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Everything Ends by Oliver D. Kleinschmidt

Hello folks. So I thought I put up a little extract from my short story contribution to the collection Is This Where We End? The book is available to buy on Amazon, Barnes&Noble and Blackwell's. I hope you enjoy this little teaser.

***

Across the chasm of the atrium is a concrete pillar that must’ve fallen through from further up. Patches of ice cling to its cracked form. One end has crashed into the balcony before her and the other balances precariously across the atrium so that the entire thing lay on an awkward horizontal axis. A few odd steel cables wrap around it, straining to hold up the concrete monstrosity. Alice worries her lower lip; there is no other way across. Her nails press into her palms, leaving deep, red impressions. Shaking, she grabs the pillar and hoists herself up onto its craggy surface; her knees wobble and the ground only seems further away than it did before. The distance to the opposite balcony cannot be far; no more than ten, maybe twelve meters? But she still struggles with every step forward. She’s clever for her age, she knows about what happens to little girls who are not careful.

Her foot slips on a patch of ice and her stomach lurches as she falls. She claws at the pillar, her arms flailing, and catches hold of a jagged rock. Pain slices through her palm but she clings on; her nimble fingers finding purchase. Blood flows, bright and colourful against the white, powdery snow. Alice crawls the rest of the way on her hands and knees and when she finally reaches the other side she collapses and wipes the thick sheen of sweat from her brow.

Blood drips onto the floor. Somewhere else, glass cracks beneath a boot. Alice jumps up and casts a worried glance behind her. Her eyes dart around the corridor, the atrium, the pillar. There is no one there.

‘Are you feeling well? Your heartrate has been elevated.’ Felicity asks. Alice wraps a length of bandages around her palm. The wound doesn’t bleed as much anymore but every time she brushes the ragged edges she is shocked by an electric jolt of pain. ‘Felicity? Can you feel pain?’

There comes a long pause as Alice traverses the darkened corridors and vacant offices. ‘I am a machine and therefore cannot be harmed.’

‘Do you ever get scared?’

‘No.’ The reply comes quick.

#writers #love of writing #writing #post apocalypse #winter #snow #short story

Nothing like the feel of your own book in your hands!!!

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Writing Blind #28: Desire

Every well-told, well-written story has one thing in common. At its core the story is always about one characters one desire, and the journey they take to achieve that desire. We can come up with a wide array of theories and ideas of narrative structure and characterisation but ultimately at the root of a story is a character with a desire. Even John Campbell’s Hero’s Journey serves to fit this central idea. Of course, as just shown with the hero’s journey, desire is not all it takes, but with a strong desire the hero of a story has a strong motivation that an audience can support.

However, even when armed with information many amateur storytellers still go wrong, why? I think it is largely because when it comes to establishing desire writers tend to get confused with what that desire manifests as. They tend to go for grander, more conceptual things as opposed to a clear concrete desire that is understandable but does not necessarily have to be realistic or relatable. As long as you can understand the desire it does not matter how outlandish it may seem to you or I, especially if the character is question is so certain and committed to their desire. To provide an example of what I mean – it is the different between a person who wants to find love and that same person wanting to find love with their childhood best friend. You see suddenly the desire is much clearer, concrete and because of this we suddenly understand it more.

Throughout the story everything the character does should actively work them towards their desire and it should be the reason that motivates them. Every good story should start with a clear presentation of that desire and should conclude with the final realisation of the desire. Now in this process there are two key aspects that need to be made clear to readers and/or the audience; how are we recruited to the characters desire and how do we intensify that recruitment?

Recruitment to Desire

From the very beginning of a story, it should be made immediately apparent what your one character's one desire is. From the very first scene of a film or from the very first line of a book the audience should immediately know exactly what this one character’s one desire is. Take for example the opening line of The Gunslinger by Stephen King.

'The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.'

Right from the outset we know who our one character is (the gunslinger) and what their desire is (to catch the man in black). Storytelling such as this means from the very beginning there is an immediacy to the presented desire and readers are able to get pulled into the story as they understand what characters want very clearly. As shown by King, having a concrete desire also encourages a sense of mystery in a story as you are eager to learn more about the characters. Desire can help create a good mystery since depending on the desire the audience is forced to ask questions about the world, the characters, and specifically the morality of the story. Now morality is important with desire since the morals of our characters will dictate our recruitment to their desire, however, this doesn’t mean the character needs to be morally just. They only need to appear more moral in comparison to the other characters they are around. Furthermore, by placing your hero next to individuals who are more morally questionable you begin to feel sympathetic to the hero’s desire and you sympathise with the situation they find themselves in.

