Turkey Day tomorrow!

But, shh!  Don't tell my mom how much I love the stuff.  Yes, sadly, even after twenty nine years, I let my mom believe that I'm vegetarian because we're Hindu.  It's a little white lie that let's her have peace of mind and hurts no one, so I don't argue it.

Anyhow, I'm only quickly dropping in to say Happy Thanksgiving to all.  Enjoy the family and friends and food, and I'll catch up with you after the holiday.

~Hetal

Breakthrough!...or more confusion?

So I'm reworking a previously submitted piece and last night I thought of a way to really mix up the story.  It won't be conventional, probably not even acceptable in some people's eyes, but I'm going to do it anyway.  The problem:  this development has me evaluating my "rules" once again.  Let's just say I'm going to have to expand on them and find ways to incorporate them without intruding on the story line.

There are many authors excellent at doing just this thing; I am not one of them.  With dialogue and interaction comes exposition, but I haven't found the right balance of primary and secondary characters for this piece.

How much should each person know?  How often should they show up in the story?  When should they be introduced?

If I have any insights, I'll let you know.  :)

World Building

As stated in my first post, I love paranormal's (both romances and urban fantasies) in an unnatural way.  They give me that taste I need for another place and time historical's once provided me, which is why I strive to write them myself.  I want to be able to transport you, the reader, to a place totally at odds with what you've been taught to believe.  I want you to believe in the unbelievable and for one minute, revert to childhood where anything was possible - even if my transportations take you to darker, more dangerous places, I want you to believe in what I "know".

But this is easier said than done.  I troll many sites, am a frequent visitor to blogs and boards, and recently, this problem plopped onto the screen by a fellow aspiring PR (paranormal romance) author.  She said:  "I've heard so many horror stories...about the amount of world building publishers prefer and how hard it is...that it gives me pause" (Go to:Discussion)

Now, this makes me think of my rejected piece.  Had I built my world thoroughly?  Had I thoroughly explained the rules for my supernatural beings? Did I mention the consequences for breaking rules early enough?

In my mind, I had, but as one of my readers pointed out, the details were slow to reveal themselves and she was distracted by the need to know.  I thought I was doing a good job of drawing these things out, of "revealing" as I went, but perhaps not.  I might have built up the anticipation in my mind because I knew what was coming and expected the reader to do the same without the same knowledge.

My bad!

What did this teach me?  Don't take fantasy for granted.  There's more leeway with conventional rules of our existence when building another "world", but  like all things, we want to know them early on.  Not in a big chunk, still a bit at a time, but maybe not as spaced out as I had done.  I'm definitely going to keep this in mind as I go through edits and rewrites.

Points of world building:

1. Identify rules for why things are and how they operate and make sure you adhere to them (making notes is a big YES in this case)
   
2. Even though many conventional thoughts can be set aside, keeping "real world" elements will definitely help your reader buy into what you're trying to sell (ex: cell phones are so prevalent now - I can't step out of the house without mine - but if your world doesn't allow them, should probably explain why)
3. You must believe in every aspect of your "world" in order to portray the elements honestly and concisely.  Trust me, it'll reflect in your words.

Happy writing!

~Hetal

UPDATE: AAAHHHHH!!!!

So, I received a very polite response from the editor that my story was not chosen for the anthology.  *sigh*  I'll be honest, I kind of suspected as much.  I haven't looked at my piece since my submission, but glaring holes have managed to flash through my mind in the meantime.  I'll be going back and fixing those (and countless others) soon.

To the other chosen authors, congratulations and high fives.  I'm so excited for you all.  :)

Giving it a day, then right back to the writing board.

~Hetal


My nerves are killing me.  I should maybe find out tomorrow whether or not my story is a good fit for that anthology I mentioned before.  I have a feeling I'll be checking my email every hour or so hoping for good news.  But, even if I get the big "R" (the dreaded rejection), I have plans for expanding this novella into a full.  I have the backup, now I need the info.

Fingers (toes and eyes) crossed.  :)

What's in a name?

Ever wondered the origin, the meaning, behind the names you sometimes pick for your imaginary friends, or in my case, characters for stories?  I must admit, I'm a bit obsessed.  Not only do I need to pick the perfect names for my characters, but each has a particular taste in my mouth.  Soft and sensual or strong and determined, I feel naming should not be taken likely.

Now I'm finding the hardest part is picking the appropriate surname to go with the stand out first name I've chosen.  If I weren't trying to make sure each had the same origins, maybe it wouldn't be so hard, but there's the sticker.

Lately, I've been drawn to Greek names.  Of course, I don't think about this until I go researching the meaning of the name I've picked, but they're invariably Greek.  I don't know how to fix my problem here as there seem to be no resources specific to listing Greek last names.  Should I diverge and pick something that sounds right?  I don't know, nothing but what is right gels in my mind.  Guess it's something I'll have to workaround, don't you think?  :)

Speaking of names, I had an epiphany last night.  Since the beginning of my writing, I've debated whether or not to use a pen name if I ever get to published.  I love my own name, think it suits me well, but I don't feel it would catch a reader's attention if they're skimming over shelves.  To solve this problem, I think I've picked out a eye popping one.  Of course, I've got to check on its meaning and then maybe, I'll get around to sharing.  ;)  Happy writing.