novels

More crazy ideas from yours truly

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I’m sorta infamous among my friends for having lots of whacked-out, creative-but-slightly-off-kilter, usually (but not always) impractical ideas. Here’s my latest:

Rabbi Aryeh Leib Nivin–a motivational speaker/life coach/teacher/rabbi–speaks of everyone having a yeod, a unique life mission with which they are supposed to serve G-d (and people), and a tikkun, a soul correction they have to make in order to maximize their potential (by fulfilling their yeod). Also, a person has short-term lessons that must be learned as stepping stones to reach their yeod and tikkun. This self-development paradigm is very useful for those of us who want to build ourselves (especially now that we’re in Elul, the introspective month that leads up to Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur).

“That wacky Mrs. Klempner has some weird idea again!”

As I mentioned in a post last week, I’m going to be rewriting (yes, again!) the novel I wrote last year. One of the areas I want to focus on is character, really fleshing each one out better and more coherently. Many expert authors suggest strategies about developing character such as:

1) Learn about Myers-Briggs personality types and assign one to each of your characters.

2) Consider what each character most wants, most fears, their biggest secret, and what they have to learn.

3) Use drawing, cut-and-paste, or the like to assign an appearance for your character. Brainstorm their likes, dislikes, etc. Paste such items on your character chart.

4) Pretend to interview your character for a magazine.

All these strategies make sense, but they didn’t appeal so much to me. Then I thought, “Hey! Why don’t I apply Rav Nivin’s rules to fictional characters?” Assign a tafkid, a yeod, to each one, and a tikkun, as well?

So that’s what I think I’m going to be doing. Maybe not exclusively, but I think it will bring a Jewish approach to my mostly Jewish characters and subject matter.

Has anyone else out there tried “unorthodox” (pun definitely intended) ways of developing characters or doing other work that usually isn’t done in a “spiritual” or “religious” way?

Avoiding the dreaded DEAD END

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Dead End, Black and White

As mentioned in a couple previous posts, I’m wrapping up my Novel-In-Progress. This has been a long, somewhat traumatic process, but it’s getting done. About two weeks ago, I realized that I had to scrap the ending entirely. Why? Because my ending wasn’t The Ending.

Confused? Let me clarify.

To be a good ending to a novel: 1) there has to some resolution to the major problems faced by the central character/s (this doesn’t mean there is a happy ending, just that you see things are settled); 2) the conclusion should share the themes addressed at the beginning of the book (even if it’s to turn the initial beliefs of the characters on their heads); 3) the end should be consistent with the details and personality brought up earlier in the novel; and 4) the reader should feel satisfied that they didn’t waste their time.

While some books have many possible “Endings” that flow logically from what precedes, there are also many “endings”–dead ends that leave the reader disappointed. You can’t expect a reader to be satisfied by the last minute introduction of a character (never before seen in your novel) to save everyone from destruction. Unless you’re trying to be funny, it probably won’t work for a character to act like their personality has been switched with the hero of a different story entirely. Consistency helps your world become believable to the reader.

The ending I wrote in my outline was replaced long ago with another. However well this ending resolved the characters’ dilemmas, it didn’t really address the same themes as the initial chapters of the book, nor did it satisfy the readers. Everyone who read my first complete draft seemed to sense that I was holding back certain details of how the book should finish. The truth was, I was afraid to write the Ending the way it should be written, because I was afraid it would become unpublishable.

What do I mean by “unpublishable?” All publishing houses use a style guide. Normally, this governs mechanics like punctuation, capitalization, use of American English vs. British English, and the like. However, Orthodox Jewish publishing houses have an additional level of what words, topics, and the like that they think are appropriate to include in their books. Truly, other kinds of publishers have similar guidelines, just must less stringent ones. Then magnificent Ending I have just written has just crossed a few too many of those guidelines most likely to be found at an Orthodox press. However, the book is VERY, VERY Jewish. Like probably wouldn’t make sense if you didn’t have a sound foundation in Yiddishkeit.

