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This is a continuation of my blogging here at WdC |
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This will be a blog for my writing, maybe with (too much) personal thrown in. I am hoping it will be a little more interactive, with me answering questions, helping out and whatnot. It follows on from the old one, which is now full. An index of topics from old and new can be found here: "Writing Blog No.2 Index"  Feel free to comment and interact. And to suggest topics! |
| 10 Essential Books For Writers This is an opinion piece! Some people say, "Why books? I got Internet!" Then why are you trying be a writer, doofus? So, this is my OPINION! Disclaimer over. Because I have been writing with something akin to vague success for so long, I get asked questions. And Schnujo reminded me of one that I get asked a surprisingly large amount. Now, this column I wrote for a different site, and I never transferred it across to WdC. So, here it is So, what is this surprising question? If there are any books I would recommend to help up and coming writers. In that vein, I would like to present the ten books I would recommend to writers. All ten I find useful, but the first three are possibly a little niche to be suitable for everyone. The other, seven, though… very important. 1) The Writer’s Complete Fantasy Reference by Writer’s Digest Books (1998; Writer’s Digest Books, Cincinnati, USA) The most niche of these books. But if you write fantasy, this is something you need. I use it often. To add a sense of realism to your fantasy, this book is essential. It explains the mechanics of things in fantasy settings – cultures, magic, economics, non-humans, clothing and war. The authors of each section do not talk down to the readers/writers, but explain things in a concise and logical way. An example is the diagram showing the parts of a suit of armour, so when you are describing this in a story, you can use the correct terminology. Okay, sure, you can find a lot of this information online, I understand that. But here it is all in one place, easy to cross-reference and you can use it offline. For fantasy writers – great resource. 2) How Not To Write A Novel by Sandra Newman & Howard Mittelmark (2008; Penguin Books, London, England) This niche book is for those who are looking at writer longer works of fiction. As a budding novelist (5 published, and, no, I don’t do self-publishing…), I have found this book a great resource. In a comedic manner – and it is quite funny – by the use of really bad passages of prose, it demonstrates the mistakes that too many writers make. One of them – being too clever with the use of words – was something I was guilty of, and this book made me go back and change a lot of what I had written… as in, 15 years of novel writing (at that stage) looked back on. Wow. Anyway, every single facet of the novel – character, plot, setting, voice, etc. – is looked at. If a writer wants to have a go at the longer form, this is the book they need. Not just novel, but novella, and definitely book series. Novelists should read this. Here's a full review: "20250407 Book Review – How Not To Write A Novel" .3) The Penguin Rhyming Dictionary by Rosalind Fergusson (1985; Penguin Books, London, UK) This is the last of the niche books. For people who write traditional or form-based poetry, or who write songs, or who write rhyming prose for children… actually, there are a lot of times a book giving you words that rhyme with the word you want could be very handy. This is something I use a lot. There are three caveats. First, you need to know what the words mean (in which case, you need a dictionary – see the next entry). Second, this is based on UK English pronunciation. For Australians, that is not a problem. For those in the USA, however, people need to be careful. Third, it works a little like a Thesaurus when finding the words you need, and some people find those awkward to use. I have not found one as comprehensive as this one – including online – and heartily recommend this. I know a number of song-writers and all but one use this. Important book. 4) A Dictionary It does not matter what sort it is, this is the main book a writer needs. You need a dictionary. If you’re not sure how a word is spelt, do not trust spell-check, look it up. Affect or effect? Look it up (affect is the verb; effect is the noun… except in very specific cases). Yes, there are some online ones that are fine (dictionary.com springs to mind), but too many are not, and the ‘Net is not always available. Get a paper one. Also, get one that suits your region. Now, I rarely use a dictionary, but if I do, it tends to be a US dictionary. I use this because I am Australian and I need to make sure I am using words culturally correctly. I do have an Oxford for my UK English and a Macquarie for my Australian, but I very rarely need them (not big-noting; it’s experience – I was an English teacher); the USA, though, I do have to check. And that’s why a dictionary is so important. 