Plotting a SciFi “world”

Each genre holds its challenges, no matter if it chic lit, YA literature or criminal suspense. Currently, I’m finding my own challenges as I wade into the realm of science fiction from the familiar waters of fantasy. Perhaps one of the most challenging is placing my planets on maps in manner that is logical and plausible. To me, this is very important, because it has been my experience that SciFi readers are very discerning and knowledgeable about technology and science in general. This understanding also heightens my awareness on the topic and my desire to get things right.

My novel is not in any way firm science, with me shying away from that genre, because I know I would probably be setting myself up for epic failure. Instead, I prefer to focus more on the characters and their surroundings, briefly touching on the science and technology they rely on. And when I do highlight those aspects, I try to get them right or at least right enough to not push my readers past their willingness to suspend disbelief.

And perhaps the biggest way to break willing suspension of disbelief is to have planets in places that would not support life, would have different climates than what is relayed in the book and so on.

It is definitely a tall order to fill, and I’m trying to gather resources to help me along. Unfortunately, my astronomy textbook is still missing in the move, so I’m asking fellow SciFi novelists to provide links to their favorite resources — both online and in book form — that have helped them plot out the planets in their universes.

Writing Prompt #7: Location Unknown

Your character — new or preexisting — awakes in a location they have never been before, and they have no idea where it is or how they arrived in their current predicament. In their pocket, they have a limited amount of local currency (enough to buy two meals, though they are not aware of this); besides that, they only have the clothes on their backs. The language spoken by the locals is one your character does not know.

How does your character react to this unforeseen change in their life? Do they lay low and try to figure out how they ended up in this location? Do they have enemies that they automatically assumed dump them there? Or do they go along with the flow as it were and walk about at leisure exploring their new sights? How do they handle the unknown currency in their pocket? Do they hoard it for future use, choosing instead to hunt through garbage and/or steal what they need? Or do they use the currency, possibly getting swindled? Most importantly, how do they communicate with the locals (if they decide to do so)? And don’t even think about universal communication devices a la Star Trek; they would either be broken or removed prior to the dump.

Follow this prompt through and feel free to make it as long or short as you wish. What better way to see what a character is made of than to thrust them into the unknown!

Got a really good response to the prompt? Share it!

Learn from SELF Magazine’s Mistake

We are all human, we all make mistakes — and as journalists we have the misfortune of having our mistakes aired to our entire distribution area… and sometimes beyond if it is picked up by social media. I’ve had my own set of corrections over the course of my career. And you know what? I expect there will be more because I am human, I make mistakes. The best we can do is learn from our shortcomings and try not to repeat the same mistake.

And in the case of SELF magazine, they are going to have plenty of mistakes to think on in the coming days as they face a huge PR debacle after mocking a cancer patient and her friend for wearing tutus to marathon for motivation purposes. Newspapers and other print publications are held to a high degree, and it is our job to get our facts straight and dig into a topic before taking an article, or in this case photo, to print. Albeit, this line has been stretched thin with the advent of social media and the need to get news out first. However, SELF can’t even use that excuse when it comes to why they placed Monika Allen and her friend’s photo on its BS meter with the caption: “People think these froufrou skirts make you run faster. Now, if you told us they made people run away from you faster, maybe we would believe it.”

Not only is Allen a cancer patient, but her business, Glam Runner, which makes those “froufrou skirts,” donates money from the tutus to a charity called Girls on the Run San Diego. The charity is a program geared toward girls in the third through 8th grade and seeks to inspire them to be joyful, healthy and confident. Oops.

After Allen took to Glam Runner’s Facebook page, word spread quickly, getting picked up by local and national news agencies. Not only had they chosen to pick on a cancer survivor, they had also failed to relay how they intended to use the photo to the photo’s owner, another face-palm moment. And as news spread, SELF magazine quickly took to action to stop the hemorrhaging. Only the publication’s Editor in Chief Lucy Danziger might have just dug the hole deeper when she told USA Today: “I am personally mortified. I had no idea that Monika had been through cancer. It was an error. It was a stupid mistake. We shouldn’t have run the item.”