Furthermore, the readers can be recruited to the desire through where you choose to put the power dynamics in the scene. For instance, in the opening line of King’s novel, we see power is clearly in the hand of the gunslinger and he clearly seems to have control of the situation which has the reader feel drawn to his desire. So, when it comes to the recruitment to desire just remember that you should introduce some element of mystery, you should consider the morality of your character compared to those around them, consider how you encourage sympathy for your character, and consider who has the power in the scene.

Intensifying Desire

Building from this you need to understand that the character's attempt to obtain their desire should not remain static or passive; the hero should be an active participant in their own story and should be doing everything they can to work towards their singular desire. This is the intensifying of desire and by intensifying the desire you end up intensifying the reader's recruitment to that desire. This can be done rather simply by either raising the stakes, making the reward greater, or by putting a series of successively greater obstacles in the way of that desire being achieved (As you can see, aspects of Campbell’s Hero’s Journey begin to creep through once more).

One such way to intensify desire is to change the moral environment in which this character pursues this desire. Just ask yourself, does my hero get morally better or worse in the pursuit of their desire? Depending on the direction you take it, the pursuit of their desire can make for some excellent character development and gives you the opportunity to see the desperation with which a character seeks to achieve their desire and at what cost.

Another way is to increase the reward tied to that desire which also raises the stakes since there is greater gain than what was originally promised. Tied to this is a general raising of the stakes and scale of that desire since a gradual rising of problems and barriers gradually gets us more invested. For example, it is more engaging to watch a person first chase after £100,000, then £200,000 and then finally £500,000 instead of just watching them immediately go for £500,000. The number itself doesn’t matter but the increasing scale does as it gets the reader more invested in the character's struggles.

Ultimately, desire is the keystone to the construction of any successful story. Now it is not straightforward as there are different types of desire that we will explore later. For now, you only need to understand that desire governs what a character does throughout a story and is an excellent device for building reader investment and exploring a character successfully. If you take away anything from this I want you to only remember that desire must be concrete. If this is true, then everything else must follow.

This has been TheYoungKlein and I’m Writing Blind again.

#writing blog #books #love of writing #writblr #writers #writing advice #writing

I am so excited and happy to announce the release of my first-ever book...Is This Where We End?

Inside is a collection of short stories by debut writers including myself. Themed around relationships this collection looks at the connections we make in our lives, both those we expect and those we don't!

Available to buy at Amazon, Barnes&Noble and Blackwell's!

#love of writing #writing #books #book launch #relationship #family #romance #young love #lovers

chocnat

theyoungkleinwriter

Every. Waking. Moment, this is in my head.

Books, Books Everywhere #3

October Update

This time around I’ve decided to only do one book at a time and I’m going to keep it this way until someone protests. Each week will ideally alternate between a work of fiction and a work of non-fiction to still keep it interesting. Hope you all still enjoy.

Fiction

Title: American Gods 10th Anniversary Edition

Author: Neil Gaiman

Year of Publication: 2001

Synopsis: Shadow Moon is only a few days away from being released from a long prison sentence and is looking forward to getting back to his wife, back to his life and having a hot bath with bubbles in it. He receives the dreadful news that his wife was killed in an accident and he is released early. In a daze he makes his way home to his home town of Eagle Point where on the journey home he meets a strange and mysterious man who introduces himself as Mr Wednesday. This stranger smiles and offers Shadow a job he should refuse.

What follows is a kaleidoscopic adventure of a journey across the USA as Shadow is pulled into a story of gods, mortals, monsters and magic. All the while a storm is coming and the winds of war push Shadow ever closer into the teeth of the old gods and the new.

Thoughts: I bloody love this novel and I am not afraid to say it is easily my favourite singular book of all time. I know there are already millions of people who have sung their praises of this book and Neil Gaiman but that won’t stop me from adding my voice to the chorus. Now in the introduction to this edition Gaiman states that when he sat down to write this book he wanted to craft a novel that had pieces of almost every genre and I have to say he certainly did not fail. There are some moments in this book that feel like hallucinatory drug trips and others that feel like you’ve been dragged down into the deepest depths of horror. But this is Neil Gaiman’s brand of horror and that means the kind of horror that slowly creeps into your ear and buries itself in the dark recesses of your mind. American Gods simply doesn't disappoint me in any way. Now the 10th anniversary edition is a meaty tome that at times can seem to drag in places because this is the authors preferred text with many pieced added back in to the original story. For me the quite moments and the flavourful descriptions by Gaiman really help to make the story feel alive and are nice little additions that help ground you into the quite moments before the storm. Even better is although being thoroughly English I really came to appreciate the classic Americana spread throughout the story. By the final pages i really felt like a got a feel for the character not only of Shadow but also of America. Because that is one of the better parts that I feel can sometimes go unnoticed; the story is also a story of America as an actual character. Every town and city feels alive and lived in with a tightly focused collection of interesting characters, both godly and mortal, that draw you in to how America as a character lives and breaths. Really the only problems like I said before were a couple moments that dragged but to me those moments served to paint a picture of a living and breathing land and many of these other stories just helped to build up the narrative rather than pull it down. All of this is why in my very biased opinion I can say American God’s is a must read for many veterans of the reading and writing world.