5) Bryson’s Dictionary For Writers And Editors by Bill Bryson (1991; Broadway Books, New York, USA) Another dictionary? Well, this is the one where those little questions are answered. Things like affect/effect mentioned above are explained. And that is why this is so good. It is a clarification. There are sometimes just words without a meaning, which is to show how they are spelt. It does not cover everything – of course not – but it does cover the most common things. It is like a “common mistakes corrective” tome, and that is so very important. I pull it out occasionally just to clarify something, especially when someone has corrected me and I think they’re wrong. Still, valuable work. 6) The Writer’s Source Book by Chris Sykes (2011; Hodder Education, London, UK) This is a basic “how-to-write” book with one pretty big difference – the exercises are awesome! Every section, from character to plotting to dialogue to everything else, comes with a heap of exercises. The problem with a lot of writing books with exercises is that what they get you to do is dull or does not work (not all – Lillian Rose’s Cultivating Creativity has some fine exercises in it); this one they actually make sense in context of the ultimate goal, and quite a few are challenging. I’ve used a few of them as a teacher and they worked for all levels. There are also little highlighted bits of advice that could make a great list for every writer to just remind themselves of.7) The Elements Of Style (4th Edition) by William Strunk Jr and E.B. White (2000; Pearson Education, Boston, USA) This is a dry textbook. It covers similar ground to Bryson’s book in part, but also how to put a sentence together, some grammatical rules (which it appears Grammarly is yet to learn), how to put a paragraph together, form, etc. The thing about it is that it is not long; my copy is 85 pages. And so it has all the important technical information in a succinct, easily digestible form. I do know it can be boring, but this sort of thing is vital for any writer. Learn the basics; this book will help. There might be more recent editions, but 4th is what I have and it is fine. 8) Reverse Dictionary by Reader’s Digest (1989, reprinted with amendments 1996; Reader’s Digest, London, UK) Know what you want to describe, but can’t find the word? This is the book for you! I mean it – this is the book for you! I use this a lot. A lot of entries, and with a lexicon of difficult words at the end, like a dictionary. Google can do the same thing, but Google is based on viewer algorithms and paid content, so a lot of the information cannot be trusted. This book has some great stuff; for example, your story includes a guy who likes fishing, in this dictionary, look up “fishing terms” and there is a decent list. Simple. My copy is an Australian version, and I have been trying to get the US version (for reasons I have mentioned already). Still, a valuable resource. 9) Roget’s Thesaurus (1972; College Books, London, UK) I use this book a lot. One thing about especially writing fiction is that using the same word over and over can be annoying and boring for readers, so you need to find different ways to say the same thing. That is where the Thesaurus comes into play. For example, I wrote a story where the colour red was an important element. Red, red, red, red, red… yeah. Red, crimson, scarlet, cardinal, vermillion, cherry, cerise… Now it’s interesting. See what I mean? Now, I know a thesaurus is often complex for some people to use. But with a bit of practice, it does become pretty much second nature. Oh, and while I’m here – thesaurus has nothing to do with dinosaurs. “Sauros” is Greek for lizard; “Thesaurus” is Latin for treasure. Different language. There are some online ones as well, and some are quite good. But we are not always able to be connected, and paper is right there. 10) On Writing by Stephen King (2000; Hodder & Stoughton, London, UK) This is the single most important writing book in my collection. The first 80 pages are an autobiography. Fine. But then we hit the ‘Toolbox’ and ‘On Writing’ parts of the book. The most important bits. I read these sections every couple of years or so. In 150-odd pages, he explains how to write, what tools you need (not just physical), how to make stories sing and then, so vital for me, how to edit. And edit properly. So very important. Anyway, here’s some quotes to whet your appetite: “Stopping a piece of work just because it’s hard, either emotionally or imaginatively, is a bad idea.” “The most interesting situations can usually be expressed as a What-if question.” (This is how I write 90% of my stories – from a “what if…?” question.) “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” (The most important bit of advice for each and every writer.) This book is my inspiration. I wanted to be a Stephen King. I did not get there. But I am a writer, and Stephen King is one of the main people to thank for that. So, there you have it. If you want to be a writer, then these books are well worth your time. I will add one more thing, and this is something my son (who is at university at the moment) warned me of - a couple of online dictionaries and thesauruses are now changing to include definitions, synonyms from AI scraping. This means the language is being dumbed down seriously, and mistakes are made more and more. It just makes paper look even better. Good luck and good writing! |
