their own realms. Kingdoms rise and fall. Scholars study and argue over what they believe is right. One little event over generations leads to something much bigger than anticipated. The list goes on and on. There is plenty of opportunity to explore these various areas, even in bits and pieces, so do so. It makes your world more alive and realistic, and it makes you look like you actually labored over your world building attempts.
What inspires me most when adding a background to this fantasy world I've worked on for several years is real history, because it is so complicated. Wars do not happen for one reason; very often, there are several different ones that all collide and explode with deadly results. Rulers battle their own personal demons and troubles within and without their own realms. Kingdoms rise and fall. Scholars study and argue over what they believe is right. One little event over generations leads to something much bigger than anticipated. The list goes on and on. There is plenty of opportunity to explore these various areas, even in bits and pieces, so do so. It makes your world more alive and realistic, and it makes you look like you actually labored over your world building attempts.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Borrowing a Culture
A common thing to do when you world-build, especially in fantasy stories (I've seen it so far in one sci-fi series) is to borrow from a real culture when creating your own. Now that's all well and good, but this can often cause issues and make you look unimaginative. I'll give you two examples of how it can be abused.
First, the Icemark Chronicles (a series of three books so far... the first is the best, the second was absolutely horrible, and I've yet to read the third). The author Stuart Hill has several different races: the people of the Icemark (clearly Nordic/ Viking), the Hypolitia (Scythians, more specifically the Amazonians of Greek legends), and the Polypontians (clearly the Romans of the Roman Empire). Even though these peoples are clearly cut out from history, it truly becomes annoying in the second book with the addition of more human races that are clearly based off of the people of Venice (the name of their city is Venizza or something like that), Middle Easterners, and then at last African tribes. The problem that happened here was absolutely no imagination. Nothing to separate these peoples from their real-life counterparts except for the fact that they're in a fantasy world.
My next example is from a book I'm currently reading called "Shadow Magic." You basically have two races who are trying to make peace after a looong war, which makes for interesting culture clashes (more on that later). While one culture is nonspecific, the other, known as the Ke- Han, are clearly Japanese. I'm not familiar with that culture, but from what I've read so far (and I don't expect a change by the end of the novel) the Ke- Han, like Stuart Hill's races, are basic cardboard cutouts with nothing new or interesting to differentiate them from the Japanese.
Borrowing a bit from a real-life culture is fine, as long as you add your own touches to make them realistic and recognizable but at the same time different. A good example of this is the Fremen from Frank Herbert's "Dune" universe. They live in the desert and have a language similar to Arabic, but these two people are very different. The Fremen don't have the physical characteristics of Middle Easterners, they ride giant worms and not camels, they live in stone houses and do not appear to be nomads, and several other differences. The point is, these people were clearly influenced by a real-life culture, but they are not the exact same; and there are more than just three or four differences between the two.
Not everyone bases a fantasy or sci-fi culture on reality, but for those who do, what you can do to prevent from having an unimaginative people is to let them grow. Add differences between the real thing and yours. Make a different history for them. Change their religion and names. I could go on and on. Over the years, I have discovered that one of my races that has played a predominant role in my story attempts, while being based off the Celts/ Scottish/ Irish have developed into their own people, as they are more literate, have a different history, and live in very different buildings. Those are only a few examples, but do not be afraid to let your culture/ people evolve into something complex and unique.
A little note here. I mentioned above a culture clash in "Shadow Magic." One thing I have rarely seen in stories that require extensive world-building (I am sad to say even Tolkien, for his amazing detail, could have done so much more with his various races in a culture clash) is two different peoples looking at each other and their customs. "Shadow Magic", despite the fact I think it's only an ok novel, does add entertainment with the interaction between the ritualistic, clean Ke- Han and the visitors who view them and their ways with a cool disdain. I myself had a great deal of fun using this in my second novel last summer when I had my Celtic race interact with the clean, poised vampires. It was entertaining to write about the "Celts" trying to use silverware, feeling dirty in the clean and polished palace, and just how they view each other. I highly recommend using this in your novel, because, as I said earlier, it's not used nearly enough and because it also adds a bit of conflict between your characters, which is always a good thing.
First, the Icemark Chronicles (a series of three books so far... the first is the best, the second was absolutely horrible, and I've yet to read the third). The author Stuart Hill has several different races: the people of the Icemark (clearly Nordic/ Viking), the Hypolitia (Scythians, more specifically the Amazonians of Greek legends), and the Polypontians (clearly the Romans of the Roman Empire). Even though these peoples are clearly cut out from history, it truly becomes annoying in the second book with the addition of more human races that are clearly based off of the people of Venice (the name of their city is Venizza or something like that), Middle Easterners, and then at last African tribes. The problem that happened here was absolutely no imagination. Nothing to separate these peoples from their real-life counterparts except for the fact that they're in a fantasy world.
My next example is from a book I'm currently reading called "Shadow Magic." You basically have two races who are trying to make peace after a looong war, which makes for interesting culture clashes (more on that later). While one culture is nonspecific, the other, known as the Ke- Han, are clearly Japanese. I'm not familiar with that culture, but from what I've read so far (and I don't expect a change by the end of the novel) the Ke- Han, like Stuart Hill's races, are basic cardboard cutouts with nothing new or interesting to differentiate them from the Japanese.
Borrowing a bit from a real-life culture is fine, as long as you add your own touches to make them realistic and recognizable but at the same time different. A good example of this is the Fremen from Frank Herbert's "Dune" universe. They live in the desert and have a language similar to Arabic, but these two people are very different. The Fremen don't have the physical characteristics of Middle Easterners, they ride giant worms and not camels, they live in stone houses and do not appear to be nomads, and several other differences. The point is, these people were clearly influenced by a real-life culture, but they are not the exact same; and there are more than just three or four differences between the two.
Not everyone bases a fantasy or sci-fi culture on reality, but for those who do, what you can do to prevent from having an unimaginative people is to let them grow. Add differences between the real thing and yours. Make a different history for them. Change their religion and names. I could go on and on. Over the years, I have discovered that one of my races that has played a predominant role in my story attempts, while being based off the Celts/ Scottish/ Irish have developed into their own people, as they are more literate, have a different history, and live in very different buildings. Those are only a few examples, but do not be afraid to let your culture/ people evolve into something complex and unique.
A little note here. I mentioned above a culture clash in "Shadow Magic." One thing I have rarely seen in stories that require extensive world-building (I am sad to say even Tolkien, for his amazing detail, could have done so much more with his various races in a culture clash) is two different peoples looking at each other and their customs. "Shadow Magic", despite the fact I think it's only an ok novel, does add entertainment with the interaction between the ritualistic, clean Ke- Han and the visitors who view them and their ways with a cool disdain. I myself had a great deal of fun using this in my second novel last summer when I had my Celtic race interact with the clean, poised vampires. It was entertaining to write about the "Celts" trying to use silverware, feeling dirty in the clean and polished palace, and just how they view each other. I highly recommend using this in your novel, because, as I said earlier, it's not used nearly enough and because it also adds a bit of conflict between your characters, which is always a good thing.
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