So you are saying that if she had not been a cancer patient, it would be alright? SELF magazine markets itself as a women’s magazine that promotes health and well-being, causing this snafu to make it look hypocritical since they should not be shaming women on their BS meter to begin with. Instead, they should be building up women, and in fact, if they had dug deeper, they would have discovered a story fit for their cover… sad really. Also if they had dug a little deeper they would have learned a little bit about runner culture.

I myself am not a runner, but I admire those who can complete 5Ks and so on; I also know a little bit about runner culture. For some marathons, dressing up in fun costumes is the name of the game, and for those that don’t require it, runners will often dress up anyways. For some the costume just inspires or motivates; it also adds to the marathon experience, adding a further depth of fun. Allen was well in her rights to dress up like Wonder Woman, because you know what, she is Wonder Woman. The fact that she was able to finish that race in between chemo is nothing short of incredible.

If there is any plus from SELF’s slip up, it is that Glam Runner and Girls on the Run San Diego will have garnered a lot of press and support. As for SELF, hopefully they will learn from this mistake and make good. On its Facebook page, SELF is already been attempting to make good, issuing the following response: “On behalf of SELF, we sincerely apologize for our inadvertent insensitivity. I have personally reached out to Monika and her supporters online to apologize for the misstep and tell them we are trying to remedy the situation. At SELF we support women such as Monika; she is an inspiration and embodies the qualities we admire. We have donated to her charity and have offered to cover her good work in a future issue. We wish her all the best on her road to good health. Most sincerely, Lucy Danziger.”

But if the responses to that post are any indicator, SELF has a long uphill struggle to recover from this PR fail.

How do writers know what they want to write about?

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So how does a writer fill those blank pages?

It’s one of the most common questions a writer is asked: Why do you write what you write? Often times it is asked when a writer is least expecting it, leading to awkward pauses or garbled words and stutters. But to be fair, it’s not an easy question to explain. For me, writing is an organic process with stories just coming to mind and developing over the course of the project, and that can be hard to describe at the flip of a switch to a non-writer. Some projects come easy, others not so much.

While browsing through the various news sites, I stumbled across this article on Slate, entitled “How Do Writers Know What They Want to Write About?,” which was written by Ellen Vrana and is an essay of sorts about how writers compose their works. While I completely agree with her steps 2-4, I was disappointed to see the old, tried-and-true “gem,” aka write what you know, trotted out as step 1. People will climb to the top of mountains to proclaim this as a gospel truth of writing; heck, I have even witnessed fights in forums over this old adage with a poster invading a fantasy forum and telling fantasy writers they shouldn’t be writing fantasy with sword fights, etc., because they have not done it themselves.

For me, write what you know is very disheartening advise, especially when given to newbies who have yet to spread their wings. One of my friends, upon learning I wrote fiction, even confided in me that she gave up her creative writing endeavors upon receiving that advice from a “pro.” Truth be told, “write what you know” is a fallacy. As a professional writer, I am paid to constantly write articles on topics I know nothing about: pension reform, quints, aerial work platforms… the list goes endlessly on. So what to I do? I research a topic, compose a series of questions and consult people who are experts in the area. In fact for a recent article, I was told by one of those experts that facility managers need to become experts by gathering information from those who are already experts. While this advice was geared toward purchasing lifts, it works just as perfectly for writers.

Vrana does note this further down in her section on the topic, writing: “If you want to write about something that you don’t know about, experience it, learn about it, understand it. Then write if it feels right.” Which leads me to this point: Writing is all about passion and interest. Don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to “what you know.” If you are passionate about what you are writing, have enough of an interest in it, you will do the research, seek out available experiences and talk to the experts until you can be considered among them.

While conducting another interview, I spoke with an author, an older woman, who writes crime novels. She was a true example of this approach. For her novel, she worked with actual police officers in Chicago and depended on their feedback to shape characters and plot — to get it right. Other writers have corresponded with historians, visited museums, picked up fencing or archery, poured over book after book on a subject and more to get their books right.