| Character Jobs Your hero is an everyman type. They go about their lives like everyone else. They are not a millionaire, they are not a famous person, a musician, a writer, a self-employed clog-threeper. They have a job, earn a paycheck and live like everyone else. Then the story happens to them. What happens to their job? Do they get time off? Take sick leave? Take annual leave? Just not turn up? Get fired? How do they then get money for food, petrol, getting away from the Big Bad, helping the romantic interest? Okay, it’s fiction, what does it matter? Well, these little details can help with immersion. It was something that a review of Invasive Species said was a positive of that book – she was a snake-catcher and he was a teacher, and they continued to work throughout the events of the story. Their real lives, their jobs were impacted by the goings on, but they continued. Most of our stories are about real people with real lives, and they need real jobs… And it will also affect their personality. A Starbucks barista could be highly strung because they are dealing with morons who want everything so prescribed it’s like the barista needs a chemistry set. A road-worker is going to be exhausted. A truck-driver is going to have lower back and buttocks pain. A teacher is going to be confident speaking in front of others, but also might have different expectations of behaviour and be more rigid. It is more than just earning money; it is life changing. This is not only the main characters, but the secondary characters as well, and the tertiary ones. They need some sort of living that impacts their lives to make them more relatable. If you do character sheets, then include occupation, work times, work skills on it. Make it like a mini-CV. The worst genre for this, by the way, is traditional fantasy (as opposed to urban or magical realism). How do the heroes make a living? Heroing is not a particularly lucrative occupation. Gold-hunting, robbery, sure, but just out-and-out heroing? Not really. Oh, they belong to an army? Great! So they’re AWOL. Mercenaries, then. Who is paying them and for what? Some thought might have to be put into this. How did they earn a living before going adventuring? Now, I have mentioned before that serfs would have their families punished for just leaving, but also remember there were no banks, so all their valuables would have to be carried with them. And do they have valuables? Is there money? What about bartering? And that’s a whole different story. So take care when looking at the jobs your characters have. It’s not throw-away; it is a part of who they are. |
| Novel #28 Gorgon With The Wind is an urban fantasy/mythological/humorous story. Set in an unnamed American city, a young man named Jason is apparently the latest in a long line of Zeus’ illegitimate children, and he meets up with Brigid, Aphrodite’s grand-daughter. He is strong but not the brightest bulb in the pack, while she is feisty, intelligent and everything else the woman behind the man should be. However, the Greek gods are planning a comeback by bringing back the monsters of old, all new and improved. But they don’t factor in a hero. Jason is yet another emo-like character at times, but that fits in with him. Unlike Relick, the humour is a little more gentle and subtle at times, and I think at least a working knowledge of Greek mythology might be needed in order to appreciate it. As for the title, I posted the question on my FaceBook page (back when I had a FB page) and this one was the winner. I even have a cover in mind, based on the film poster of Gone With The Wind. I also have the ideas for a sequel based around the Norse gods, but I’m not sure how to end it. I sent this off at the time as soon as it was beta read and edited (2012), and this was the response I received (cut and pasted from the email): “I don’t think in the current climate that it would be sellable. It’s mixture of Greek mythology, contemporary pop culture and humour would quite simply go over the heads of most readers.” Yadda, yadda, yadda. Having said that, he did say later: “This is one of the funniest things I’ve read this year.” So, thanks, but you still suck, I guess is what we take out of this. Anyway, let’s look at a brief excerpt from said book. Excerpt: 10. Let’s Discuss Things (i) The mayor’s office was large, dominated by a desk that was allegedly originally owned by Mark Twain’s chiropodist. He sat behind it (the mayor, not Mark Twain’s chiropodist) and did mayoring things often, at least two days a week, sometimes as many as three and a half. This was one of those times. On the other side of the desk sat a man who looked like he would rather be anywhere else than here, in this office, with this man, wearing these clothes. He much preferred his impressive army uniform, but it frightened the mayor, so he wore the suit instead. “I’m sorry, Mr Mayor, you want me to what?” the man asked in as kind a voice as he could muster at such short notice. “We need to stop these monsters, General Marshall,” the mayor stated coldly. The general’s face broke into an unfamiliar smile, the muscles protesting at the action. “I’d laugh,” he rumbled, “but I’ve forgotten how.” “This is not the response I expected,” the mayor said, hoping he sounded indignant and angry, not realising he sounded like his three year old nephew when refused a third bowl of sugar-infused breakfast cereal. “Let me spell it out for you,” the General said coldly, an emotion he did so much better than mirth. “You want me to burn down a hundred year old privately owned building, drain a lake and shut down all the businesses on its shores, send out random airstrikes over horse breeding farms, and then chop down a federally protected forest because of some mass hysteria about monsters that don’t actually exist.” He folded his arms across his broad chest, then stroked his thick, pointed beard. “So, no, I won’t. Nyah.” “But the people want something done,” the mayor