Rating: 19/20

#writing #book review #american gods #neil gaiman #fiction #nonfiction

Writing Blind #27: Using the Five Senses

When it comes to using the building blocks to lay a foundation for your story none are more important than the basics. Now there are are plenty of different methods and strategies you can use to write your story but one of the most foundational ones that you are taught to use from an early age are the five senses. Now I know you’re all smart enough to know these by now but I think a little refresher can’t hurt. These five senses are: taste, touch, sight, smell and sound. For a lot of writers these senses help to act as the building bocks that aid in creating riveting and emotionally invested writing that can really speak to readers.

Now these senses are useful to any author as they help to flush out descriptions of the environment, to set the scene and also to put the reader in a particular headspace by evoking emotion in the reader. The senses are also great for helping create a particular tone by mixing up different combinations of senses that aren't typical to make your readers uneasy. The best example of this I can find is describing the taste of something you usually smell. For instance ‘the taste of the damp earth was heavy in the air’.

The five senses are very important in crafting an effective story precisely because its a very intimate and personal way of conveying the meaning and action of a scene. It makes the narrative more focused and personal, drawing the reader in by making things feel much more present. I find this especially true for first person narratives since by their nature these methods of storytelling are very personal. Using the five senses helps the reader to really experience the world. You can also use the senses to build your characters by have them react or interpret different sense in different ways, or they focus more on particular senses in certain scenarios. For example perhaps a character notices the smell of a room first and finds it pleasant whilst another character hears the creak of the floorboards and is unnerved. There are a lot of possibilities.

Sight

Beginning with a sense that is universally used by all writers, using the sense of sight to help establish a scene is crucial as you can show what stands out about a person or place. In particular you can develop these things and the characters by using sight to show what a particular character chooses to focus on. This can help to develop characterisation but also help the readers by identifying key attributes that you can call back on that they will remember. As far as being a key sense there’s plenty you can explore by looking at a vibrant display of colours, shapes and forms that can range from the gorgeous to the grotesque. Interestingly you could also try to take the Lovecraft approach of describing the indescribable and being unable to describe a creature purely based on a visual description. It is in these instances that the other senses can be very effective.

Example: The beast was a creature crafted of nightmares. Long fangs protruded from cruel lips, its body heaved with shuddering breaths as saliva pooled at its feet in puddles of green slime.

Smell

Following on from sight the next most important sense I think is the sense of smell. By far one of the most intimate instances of the five sense I find describing the sense of smell to really draw you in to the characters perspective. By describing smell there is something very visceral about it as most people cannot control whether they can smell something or not. There’s a reason a foul smell is often described in books as an invasive presence. The sense of smell is something portrayed as being particularly sensitive and as such it is a key sense when crafting a scene.

Example: The stench was overpowering and almost all encompassing as it wrapped round me and penetrated my nostrils. I could feel it sink into the fabric of my clothes, clinging to me like a pestilence.

Sound

Sound is also one of the main three of the five senses. When using sound to help construct a scene through your writing one thing to keep bearing in mind as you write is the balance between silence and noise. Whilst sound is important a good author will also be aware of just how effective silence can be as well. Sound is something difficult to visualise and describe but there are ways. Mainly it’s down to the volume of the noise but that can get boring quickly. The real impact of describing sound comes from its effect on the environment and the characters. Sound is important in adding to the chaos of certain scenes and building tension in others. This is where the balance of contrasts between sound and silence plays an important role.

Example: The roar of the beast was so great that I could feel it within my bones as it shook me to my very core. The ground trembled with the constant shuddering impact as it unleashed it’s howling cry.

After the explosion a high pitched ringing attacked my ears relentlessly. Afterwards it did not stop as I slept, it did not stop as I ate and it did not stop as I went about my normal routine.

Taste

Taste is a very intimate sense and I think part of the reason for that is that we perceive the mouth as quite an intimate part of our bodies. Thus much of the sense of taste is wrapped up in how intimate tasting something can be as there is a whole menagerie of different descriptors that can be deployed. No matter what it is, something good or something bad, taste is always presented as very intimate and like many of the senses will varying from person to person. Taste is also one that I try to use to really pull my readers into a scene by blending concepts of smell with the physicality of taste by have a person taste the scent of something on the air. I’ve always found things like that to be very effective in establishing the atmosphere because the scent of anything has to be pretty thick for you to be able to taste it as well. The sense of taste may mostly be relegated to food but I think there is room for it to be used in conjunction with other senses and to expand its normal use to help in the creation of riveting literature.