I think I have now written the Ending the way it should be, but it’s just as unpublishable as I feared. Seeking sympathy and advice, I spoke to the ladies from my writing group. They think I should keep the new conclusion, since it is after all the Ending.

And so now, I will have to revise yet again, to see if I can make this book into something someone (other than myself) would publish.

Picture courtesy of http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/68000/68050/68050_123_W14-1_b.htm

Another existential crisis in the life of my Novel-in-Progress

beccakinla ending, finish that novel, how to write, novels, revision, writing process 2 Comments

So, if there was any one thing that every single person I’ve had read the Work In Progress has said, it’s this:

You call this an ending?

Otherwise known as: time to find another way to end this book.

I’ve been avoiding this issue a bit as I’ve been rewriting, because I’m still not sure what would be a better ending. However, I’m almost done resolving the other issues in the book. My new ending must be found. Preferably soon rather than later.

It’s not that I don’t know where my story’s going. Or at least the general neighborhood. It’s just the details.

I’ve been looking for some inspiration online, and have found a few great links to help me out. I’ll share them with my readers, in case any of you are in the same corner as me.

Post from The Other Side of the Story with Janice Hardy http://blog.janicehardy.com/2010/03/end.html

Post from the Creative Penn http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2010/08/09/how-to-write-the-ending/

From How to Write a Book Now http://www.how-to-write-a-book-now.com/plot-development.html

Article by Holly Lisle http://hollylisle.com/how-to-finish-a-novel/

Ever wanted to write a novel?

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As some readers might know, November is National Novel Writing Month. Known as NaNoWriMo to insiders, participants sign up on the website, http://www.nanowrimo.org/, then commit to write a novel of at least 50,000 words by the end of the month. While some people find this task daunting, other people find it motivating and even exhilarating. The deadline gets people who’ve always wanted to write a novel but failed to follow the number one rule of writing (get your tush into a chair and start writing daily).
Intriguing? Well, even though it’s almost the end of the month, it’s not too late to participate! Barbara Krasner, who blogs at The Whole Megillah, is starting a Jewish version of NaNoWriMo to coincide with Jewish Book Month, which starts tomorrow (Nov. 21st).
Follow this link to get more details.

Almost ready to print and distribute to a selected few

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I’m almost done (at last) my rewrite of the novel-in-progress. It’s still too short (over 30,000 words, but not by very much), it still has a few scenes that I think are a little lame, but the characterizations are more convincing, there’s better world creation, and I think the whole thing is more coherent. I’ve lined up a few writing friends (and a couple teens, too) to read the book and tear it to shreds.

That puts me at the point of printing the copies I need to distribute. As big as an investment of time that I’ve already put into this project, the copies that I need produce to hand out will require actual moolah. Moolah is not something we have a lot of around in the Klempner residence.
Here’s a link to an interesting post on the “MY WRITING LIFE” blog on this topic: http://learnedaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2009/04/printing-manuscript-terror-and-anguish.html
The author writes that even before making copies at a print shop, astonishing length of time and price of ink invested in that first manuscript at home is frustrating. Plus, a long document inevitably requires troubleshooting due to jams, misprints, and the like. Ugh. In this case, do-it-yourself may not be either the cheapest or best option.
I’m thinking of electronically sending my document to the local Office Depot or the like and having them do the entire thing. Time to do a little comparison shopping.
And then I have to reveal to my darling husband just how much I’m spending on a book that I may never even sell.

Missing a deadline

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Confession time: I didn’t finish my revision of the novel-in-progress by Nov. 1st. In fact, I’m only 2/3 done and it seems just to go slower and slower. It’s so stressful, I find myself wasting time in lots of creative ways.

I’m usually great about making deadlines, so I’m trying not to view my -ahem- delay as either a failure or evidence that I’m really just a slacker.
I’m heading back to work, now.
Really.