tried. “They also want to pay no taxes, have everything given to them for free and have sex with supermodels. What they want and what they’re going to get are two mutually exclusive concepts.” The General’s voice dropped a tone, something that would have been taken as a warning in most sentient beings. But the mayor continued: “I’ve seen the photos! The videos!” he insisted lamely. “And I’ve seen the film Clash Of The Titans.” He spat the name of the film out as if it tasted of bitter almonds. “Special effects. Photoshop. By Ze… My God, we live in an age where any twelve year old geek with an iPhone can make it look like you’ve been eating live hamsters, and an age where the media will put out anything like that in order to get more readers to see their advertisements.” He leant forward and stared at the mayor through eyes that had struck fear into the hearts of too many men. “It’s all bullshit,” he finished somewhat lamely. “So what do I do now?” the mayor asked, doing simpering really well, even for a politician. General Marshall smiled at him in a manner that would make sharks wary. “We go on the public relations offensive and tell the people they’re idiots. We’ll get some famous Hollywood person to agree with us, find some geek who wants fifteen minutes of fame to admit he fiddled with the footage and the pictures, kill the people who try to disagree with us, put full page adverts online, and make it like someone – I’m sure we can blame the Chinese – wants us to believe in monsters because it will destroy the American way of life. See?” The mayor was nodding his agreement. “Makes sense,” he mused, doing his best impersonation of someone with intelligence, which it must be said was pretty good. “So we… hang on! Did you just say what I think you said?” “No,” Marshall replied, standing tall. “I didn’t. Good day, Mayor.” Without waiting for a response he strode out of the office, leaving the mayor to contemplate whatever the hell it was mayors contemplated when they were all alone. And that is Gorgon With the Wind, which is still, I believe, one of the best things I have written. I like the story, the humour and even the characters, stereotyped though they are meant to be. But 9 rejections so far tells me that maybe I am alone in that view. I’ll still push it out there, I guess, and keep being rejected, and wonder what I’m doing wrong… |
| How Did NaNoWriMo Help Writers For those unaware, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) has ended. It was an online challenge to write a complete work of 50,000+ words in the month of November. While the organisation itself had issues, the concept was a good one. And you can really challenge yourself – in 2025 I managed to churn out around 162,800 words in the month. So it is good to see that WdC is carrying on the idea; where I live, we left NaNoWriMo a couple of years ago because of the way we felt we were treated and yet we are also doing it again on our own this year. So why is it so good? Here’s a list of reasons: It is a good excuse to actually start writing So many people say they “want to write a book” but always manage to find excuses not to. Doing that first book as a challenge is a way to get started writing without pressure. What you get from winning is a feeling of satisfaction, and if you don’t succeed, at least you’ve started something, so it is not a waste of time. To get that kick-start, it is a non-confrontational way of going about it. There is a sense of accountability This leads directly onto the idea of accountability. If you have a goal pre-set for you, then you are accountable for achieving that goal. It becomes even more accountable when you tell everyone you know this is what you are doing in November, and if you are a member of a group doing it (like NaNoWriMo), then there are a bunch of other writers keeping you accountable. It is harder to give it up when others are there encouraging you. Further, there is personal accountability. This is a personal challenge. If you cheat by plagiarising or using AI to write your work, then you are only cheating yourself. Sure, you might feel good about “completing” the work, but if you had to cheat to do it, have you really completed the challenge? No, of course not. But, in the end, you are only cheating yourself and if you can live with that, then, well, good on ya. Congratulations. I guess your next task is going to be stealing candy from a baby. It develops a personal writing community Again, this leads to the next point – community. Writing is a very lonely pursuit. Very few writers are collaborative, and most don’t have people they can talk to about the problems that arise. The idea of NaNoWriMo put that sense of community into writing, so writers could ask one another questions, bounce ideas from each other, and that encouragement mentioned previously was there. Yes, it is also something about a site like WdC, but this was for a wider writing community. It is a good start to develop positive writing habits Many professional writers will say that it is a good habit to get into writing every day, or to treat writing as a job and write five or six days a week. For me, it’s every day, at least 250 words of personal (non-job-related) writing. But for those who are not used to writing longer works or writing something to completion, NaNoWriMo gets you into the every day writing habit, which you need to do in order to complete it. It makes you feel like you are an actual writer This all leads to