It’s something I’ve been meaning to do for YEARS, but am only now (with COURTING DARKNESS finally put to bed!) getting to: a newsletter!
I know, I know. Does the world really need another newsletter? Maybe not. But if you are hungry to know more about the His Fair Assassin world, the mythology, the history, occasional outtakes, insights to the writing process, and occasional author thoughts on writing and Life In General, then this is the place for you. Oh! And did I mention that newsletter subscribers will be THE VERY FIRST to see the new paperback reprint covers? As well as have access to exclusive content, writing workshops/worksheets, deleted scenes, and sneak previews?
And if all of that doesn’t tempt you, all subscribers will be entered in TWO drawings. One for a COURTING DARKNESS advanced reading copy and the second one for a set of the new paperback reprints when they publish in October. Everyone who subscribes before June 30 will be entered. (Yes–even those of you who signed up YEARS ago when the subscription form first appeared.)
The newsletter is tentatively titled The Inner Sanctum, although if you have any title ideas, let me know in the comments! If I use your idea, I will thank you with an ARC of COURTING DARKNESS. You can sign up HERE or in the sidebar.
And to whet your appetites just a little bit, here is a teaser preview of the new DARK TRIUMPH cover:
Also, feel free to mention what topics you’d like to read about in a newsletter. It’s for you, after all.
(From the Writer Unboxed archives.)
Here are eighteen tips I use to help me produce words when my creative muse packed up and left me, leaving no forwarding address. You can, in fact, get an entire book written this way, although it is not the most joyful of processes.
Some of the things on this list are about assembling the raw materials you will need to write the story. Others are about priming the writing pump to get the words flowing. Often, the suggestions will do both. But all of them are about building forward momentum and finding a way—any way—to get those damn words on the page.
I tend to think of them as the equivalent of hauling the bricks, bag of cement, mortar, etc. over to where I am going to build the wall, assembling all the things I will need. Sometimes, having them all there and ready provides motivational juice. Other times I still have to build brick by brick, but at least I don’t have to go hunting for all the parts. [click to continue…]
For me, naming is a huge part of character. In fact, I cannot get very far in a novel until I have the correct name. I can be brainstorming and jotting down plot notes and some basic character sketching but until the true name clicks, I’m rudderless. The character doesn’t become real to me until that name solidifies.
The truth is, names matter. A lot. Both in real life and in fiction. So much goes into a name; parental hopes, ancestry, gender, ethnicity, and social status.
Because names carry all that weight, they can also be a hugely valuable tool in terms of world-building, setting an emotional tone, creating an integrated setting, and of course, characterization. The right name can also help anchor us in the story world, whether it be historical or contemporary or Other. Think how different the name Araminta is from Jennifer, or Carradoc is from Justin.
Plus all words have connotations, even names. The way they sound, feel, roll around in our mouths as we say them. All those elements affect how we perceive a name as well. As writers, we can use that, make it work for us. The names can do a significant amount of “showing” so we don’t have to waste time “telling.” [click to continue…]
Okay, I’m going to get all math-ish on you here, but bear with me a moment. And I say this as a person who hated geometry. (I liked algebra because it mimics life–in life we are always trying to solve for the unknown–but that’s the subject of a different post…)
In geometry, an arc is the path between two points. It is exactly the same with a character arc. A character arc marks the path between your character at the beginning of the story and your character at the end of the story. The change in the character does not happen all at once, it happens gradually over time, a series of small steps before the final climax when the character is remade into his new and improved self.
Think of a baby chick or a butterfly. It pokes and wriggles, attempting to free itself from the egg or the cocoon, until the very end where it makes a heroic final burst and breaks free. And as any naturalist will tell you, it is hugely detrimental to help the creature break free too early because it is in the actual struggle itself that the chick or butterfly will gain the strength to make that final valiant effort that frees it from it’s old trappings. That pretty much sums up a character’s internal journey and arc.
Here is a picture of one of my character arcs: [click to continue…]
Welcome. I'm Robin LaFevers.