Example: The taste of the pizza melted in his mouth causing it to water. Steamy cheese and crust crushed between his teeth as he stole bite after bite.

Touch

Finally we come to the sense of touch. This is one of the senses that just helps to ground a reader in a scene, after all how does an object feel when a character picks it up? What about the environment, does it feel hot or cold? These are the element that people wouldn’t usually consider when thinking about the sense of touch but in truth touching something is one of the better ways to relay the information about an environment. After all don't just say it was cold but describe how the candlestick feels icy in your grip. it’s paying attention to those small details regarding touch that really help to ground a story and make things seem more active and involved.

Example: Reaching for the sword I found it was icy in my hands, no warmth found in it’s frosty hilt. My arms strained as I tried to lift it, the palms of my hands pressing it every shape and groove of its pommel.

In the end the five senses act as key building blocks to constructing an effective and interesting story that really draws in your readers and get them to feel personally invested in your characters through understanding how they perceive their environment. The five sense should be used to help add to a scene however a good writer will not over use or abuse using these senses as it can lead to writing becoming flowery and pompous. The golden rule I tend to use is to vary the use of the senses across different concurrent scenes. One scene may use a single sense whilst another uses multiple. The real trick is knowing when to use a lot of your senses and when to use only one. I find the best time to use multiple senses is when you want the reader to feel overwhelmed by whatever you are describing. Like it is something so all encompassing that it takes all five senses just to describe it.

This has been TheYoungKlein and I’m writing Blind.

#writing #writers #writing advice #writing blog #amwriting #writeblr #five senses

Mini Myths #1: The Epic of Gilgamesh

Well for the first of my mini myths I think it’s only appropriate to start with what is considered the oldest written story in the entire history of the world. Now the way I’m going to structure these little mythological segments is by first looking at the context of the myth and then go into the actual myth itself before finishing off with a short piece about how they myth has been used and perceived in the modern day.

Context

The Epic of Gilgamesh is considered the old text of literature and is consider the second oldest religious text dating all the way back from the time of ancient Mesopotamia and is dated roughly around 2000 BCE. The epic itself was written on stone tablets with five Sumerian (The people Gilgamesh ruled over) poems being discovered. The Old Babylonian tablets dated around 1,800 BCE are the oldest surviving tablets for a single Epic of Gilgamesh narrative. Other tablet fragments have been dated closer to 200 BCE and 100 BCE suggesting that the epic is a widespread story in Sumerian culture. The most recent version of the story referred to as the Akkadian version and also called the Standard Babylonian version, consists of twelve tablets and was edited by Sîn-lēqi-unninni, who is thought to have lived sometime between 1300 BCE and 1000 BCE. Essentially the story is made up of several tablets that we have collected from different centuries to generally try to piece together a singular narrative. It bears noting the the I will be using the standard Babylonian version which is known for the Twelfth tablet being different from the others and thought to have been written at a later date.

The Epic of Gilgamesh

In a time of the old world when gods still walked the earth there stood a great and noble kingdom in ancient Mesopotamia. This was a rich and fertile land between the twin rivers of the Tigris and the Euphrates that provided its people with plenty and bountiful harvests. This rich land was populated by the great kingdom of Uruk, a kingdom ruled over by a man named Gilgamesh. Now Gilgamesh was not just any ordinary man, he was born two thirds a god and one third a mortal man. However this combination of divine birth and mortal fallacy helped to craft Gilgamesh into a cruel tyrant of a king who abused both his menfolk and the women, using them as he pleased with no regard for their lives.

In desperation the people of Uruk called out to the gods for help. And the god hear their pleas. From clay they craft a perfect equal to Gilgamesh, a divine being known as Enkidu. As he arrives in the mortal world he first meets a trapper who asks the gods to stop Enkidu from destroying his traps. The sun god Shamash send a temple prostitute to Enkidu and for nearly a fortnight the two spend time together in the warm embrace of lovers; and she teaches him all she can tell about the world on man, and of the civilisations born on earth.

The prostitute introduces him to a shepherd where he learns the craft of the trade until one day from a passing stranger he hears of the plight of the people of Uruk. Incensed by Gilgamesh’s heartless cruelty he races to the palace and faces down the king of Uruk. In that instant the pair fought with fire and fury and divine wroth as the engaged in a battle so fierce it compelled even the gods themselves to bear witness. Yet after a singular mighty blow Enkidu was brought to his knees and acknowledged the king, Gilgamesh, to be the superior of the two. And as a result the two naturally struck up an intense friendship that even the god themselves could not predict.

The pair shared in each others company and comforts as they travelled on many adventures together. They visited Gilgamesh’s mother the goddess Ninsun who adopted Enkidu as her own son. Later on they travelled to the Cedar forest where they defeat the guardian of the forest Humbaba and take his head as well as several of the strongest trees with the strongest of these to be used by Enkidu to craft into a gate for the temple of Enlil.