this next point: if you manage to complete the 50k word work – even if it takes you until the middle of December, say – then you have done something very, very few people have done. So many say they are going to write a book and never do; well, you now have. There is something about this that says, “I am an actual writer!” There is no pressure And the final point is that there is no real pressure. The only pressure, such as it is, comes internally. You put the pressure on yourself to complete the novel. But there is no publisher, editor or agent waiting for the work; there is no real audience clamouring for the work; it has not cost you money, just time. If you don’t complete the book, shame, but no pressure. If you don’t complete the book for 2 years, does it matter? You still completed the book! All pressure is internal. That’s the benefits I see of writing to the NaNoWriMo dictates. While the organisation may have fallen – and the reasons are many, involving child writers and forum mods, treatment of international groups and writers, supporting AI use, etc – the concept that started it is still as strong today as it ever was. I see it as beneficial, especially for beginner writers of the long form, or for more experienced writers who want a challenge or to break out of a writing doldrums. And we encourage it here at WdC. So why not give it a go! |
| Square-Cube Law This is a little thing for people writing about oversized creatures, in a horror, fantasy or even science-fiction setting, especially on Earth. The square-cube law is how things change as they grow larger. To be really nerd-tastic: When a thing is increased by a certain degree or magnitude (call it x), the surface area and cross-section area are the square of this multiplier (x2) and the mass is the cube (x3) of the multiplier. So, let’s say we have a thing that triples in size. The surface area and cross-section area are 32 or 9 times the original, and the weight is 33, or 27 times original. So… let’s take a practical example. We have a 6’ tall man who weights 200lb. Through magic, he grows to three times his size – 18’ tall. But that means his surface area would be 9 times what it was, the cross sectional area of his musculature would have to be 9 times what it was in order to carry the new mass… and this new weight would be 200*27 or 5400lbs. So what? you might ask? The problem is that in living creatures, strength is pretty close to being related to area of support, likewise the power that can be exerted; that means the strength of a muscle or bone is proportional to the area of the cross-section of the muscle or bone, not the volume. This means, simply, if you triple the size of a creature but it maintains its same shape or dimensions, you end up with a being that does not have the 9 times the muscle cross-section, and hence strength, it needs in order to move 27 times the mass or weight! In fact, the legs probably couldn’t carry it if they maintained the same proportions, and the creature would collapse in agony on broken limbs. By the way, this also applies to mechanical machinery. It is worse for flying creatures. Triple the size again and we get an increase in the power of the wings of 9 times based on the same crass-sectional area increase, but now it is carrying 27 times the mass. In fact, at this sort of level, the creature would probably no longer be able to fly. Now, look, of course stories can have larger creatures, but they would have to change shape. A giant human would need a body that was much stockier and thicker, looking very out of proportion when compared to a normal human. A flyer would need very hollow bones to reduce the amount of excess mass suddenly thrown onto the being, and that would make the body’s structure weaker. That would also mean it could not carry x times the amount of weight. Or maybe not carry a person, for example. However, there is a bonus. If something is shrunk in size, say to a third of their original size, then they will have proportionally 9 times the strength. Now, this is all well and good when looking purely at biomechanics. But biochemistry is an issue as well. The change in size means metabolism also changes, how much heat is given off in relation to body changes, the amount of food needed to maintain heat or energy changes, the amount of oxygen needed to supply energy changes. These are deeply scientific concepts and make giant animals just seem insane. Hang on! you cry, interrupting me. What about whales? Well, see buoyancy is related to density not mass, and so animals that live in the water can grow much larger because there is not the stress on supporting limbs. But they still need to eat a lot. This is why skyscrapers could not be built without mass-produced steel. Double the size of a building and you have 8 times the mass, and wood and brick cannot hold that sort of stress. There needed to be a stronger material. Not only that, but the ground supporting them has to be able to handle something 8 times the weight! This would also apply to kaiju (like Godzilla) or even giant robots fighting them (like in Pacific Rim). So, yeah, this is something ignored all too often but draws people with some knowledge occasionally out of the story. Physics be damned, I guess, when a story is there to be told. |