So instead of the confining “write what you know,” write what you are passionate about, write what you will take the time to get right. The great thing about creative writing is it is not confining; you can even break grammatical rules if you do it with great thought and purpose. Humans are also blessed to have an imagination — some of ours are more vivid than others’ — so use it. You may never have been put into a trunk my a creep and then dropped into a river like your main character, but as a human being you can imagine what that would be like — you could feel the hopelessness of such a situation, even picture how you would react in such a situation or draw on how you suspect other people in your life would react if put into a similar situation.

While research and consultation might not fill in all the gaps, your imagination can, and just as long as your imaginative caulking, as it were, doesn’t exceed your readers’ willing suspension of disbelief, you should be fine. So lets retire that tired phrase, it’s long due to be put out to pasture, and I sure as heck do not want to write stories based on a staff writer who works in Northern Indiana, albeit I could write about Amish feuds with their Englischer neighbors (hint, it would be a horse droppings good tale).

World and Character Series: Are your characters human?

Sometimes writers forget the basics while putting our vision to paper. And in this case I’m not talking about basics like grammar, plot or even character development. No, I’m talking about the basics of life: the need to eat. Often, times characters in books will go days without eating, making them more robot than human.

In my first book, which was completed in middle school, I don’t think my characters ate at all, except during one scene … needless to say, they should all be dead from starvation. Later characters in more recent writing endeavors have fared better in the food and drink department; they have also actually felt hungry when food is not readily available.

Food should appear in a character’s day-to-day life; it makes them more human, and food is something readers of all creeds can connect with. While food is a basic staple for life, it should not dominate any text, unless it is being intentional used to say something about a character. However, it should be sprinkled throughout a manuscript whether shown or mentioned in passing.

Beyond adding realism to your manuscript, the inclusion of food can have two other benefits: character building and world building. After all, food can say a lot about a person and a world/culture.

Characters

Is your character a picky eater or do they follow the see-food-eat-food method? Are there certain foods they do not eat, either through choice or because of cultural or religious reasons? Does your character have any food allergies? Hot and spicy or as bland as it comes? Would your character kill for chocolate, maybe even literally?

All these questions add depth to a character and can actually say a lot about them — not only that, they might make a good plot point. Perhaps, they don’t realize they are allergic to a type of fruit, leading them and associates on a hunt to find a doctor in a land where they don’t speak the language. As for depth, food choices tune an audience into a character. If they are vegetarian that will tell the audience something just like if your character follows all his/her cultural or religious eating norms or one that follows most but enjoys something that is not suppose to be on the menu.

Food choices can also affect how your character interacts with others, possibly adding conflict. Your vegan character visits a party full of personal taboo food items. How do they or the people around them react? In general some people, no matter whether they are meat eaters, vegan or so on, can be defensive about their eating habits.

Do not forget about the have-nots and have-plenties. They will each react differently to food. How has your character’s childhood of living off scraps affected them? If placed in a situation where they will have to do without food again, do they accept it and continue on or do they dive back to the past traumas? Does your wealthy, always well-fed nobleman cave after missing a lunch and dinner or persevere? There are many possibilities to explore.

Of course, a lot of your character’s eating habits will be influenced by the world and culture they inhabit.

World

Certain foods can’t grow everywhere. And while conducting world-building, this is a topic that needs delved into. What grows in the various regions of your world? Can certain regions sustain livestock? Or can certain ones only sustain smaller critters like chickens or sheep and goats? This will affect your characters and possibly have economical consequences in your crafted world.

Is one region the sole source for grapes? This might make the region exceptionally wealthy through trade, or perhaps it has attracted the attention of neighboring regions who have since conquered it, leaving the native populace poor and at the mercy of their overlords who benefit from the resource. One region might depend on hunting and gathering while another has established a strong agricultural society. A region with plenty will view its food very differently compared to a desert region where all food and drink is not to be wasted.

Don’t forget the politics that can revolve around food. Maybe one of your regions has forbidden the import of a delicacy that can only be found in a neighboring region. Or maybe they just place high levies on the delicacy, meaning only the wealthy can procure it. Governments can also place embargoes on other countries and regions, which might keep certain foods from reaching that country.

There is a lot to be considered when plotting your world’s food chain, as it were. And perhaps the best way to map it out is to explore your local agriculture scene in addition to those that can be found around our world. Research crops to see if they could exist in the environment you intend to place them. For example, you are not going to find rice paddies in a desert region or world, cherries require a temperate latitude to be grown and mangoes require tropical temperatures. Each plant has its own requirements.