Upon their return the goddess Ishtar, queen of all that is fertile and ripe, falls for the king of Uruk and pursues him. However when Gilgamesh rejects her advances she used her immense powers to cause devastation throughout the lands of Uruk, lowering the level of the Euphrates and ultimately summoning Gugalanna, the divine bull of heaven to destroy Gilgamesh and Enkidu. But the king and his companion were too strong and overcame the powers of the bull, slaying it and offering up its heart to Shamash much to the displeasure of Ishtar.

And yet on this occasion the two companions had gone too far in their quest for fame and glory. In their anger at the deaths of Humbaba and Gulalanna the gods curse Enkidu was horrific dreams until, after twelves days of horrid torment Enkidu succumbs to his sickness. In one final moment he reached to the sky and cries out to his friend, who holds him in his arms as he passes into the world of the dead. Yet the king of Uruk had more faith in his friend than that and clung to Enkidu’s body, refusing to believe he was dead until a pale white maggot, dropped from his nose and into the kings lap.

Gilgamesh wailed at the death of his friend, his lament reaching the heavens themselves and bringing even the gods to tears for what they had done. He calls out for the mountains and trees, the rivers and deserts, to all beasts of the land and to all the peoples of the world to mourn for the death of his dearest friend. Gilgamesh provides ample gifts from his endless treasury to help his friend ensure a favourable reception in the world of the dead.

Then the mighty king left Uruk and wandered the wilderness in nought but animal skins, lost in both body and in spirit. Yet it was among the far and wasted lands that the king became fearful for his own mortality and sought to spare his mortal soul the pains of death, seeking out Utnapishtim (The Faraway Lands) and learn the secret of eternal life.

In his quest Gilgamesh faces set back after setback though his own malic and wrought feelings of self-importance. He rejects warning after warning and presses on relentlessly for his ultimate goal. Upon reaching Utnapishtim Gilgamesh tells him his story however the immortal man warns him that fighting the common fate of humans is futile and diminishes life's joys. Utnapishtim was a survivor of a flood that wiped out the last race of humans and as a reward for surviving the god Enlil blessed both him and his wife with eternal life. Utnapishtim points out that his immortality was a unique gift and not something most mortal men were meant to achieve however Gilgamesh reminds him that he is not mere mortal man. To test him Utnapishtim challenges Gilgamesh to stay awake for sic days and seven night but tragically Gilgamesh is still one third mortal and he quickly succumbs to sleep.

Yet Utnapishtim was no cruel or spiteful and he offered Gilgamesh one more chance, he could not grant the king immortality but he told him of a plant at the bottom of the sea he could use to restore his youth. Thanking the immortal man Gilgamesh tied stones to his feet, sucked in a mighty breath and dove to the bottom of the sea. Finally, after many travels the king reached the plant and seized it. Feeling part of his hunger for life sated he made to return to Uruk where he would use the plant to restore his youth. Yet greater than the gods was the cruel hand of fate. As he returned the king made to bathe himself in a small lake. In that moment a slithering serpent darted from the undergrowth and snatched up the plant leaving the king once more with nothing. Broken the king first weeps then is seized by uncontrollable laughter as he realises how foolish it was to chase immortality. He returns to Uruk, where the sight of its massive walls prompts him to praise this enduring work to Urshanabi the man who ferried him to Utnapishtim.

Tablet twelve features a tale after these events where Enkidu is still alive and of a journey he make to the underworld to retrieve some of Gilgamesh’s possessions. It ends with Enkidu recounting the tale of his journey through the underworld with Gilgamesh.

Learning from the past

In the modern day the Epic of Gilgamesh hasn't had as much mainstream focus like the Greek pantheon or Norse mythology. However it has found a home in some popular media with a version of this tale being explored in the anime TV series ‘Fate’. Despite a lack of popular interest in the epic of Gilgamesh in western media however in the archaeological circle it has seen a lot of research and assigned significance. Interestingly in 1998 American Assyriologist Theodore Kwasman discovered a piece believed to have contained the first lines of the epic poem in the storeroom of the British Museum which has been used to determine that Gilgamesh may have been a real Babylonian king. The epic ha been translated and used by different people for different purposes with a definitive version published in 2003 by Andrew George which is considered the most significant work on Gilgamesh in 70 years. Yet on the other hand there is the case in 2004 as Stephen Mitchell supplied a controversial version that took many liberties with the text and included modernized allusions and commentary relating to the Iraq War of 2003. Clearly the Epic of Gilgamesh may still yet be used and have relevance in the modern world, particularly in the world of the Middle-East.

What i find we can learn from the epic is it provides clear context for views on how Sumerian’s valued particular morals and the tale helps to provide insight into Sumerian society and culture. It become key to aiding our understanding of ancient peoples and what they valued, providing points of comparison to the world we live in today with its moral teachings; particularly about the fruitless pursuit of things like immortality.