| Author Voice Ever notice how some stories you read and you think, “Hey, that sounds like John Smith wrote it,” and a couple of years later you discover that, yes, John Smith was using a pseudonym. This is what happened to Stephen King when he tried to be Richard Bachman to stop swamping the book-stores with new releases under his own name. It did not take long for people to realise that, although darker, they were Stephen King works. Likewise, a book was released a year after Patrick White died, under his name. This was 1990 and he was a beloved Australian author and Nobel Laureate. But it did not take long before long-term readers thought something was amiss. It did not read like a White book. It seemed to be a pastiche and while the real author was never identified publicly, the book was withdrawn. This is what is called a “writer’s voice.” Now, many writers start with an author they admire, and their writing mimics that voice. It is so common that many editors can pick who a beginner writer’s favourite author might be. But, over time, you develop your own voice, and write like you, not a second-rate famous author. Of course, not everyone grows out of that and this is often because they deliberately stay in the pastiche lane. That is their choice. However, it should be said that not every author develops a voice that is recognisable. And that is perfectly fine. But it is always good to develop your own voice, especially if you want to take your writing to the next level. How do you do that? There are two things you need to do: 1) Read in multiple genres and read multiple authors so you are not influenced by just one; & 2) Write as much as you can and finish it, no matter how “good” you think it is. But – and this is important – you still might not develop your own distinct “writer’s voice.” A lot of online people tell would-be writers that everyone develops their own voice, and that is true to a certain extent. But having an own voice might not be obvious to readers. It does not mean you are a “bad writer”, or that you don’t have a voice, it just means it might not be as distinctive as some others. And don’t worry – Tom Clancy is recognised as a writer who does not have a distinctive voice, so much so that it is difficult to tell which books he wrote and which were written under his name, even before his 2013 death. It clearly does not affect sales or popularity! As for me? Well, that’s why I am writing this. I received an email from a former friend who asked about my pen-name. I asked why he would think that. Cut/paste: Mate it reads like you. Everything you write sounds the same and I can even hear it in your voice like your telling a story at a bonfire. So, apparently, I have a voice. I hope you all find yours, too. |
| External Writerings October 2025 Time again for me to self-promote! Half a dozen columns this time. Sorry. But remember, every click from a new IP address helps me. My favourite albums from July to September. Review Of Taylor Swift’s latest album, Songs about whispering. Songs about fingers (including thumbs). Halloween 1 – songs about blood and bleeding. Halloween 2 – songs about Hell. And that’s it. 6 columns this month. So, please, help a fellow writer out, and all it’ll cost you is a little bit of time.  |
| Novel #27 After Cult Of The Snake, I stayed with the young adult theme that that had started with, and the reptilian theme, and wrote a 33000 word novella called Underground (It Started With A Kiss). Designed specifically for the YA market, it was rejected twice (I could call this a ‘novel’, because YA novels tend to start at 30000 words). However, the second rejection only came after I felt I could not translate it from Australia to the USA (one of the monster types was based on koalas, for God’s sake!) and the editor did not think Australia was a strong enough selling point for American young adults. This means either American young adults are idiots, or this editor is vastly underestimating his audience. I’m inclining towards the latter. Anyway, the reason I bring it up is that it was published by Black Hare Press in 2022 as a YA novel. So we come to that 45600 word disaster Stranger In Town. I started the story maybe 10 years before with the cryptozoologist losing his tenure, and taking on one last job, worked on it on and off, and finally felt I had the ending to make it work. I didn’t. I like the main cryptozoologist character, and I think the three main characters are actually reasonably well written. But the bushfire doesn’t ring true, the town’s response doesn’t ring true and the monsters are too damn convenient. It just does not feel like it worked. But it was completed, and it shall sit there with some others and not be submitted unless I decide to do some serious editing. And I mean, serious editing. The story involves a cryptozoologist whose department has been shut down, but his last task is to investigate an animal at a remote South Australian community. It turns out this animal has even killed someone, though authorities don’t believe it. However, things are not as they seem with this animal, and when two petrol tankers have an accident, creating a severe bushfire, the animals head for the town and now people are being eaten. Only one thing can save the humans… Standard monster tale, just poorly done. Excerpt: CHAPTER 3 The hotel conformed to the stereotype of a country pub Karl had built up in his mind. The majority of those present had been at work all day and had come in with their partners, while another substantial group were the older members of the local community. But, as he had feared, as soon as it became known just who he was Karl was immediately