Other research revolves around livestock. Certain livestock like cows require a lot of resources to raise, which is why it is important to make sure a region in your world can actually provide for them. Beyond integrating livestock into a world and its regions, don’t forget wild game — which will also require certain resources be available in order for them to feasible exist there.

While all this research might seem tedious, it will provide add realism to your novel and possible open doors to unique conflicts or character development.

I live!

Somehow I’ve managed to survive moving during the holidays, though I still have a few more boxes to move over and a lot of organizing to complete. With that in mind, my posts will be sporadic, but I hope to at least start posting again.

Writing is another area I need to tap into again. Between signing hoards of documentation and moving, plus the additional workload of my new position at work, all my projects have fallen into the lurch. I did receive a rejection on a cyborg short story though I wasn’t too surprised since it might have been a little too slice of life for the publication. For me, the experience is really what mattered when it came to submitting. That and just being able to click the submit button.

I’m hoping to be able to hit the submit button a whole lot more this year, but I’m going to have to find my focus again if I want to achieve anything at all. I figure eventually everything is going to settle. Until then, it’s going to be about making time and sticking to my passion.

Is there a setting besides fast?

October has been a whirl, and November is promising to be over in the blink of an eye. My workload has picked up at work after I was named editor of our Michiana House & Home publication, and let me just say, it is creepy seeing a photo of myself inside a magazine!

While I’m not participating in NaNoWriMo this year, I’ve managed to capture the writing spirit just fine this November, making major progress on my SciFi novel … it has yet to be named, lol. I’m slightly hopeful that the first draft will be completed prior to the new year, but of course, I’m also in the process of moving — as long as the mortgage continues to proceed according to plans — so it is hard to say for sure.

Additionally, I have plans to tackle more short stories, even managing to complete one for Clarkesworld’s cyborg anthology “Upgraded.” So wish me luck, I’m still 103 on their queue list. And beyond that, I’m finding I have plenty of pieces to read and edit, which is great fun.

So what are your writing plans for the rest of the year? Or how is NaNoWriMo going if you’ve decided to participate?

The business of writing — Part II

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Time to get connected and build your platform.

Well, you have your business plan typed and printed, possibly stored in a sleek binder … or stuffed in a lock box or file cabinet. So what next? Well, you have to make good on that marketing plan that you spelled out in your business plan. What? Isn’t that my agent’s and publisher’s job? The answer is no, or at least, not anymore. With the advent of social media, the internet and a variety of other factors, writers are having to step up even more to market and sell their work.

The one thing I have discovered as I query agents with my novel is they want to see my Web presence. From blogs to websites, some agents want to see them included in your query letter to see how marketable you are and what your reach is. I recall one agent stating on their website that if they google a writer, they want the writer to appear on page one of the search. For some of us unfortunate souls, this is impossible. Just try googling Sarah Wright, all you will get is a supermodel — I can’t beat that. Despite that, create a presence even if you can’t get on page one: Just having a presence is better than not having one at all.

While it might seem like putting the cart before the horse, your marketing and platform building should occur prior to peddling your wares/writings because platforms can take time to build. Don’t get frustrated if you don’t land a large platform/following overnight since not everyone will meet instant success. Whatever you do, don’t covet the success of others; instead, focus on your own projects and carry on: Platform building is not a race.

There are several avenues to choose from in regards to building your platform: WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook and so on. Each site has its own pros and cons, so it is really a matter of which ones you find easiest to use or better suit your approach. Also consider using a combination of these sites, which only serves to increase your reach and platform. Try to keep your posts on these sites regular and relateable; it also doesn’t hurt to stick with a theme. And while you are on these sites, be sure to network. Follow people, be active on their blogs or accounts; after all, it will only increase your visibility while also building connections and potentially increasing your own knowledge base.

To help yourself along, take your calendar and mark the days you intend to post on it. Plan out your posts or articles in advance. You can write out a bunch of articles/posts then post them at your leisure. Strategies like these will only help you as you work on building your platform. Also don’t rule out the possibility of doing guest blogs or joining a network of blogs.