#writing #myth #mythology #mini myth #gilgamesh

Writing Blind #26: Fictional Afterlifes

Where do we go when we die? What happens to us? Is there nothing, heaven or hell, reincarnation?

These are the questions that have plagued minds for a long time and who knows maybe one day we’ll have an answer. But for now we have to settle for looking at how the idea of the afterlife is explored in fiction. For such a morbid topic it has shown up with startling frequency in many books written. In part this can be explained by a diversification of ideas leading to great exploration of key concepts such as death and the afterlife. Now the afterlife can be simply defined as life after death so you can see this give leeway to so many different concepts and ideas. What is even better is that from real life we have several different ideas of the afterlife believed by different religions and cultures.

This time around I’m going to explore first some key ideas and concepts that are important to a fictional afterlife, afterwards I want to go into an exploration of popular ideas of an afterlife and how that can be used in your story both in terms of narrative impact and character development.

Now when crafting a fictional afterlife you should primarily consider whether your world warrants or even benefits from having an afterlife. If you think your world would be better for having an afterlife then remember that it shouldn't be something so simple and straightforward but something that contributes and develops not only the story but the world that story is set in. After all if your afterlife is real or threatening then you can add to or take away the tension for the risks characters take. If its a world where hell exists then that means there is a viable threat presented to your characters if they die, beyond actual death.

If you have decided that your world warrants an afterlife then you should continue by considering the first fact that an afterlife does not automatically mean there will be a religion that believes in it. Imagine a world where all these different religions promise different afterlife but in the end the reality is none of the possibilities. You could really play with struggling ideas of faith based on incorrect promises.

That actually leads into the next point. You should definitely consider what that afterlife promises and why would people change how they behave whilst they are alive based on that promise. If the afterlife is a place where it doesn't matter if you were good or bad then certainly that would change how people act in life. If your characters actions don’t matter then how would they act, would they behave villainously or would that not matter. What if this discovery was made during the course of the story? Would that discovery change how your characters act? These questions should help create both a world and characters that aren't all 2-dimensional.

But now that you have made your worldly considerations you should look to the actual afterlife you have created. I will be going into it in more detail later on however for now the main thing you should think about is the actual structure of the afterlife. Beyond this, for telling a layered narrative you could use your afterlife to suggest a moral or theme that relates to your story. The simplest example of this is if your afterlife rewards or punishes people for being good or evil. And building into this you should also remember that it should be able to work with the tone of your story such as comedy, drama, horror etc. Generally this should just be considered but you don’t necessarily have to make any direct links or ideas relating to it. As part of this there is also the obvious that needs to be addressed. What sort of deity, if any, is overseeing the afterlife? This can range from a God-like entity or lesser beings that have been given power. Most stories simply have deities be in charge of afterlives but i think a far more compelling narrative could come from an afterlife that is ruled by a mortal line of succession or a mortal who was granted rulership over the afterlife. Think about it, they would understand the fear of death and depending on how they became the ruler you have a whole plethora of options in how to create conflict and make the story far more engaging.

Before we finish however I would like to suggest some examples of afterlife's that are frequently used in novels. All of these act on the assumption that people are aware of that afterlife as a certainty but you should just consider that there is also the possibility that no one knows with certainty about the afterlife in your fictional world. This can just help to create conflict between characters as they have different ideas about their beliefs on what comes after.

The Void

Easily the one that instils the greatest feeling of dread in the characters with the idea simply being that there is nothing that comes after death. Knowing that there is nothing when we die can compel characters to perhaps be more cautious and thus reckless characters really are seen as terrifying as they have only one life that they choose to live carelessly.

Moral Options

The most common version of an afterlife whereby based on their actions whilst alive people will either be punished or rewarded by being sorted into different places in the afterlife. When there’s the threat of punishment or the promise of reward people will change their behaviour. This is the one that will likely have the greatest impact on how your characters behave as there are very real consequences to their choices.

Reincarnation

Another popular take on the afterlife with people being able to come back after they have died in one form or another. Sometimes you could even have this blend with the moral option with how you behaved deciding how you will reincarnate.

Beyond these there is another one that I would include however really it deserves a blog post all on its own and that is simply the idea of being unable to die and thus never being able to reach an afterlife.

Ultimately, there are a lot of varied and different ways to not only create and explore both the idea and the reality of an afterlife. Because it is such a broad concept you can develop both the world and the characters. There is a whole range to what you could do since a lot of the ideas around the afterlife can work with or against each other which just leads to more interesting explorations. Moreover when you can possibly make the afterlife ambiguous or a certainty can lead to characters ending up different based on the circumstances. After all wouldn’t you change your behaviour if you knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that there was only a void of nothing after we die? Because it is such a primal issue that affects all of your characters, unless immortal, it is something you should consider, if characters act without some sort of understanding for the consequences of those actions then sometimes you risk making a story and a world that lacks any real excitement. Like most of what we discuss you should always remember that every choice you make when writing, is in service to the story you are trying to tell.