the centre of attention. He had wanted to relax after the discovery he and Dawn had made at the abandoned train station, to come in here for a nice meal. But the food sat uneaten and cold on the plate as everyone seemed to have story to tell this apparently sympathetic man about the monster of the place. Most seemed to agree with Leroy – that it was one of the Aboriginal kadnomeyu. However a few others disagreed – some quite vociferously – and they said that what they had seen was not lizard-like at all, but more like some sort of large, hairy man-beast, like the more traditional yowie. But one thing they all agreed on – there was definitely something living just outside the town. And then: “So what do you think, Mr Hawkins?” Silence fell over everyone and every single eye in the place was focused on him, waiting for his answer. He could sense a sudden change in the atmosphere. While not hostile, it was suddenly suspicious. He had just been tested, and how well he answered was going to determine the success or failure of this last hurrah for the entire Department. His own eyes searched for Dawn. She merely smiled at him; she had a naïve faith in what he was going to do in Kandoo Creek. “We found some carcasses at the train station today,” he said quietly. “I’ve taken photos and measured the bites and sent the data back to Adelaide. They’ll let me know what did it in a few days, I hope. But what it means is that something is living out there.” The murmur that ran through the bar was one of relief and several people started to chat about what he had just said, but he coughed and raised his voice a little. “It might just be a pack of wild dogs. It might be some escaped zoo animal. It might even be some animal thought extinct. But I know there is something here and because I did not recognise the tracks or the markings in the wounds, I can’t say what it is. But as to if it is a humanoid, I am sceptical. However, if it turns out that that is the case, then I will do my best to find it. But that’s all I can offer.” “It’s not dogs,” growled one man and the mutter of agreement ran like a wave across the assembled people. Karl nodded. “No, I agree, it’s probably not. But I can’t discount anything. Sorry. I’m here to find the truth…” “But you do think there’s something out there?” the barman – a young man with a limp who everyone called Skip – asked. “Oh yeah, there’s something out there,” Karl agreed. “I just don’t know what and I don’t want to say…” “You believe us.” It was a statement, not a question, and it broke the suspicious mood straight away. The talk started again almost immediately and once more Karl was being waylaid by more and more stories until Dawn stood up. “Let the man eat!” she snapped, a slight smile on her lips. I do liken the idea and, like I said, the characters, but something about the story is off. I have lived through bushfires (I live in rural Australia) and so I am not sure just what I have got wrong. I think the response is muted to the fire, and the animals should be an additional threat. I reckon I’ve got it backwards – the animals are the main threat and the fire is secondary. Now that I write this, that’s it. Everything is backwards. I is a idjit. |
| Killing Tension When writing, tension is a very important aspect to keep the reader going. It does not matter the genre, without tension, the story does not grip a reader. It is as important as conflict in giving a story meat. In romance – the tension of the two leads not getting together … when will they get together? In war – the tension of if one of the leads will be killed, or will the bad guys capture them? And so on. Tension makes it exciting to read. Too often, writers forget this, and even some well-selling trad published books just lack any sense of tension. (*cough*Lightlark*cough*) So, borrowing the ideas from Oren Ashkenazi (whose bugbear book is Fourth Wing), here’s 5 ways tension can be killed. 1) Summarising Sometimes we need to summarise when writing or else we are going to have a book with us being shown the minutiae of daily living. But to summarise the plan that leads to the climax? Okay, sure, the MC can tell someone the plan… but then things should go wrong. But to summarise the plan, then it work fine, and we can see it is working fine, the tension just collapses. 2) Stretching There’s a bad guy. He’s in the shadows. He’s getting closer. He’s still in the shadows. He’s still getting closer. Oh, look, he’s in the shadows. Hey, what do you know, he’s getting closer… This happens a lot in TV series or books where the bad guy won’t be doing anything until volume 5. But the tension is so drawn out that the bad guy feels more like a paper threat. Do something! 3) Poor Stakes The bad guys have kidnapped the hero’s girlfriend and unless he does what they ask… they are going to shave her bald! A whole novella – a serious novella – was based around this. Oh, the writer managed to up the stakes when the bad guys cut off her - *gasp!* - ponytail. Or it’s when the bad guys are doing something that it is hard to see as evil, like trying to prevent catastrophic climate change (a few 1960s films). If the stakes don’t matter, how can the reader care? 4) The Wrong Hero This is when the person who is portrayed as the hero of a story and is who the reader is following is not… actually… doing… anything… Harry Potter in Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone is the classic example. The kids do nothing of note that affects anything (which is actually good to me because, well, they’re know-nothing kids!). Oh, sure, they are fighting and gallivanting, but other minor characters or off-screen characters are defeating the big bad. Or, worse, we follow our band of outmatched would-be heroes, only to see them joined in the third act by a mega-hero who saves the day… see the Josh Whedon cut of Justice League and the introduction of Superman against Darkseid. 