And perhaps one of the most important things is a website. Every writer should have a website: But remember quality is key! I cannot stress that enough because nothing can repel eyes like a poorly put-together website, particularly one that uses just html coding or worse… a html table. If you can’t put together your own professional crafted website, it is more than worth it to hire someone to prepare one for you. Similarly, have a professional email account, which mean no fluffybutterflyprincess03175@yahoo.com.

As with most businesses, there will be trial and error. What works for your writing buddies might not work for you just like that plan you have so meticulously put together is failing to meet your expectations. Whatever you do, don’t give up! Dust yourself off and try an alternative approach or soldier up on your current approach. Also browse around, see what your fellow bloggers and writers are doing and take inspiration from what they are doing right.

“The business of writing” will be a three-part series. The final part will be about building your portfolio and resume as a writer. Visit Part I here.

Life of a staff writer: Five interviews that have shaped me

As a staff writer, you meet a lot of interesting people and get to see a lot of interesting movements along the way — and I am embarrassed to say I do not always remember all my interviewees’ names; however, their stories stay with me. Not only do they inspire me, especially the seniors who I have interviewed for our Senior Life publication, but they show me what I can be, even when I become a senior!

Additionally, some of the movements I have written about have also made me aspire to change aspects of me life — to strive to be healthier, to be more connected with my community and just be a better person.

Below are five people and movements/concepts that have really stuck with me and changed me as a person:

  1. Anne Drake will always stand out in my mind as one of my most favorite interviewees. Not only did she attend college at an older age, but she did so without vision, with the help of her seeing eye dog, Tabitha (Full Story Here). I will always remember what Anne had to say about her experiences, and my interview with her came at the perfect time in my life: You see I had just had to put my 12-year-old cat, Dotty, who I had hand-reared, to sleep, and needless to say, I was devastated by this — after all, Dotty had been named by my mother who had passed away from leukemia in 2006, and she had been a constant reassurance and a large piece of my life in the years that followed. While Tabitha was still very much alive, Drake had still needed to make the difficult choice to send her to a better home as Tabitha aged and could no longer work. And when, she explained that choice, she said words that will stay with me forever: “You’ve got to be the person that they need you to be.” And it is something that I aspire to remember because with pets — even when it hurts like Hell — you have to remember that and do what is right for them.
  2. Go green… this is a phrase that is tossed around a lot; however, after writing a green cleaning article, I really want to embrace this practice/philosophy/lifestyle after I make my move. When you read about what goes into the cleaners we use, it will make you also want to use supplies like vinegar, baking soda, and so on to make your living area shine rather than toxic chemicals that can potentially cause cancer. This article also led me to the DIY movement, which covers everything from making home decor to your own health and beauty supplies.
  3. Along the same line is living interconnected with our food sources. This philosophy comes up quite frequently among my interviewees and in several articles and is not so surprising; after all, the local food movement appears to be quite strong across the nation, with its farmers’ markets, backyard chickens and small family farms. The conditions that factory farms put their animals in are often atrocious, and why not support our local family farms, the ones who strive to treat their animals well, who use good farming practices and are environmentally minded? After several interview people, from farmers to the every-day person like me, I really want to embrace this movement, because beyond promoting sound practices, both environmentally and sustainable, it encourages me to eat well. Some of my interviewee have even taken it a step further with the eat wild movement, where they harvest food from nature in the form of cattails, berries, nuts, etc. And yes, I did eat the insides of a cattail for the article, and it did taste very similar to a cucumber.
  4. Along the way, I have also gotten to meet several fellow writers who have inspired me. One such individual was Nik Havert, a police officer by day, and during the rest of his time, a comic book writer, short story writer, among much more. After interviewing him, my mind was a flutter of energy that just wanted to put words to papaper and actually make a career of my fiction writing, in addition to giving short stories more of a go — or possibly some genres that I might not have thought to try out. Plus, the sheer amount of talents Nik has is just amazing — gives a lot a person can aspire toward. Nik’s website can be viewed here.
  5. Last November I did an article on NaNoWriMo article, and during that interview, I got to meet a few talented writers who live in my area, including a writer who is now a good friend, Beth Anne. During that interview, I picked up a lot of good writing advice that went well beyond the traditional and into marketing yourself, attending writers conferences, how to find sources in the form of living-breathing people and a host of other informational topics. That interview was also the stepping stone to great a write-in group, where we pick a spot and just come to write with some mild chit-chat. I also have to say Beth Anne has introduced me to the non-consumer movement, which I hope will help me save money as I move out, and I hope soon she will help me with my knitting.