This has been TheYoungKlein and I’m writing blind.

#writing #writers #writing advice #writing blog #writblr #afterlife #belief #heaven and hell

Books, Books Everywhere #2

Whew, can’t believe it’s been a month already. At the moment I’m starting to expand the range of posts beyond simple writing advice, mainly because I want to diversify the content I provide for you all. So this is the first change from my normal schedule and starting next month I will be changing it again to have a new slot - mini myth Monday. So keep an eye out for that.

Non-Fiction

Title: The Uses and Abuses of History

Author: Margaret Macmillan

Year of publication: 2009

Synopsis: This book is an exploration of how history has been used by people and countries to tell their own narrative and how they use or abuse history for gain, whether this be for status, excusing actions or helping to support previously asserted claims. Throughout the book Macmillan’s exploration ranges from the perspective of the individual to the perspective of groups or nations and how these perspective help to shape the perception of history and the way societies use it. The book is constructed through well researched thoughts on the issues it presents and is full of anecdotes that tie in neatly to what she is attempting to explain to her readers.

Thoughts: To begin one thing must be made clear. Macmillan seems to assert that history is not so much a principle but a tool that is used by people and nations to not only explore their own historical narratives but also to uses against others in the present day. Not so much that it is akin to weapon but damn near close to one. Throughout the book I was enjoying it because mainly I could actually understand what she was trying to say. She doesn't dress up her arguments in flowerily language, she cuts straight to the point. I will say that I just loved the anecdotes throughout the book, mainly because I love learning about historical events. A lot of these as well were little snippets of things that I never even knew and they really helped to build up ideas of how history can and has been used by leaders in the past. However where this book really shines is in how it doesn’t limit its focus to one singular scale. Instead it explores across a range of perspectives from how leaders will use history to social history with the idea that some societies will completely create a new historical narrative from a common memory that never took place. For me the best part was the ideas behind nations using the past to justify the present and how it appears most people don't fully grasp or understand their own history. This was very important as i feel that recently a lot of people have been drawing on or arguing against history armed with completely the wrong information. This book looks at that idea of historical misinformation and presents it as part of an ongoing historical process whereby a lot of people don’t really know most of their own countries history. In the end this was a brilliant book to read and I would highly recommend it to anyone, it doesn't matter if you’re historically inclined or not I think you should just give it a go.

Rating: 9/10

Fiction

Title: The Book of Dust vol.1 La Belle Sauvage

Author: Philip Pullman

Year of publication: 2017

Synopsis: Set in the decades before the events of His Dark Materials this book acts as the first in a brand new trilogy of books. A young boy by the name of Malcom Polestead lives him normal life working in his family’s inn on the river bank of the Thames in Oxford. After several strange encounters with suspicious individuals he discovers that a local group of nun’s have taken in a new-born baby by the name of Lyra. However forces of science, politics and religion are all after the girl for their own reasons and due to the ferocity of a newly arrived storm Malcom is forced to escape with the child and travel down the dangerously over flown river in search of the girls father. Pursued by a dangerous man he must reach Lyra’s father before they are caught.

Thoughts: Now being a fan of his original trilogy I was really excited to finally get my hands on this book. I must’ve read through it in two weeks and its not exactly a super long read. Still that doesn't stop it from being very entertaining and I couldn’t help but smile at seeing some of the classic series characters return as their younger selves. As you may have already guessed from they synopsis this book is full of hidden mystery and trying to uncover secrets. Moreover there’s constant suspense and tension as to whether Malcom’s little posse will be caught as they travel along the river. Speaking of the river I have to say that Pullman really captures the terror of being caught in a sudden flood, particularly being in a spot that is slowly filling with water. Every scene on and around the river has this desperate tension laced throughout that always had me on edge. Mainly because every few chapters they would have a near miss of being caught. Moreover this book is very clearly meant to be for people who have read His Dark Materials as the book has certainly grown up with its readers. There’s more mature themes and several events that even had me wincing at just how visceral it was. I will say however that there were a few chapters that left me perplexed as to what was going on. Lets just say that the metaphysical aspects of His Dark Materials can definitely be found here. One more insignificant complaint I would have to add is that the book has a large amount of build up and whilst the payoff is there it does seem very abrupt and the book ends very quickly. Otherwise it’s a read I would rank highly a certainly recommend to others.