5) Follow Through There is tension in the air. We hear about the bad guys. They are the things of nightmares. They are truly evil and have the world in their thrall! And then… we see them attack a village and they might as well be any other generic barbarian horde (and, yes, I am looking at you, the film Sorceress). The presentation has to live up to the hype or else all you are doing is making the audience go… “Meh.” So there are 5 great ways to kill the tension in your story. Try them! I’m sure you’ll be amazed at the results! |
| Conspiracy Theories The psychology of conspiracy theories is one that is very interesting. I studied this in one of my psychology classes at university, so have some basic, surface-level knowledge, and I think this can help some writers. The use of people who believe in conspiracy theories is becoming more prevalent in fiction because it reflects the world around us. So I thought it might be good to look at the whole psychology behind these beliefs so that these characters can be a bit more realistic. This, by the way, is expanded from a response I gave to a post at some stage here on WdC, so if it sounds familiar, that may be why. In addition, it is adapted from an essay I wrote in 2001 (2002?). One last thing here - this is "theory" in the philosophical definition. A scientific theory is something that can be proven by experimentation or by mathematics, or is accepted by those in the field. Evolution, gravity, nuclear decay are all theories because they can be proven. If something cannot be proven in science, it is referred to as a hypothesis. In philosophy, a "theory" is something that makes sense based on the evidence available to the person in question, but cannot really be proven. So... Basically, people find themselves nowadays in an increasingly hyper-connected world. Ever since World War I, the peoples of the world have been growing increasingly reliant on one another, with the United Nations (and League of Nations before that) seen as a one world ruling body or arbiter. This means whereas in the nineteenth century people had an idea of where they fit into the world because their world was so much smaller, as the scale has grown larger, many people feel they have become disenfranchised. Even their own local communities are part of a larger one-ness; that sense of being someone, even in a small way, is lost as personal comparisons (comparisons to others) are now made across a world of billions, as opposed to a community of thousands. Increasingly, in order to feel better about themselves, that they are not just a number on a spreadsheet, people try to adopt many different things to stand out. Artists, corporate (political and religious as well) leaders, sportspeople all have outlets to make themselves stand out from the crowd stretching back to ancient days. With the rise of the Internet and online “being known” in which more and more are putting themselves, suddenly even standing out like that doesn’t mean as much. It used to be a very small minority, but now so many (some would say too many) are in that sphere. So people want to feel like they mean something, and for a few people that "meaning something" comes with the willingness, mentally, to be open to information that could help set them apart. A conspiracy theory (theory used in the philosophical sense, not the scientific sense) is a form of believing in hidden knowledge. If the people in charge, if the "normal" people, do not see what the conspiracies are, then the believer feels they have special information, and that makes them feel like they are special in their own minds. They know things others don't. That takes them away from being just another number – they are part of the "enlightened." And so with minimal knowledge and a confidence born of over-belief, of course, Dunning-Kruger then comes into play.  Belief in conspiracy theories really didn't start amongst the mass populace until the mid-20th century. Some cite older ones, but the people, the regular people, had no idea, and these ideas were restricted to upper echelons of society. Like I said, with the world becoming more and more homogenised, a conspiracy theory is a means for people to make themselves feel like they mean something in a world that increasingly makes people feel like they do not matter. It is a natural response to being a part of a world more focused on everything except humanity. The fact that some conspiracies (and by some, I mean very, very, very few) come to pass or be proven as having been real only reinforces the idea that all conspiracies must be true to the believers. Belief in a conspiracy theory does not care about intelligence, education or anything else. It is a personal response to an unfeeling, uncaring, increasingly hostile world that only seems to want to divide and conquer. Believers tend to be people who feel they are overlooked by something – government, job, friends, family, anything – and that is about all they have in common. |
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