It just goes to show that interesting people and stories are all around you, and they hold the power to change and inspire you, even if you live in a rural area or small town — it just takes some digging!

**I promise to resume my business of writing series yet this week. I’ve been trying to balance too many things at once and have been having family-related problems. I had already had this post written so I decide to just post it. Hoping things start looking up soon.**

The business of writing — Part I

Just today, I covered a session dedicated to small business owners and entrepreneurs, which was sponsored by the county economic development corporation and a local chamber.

While the topics were geared toward business owners, I walked away from the event with my head spinning with ideas — after all, whether you want to believe it or not, writing is a business and writers are very much like small business owners or entrepreneurs. We face several of the same challenges: limited resources, how to mount a successful marketing campaign, how best to get our “product” out to our “consumers” and, perhaps most importantly, how to get someone to invest in our “product.”

This is why, drum roll… writers need a business plan. Already I can hear readers’ minds screeching to a halt at the thought. Business plans are for businesses, right? Wrong. When you start to send out your baby, you need a plan. Not only that, you have to detach yourself from your baby and view it as a product — something agents, publishers and readers are going to buy. By doing this, you will gain an edge, because you will have answers that publishers and agents want to see. Answers like: who is the target audience, how are you going to reach that audience, what is the market like for similar books and what resources do you have at your disposal to achieve a successful run of your novel.

A business plan is especially important if you plan to self-publish, because you are the only person pushing your novel! You will need to have a marketing plan in place, one that is filled with social media, meet-in-greets, readings, plus local and regional contacts (like local media, libraries, bookstores, etc.) to get get your novel out there.

If you are dead-set on being a professional writer, your business plan will have to extend beyond just that one book and encompass your entire career (pretend it is a business), which includes all additional projects you intend to tackle. This plan will then need to be updated on a set schedule like every two, three or five years to include future developments or new projects.

So what goes into a business plan? First, there is the executive summary, where you state your goals and plans: what markets you want to explore, where do you want to see yourself (your “business”) in five years, how many projects you hope to publish in a year and in what markets if you are exploring several, how many contests do you hope to enter, etc. The second portion is the business description, in which you expand on your goals in your first section.

The third section highlights your product(s) aka your writing project(s) and their markets: will they be geared toward different age groups, different genres or even different formats like books, e-books or short stories for magazines — or perhaps, you want to throw in a non-fiction article? In this section you will want to make sure you highlight who your target audience is for each of your writing projects. Your fourth section will involve a lot of research because it is your market analysis, where you look at similar books/authors in the same genre with similar target audiences and research steps they have taken to make their book(s) successful from marketing to writing styles.

Next you will want to highlight your marketing plans, better known as: how you are going to get your work out there from signing events to social media. Jot them all down right here. Directly after this, you will also want to outline your operations and management plan. There you will detail your writing plans, weekly writing goals, etc., for each of your projects. Be specific and set firm goals. You will want to include time you plan to spend building your platforms and in marketing your projects here. Be sure to create several schedules for each project and activity, preferably in the form of quick, accessible graphics.

Now highlight your qualifications, which are very important when it comes to selling your projects since you will include them in the third or four paragraph of your query letters. In this section also include how you want to improve your writing qualifications from taking writing courses and attending workshops to submitting your work to more magazine or contests. Finally, reiterate your goals in your final paragraph. For added an added feeling of professionalism, sign the document and hold yourself to it; after all, you are making a contract with yourself in way.

Take your time as you prepare your business plan: think it out and be realistic. It can be as long or as short as your need it to be.

There are several templates available just by Googling “business plans.” Microsoft Office Online also has several templates available, and I am sure Apple probably has similar templates available.

“The business of writing” will be a three-part series. Tune in next week for marketing, platform and social media.