Rating: 8/10

#book review

Writing Blind #25: Fictional Religions

In any entirely fictional world sprung from the mind of there is likely a fictional religion that holds sway over the minds of the masses. A religion can be more clearly defined as the belief and worship of a supernatural controlling power such as a god or gods. Now using this definition it should provide a helpful idea for how you could possibly write an effective religion. Now I won’t tell you how important you have to make your religion in your world. It could be a defining point of your narrative or it could simply help to be set dressing an added world building. This can be done in simple ways without having to use exposition dumps by small things like praying and swearing. Its small but it goes a long way. But when considering how to write a fictional religion there are several factors you should consider. Fortunately, I’m here to explore them all with you.

What do they worship?

The basic part needed for any religion to have. The actual object of worship. This can be anything from the worship of a particular deity to the worship of inanimate objects bestowed with certain power. Essentially all you pay attention to is what does the religion deem as worthy of following and worshiping. Now when it comes to the object of worship you can make it very interesting in how it is presented. For example is the thing they worship a physical entity in the world or is it more unknown like a god in the sky that the worshiper know is there but never see. These are the basic building blocks that really help.

How do they worship?

The next large building block is deciding exactly how the worshippers actually worship. For example do they pray in small or mass services? Do they perform simple or complex rituals? How they worship can really help in establishing the world and even the level of threat to the characters in the story. For example is it a religion with worship encouraged through murder? You can even use this to explore ideas of interpretations of faith by how some groups of the same religion choose to worship in different ways. Also consider if differences in ways of worship are encouraged or not since that provides a great way of how tolerant the religion actually is. Think about what practices and rules there are to worship like what direction they worship.

Where do they worship?

Simply put, look at places the religion deems acceptable site of worship. Consider if there are any special temple or if worship can be done anywhere at anyplace. Then beyond this think if there are any significant holy site or shrines that have large importance to the religion. If there are such places then perhaps worshipers actually make pilgrimages to these holy site for a special kind of worship only ever experiences there.

What is the scale of the religion?

Consider if this religion is on a small or large scale. In some cases it may be a small cult-like group that worship in secret underground meetings. With alto of religions they always exist on a particular scale for example real world Christianity is one of the worlds most globally prominent religion. So think about if the religion is on such a massive scale or if it is simply practices by a small cult. Adversely perhaps it is entirely regional and is only ever practiced in a small part of the world. This can be great as it could provide characters a place that is entirely different from the world they are familiar with and presents new challenges through an unfamiliar environment. Maybe one of the characters strongly believes in their world spanning faith and seeing this intensely local religion prompts some character development. Moreover, you should consider if your religion has a hierarchy since the existence or lack thereof can often provide some interest ways of exploring key themes of power and the dynamics within religious hierarchy. IS it one where everyone is equal with no real leader, or is there a clearly defined hierarchy with problems of corruption. Its these concepts and ideas that can really help to pull story together.

What are the key religious texts and tenants?

Religious all have core rules that must be followed but even then you can play with this to a degree. Firstly, establishing the core rules of a religion helps to establish what restriction are placed on people and if, to that religion, certain actions are deemed morally reprehensible. Just really helps with character dynamics as well since perhaps the rules don’t have to be followed so you have conflict between characters on their differing vies on the same belief. Also you could consider some religious texts as a way of displaying your religion to be more cohesive or use it to show clear stories of why worshipers believe in the religion.

What is the history of the religion?

Personally one I deem very important but only when the religion plays as key part of the narrative. Just consider the religions history and how it balances with the history of the rest of the world. Is it something that deeply affects the historical narrative or is it more a backdrop to wider events. For example medieval history in Europe would be very different if it wasn't for the existence of any form of Christianity. You should find key events in the history that act as defining cornerstones for the faith and provide historical moments, real or not, that convinced people to believe. Also to weave a complex and layered narrative you could even insert some drama over its relationship to other religions. After all the whole world doesn't believe in the same thing. By including or at least mentioning other faiths you help to flush out the world to a greater depth. As such here’s a few thoughts to consider; what is the relationship to other religions? Has there been tension or conflict in the past? What has been the affect of other religions? Which religion is more dominant and how does that affect the rest of the culture and society in the fiction world?

Essentially, when writing fictional religions you should remember that your readers will likely find a real world comparison for it as we like to find similarities between fiction and reality. But you should always remember that you should only include in your story the necessary details that build upon the narrative in a positive way. After all too much can easily detract from a good story. Basically fictional religions are fun to play with as long as they serve a core purpose in either building a compelling and thematically relevant part of the narrative or helps in building a compelling and thematically relevant part of the world.

This has been TheYoungKlein and I’m writing blind.

#writing #writers #writing advice #writing blog #fictional religions #writblr

Writing Blind #24: Rivalries

A rivalry can be defined more clearly as a competition between usually two people for the same objective or perceived superiority. Rivalries are great for building up a dramatic story since its a perfect way to build tension in your story and construct compelling character relationships. Plus there’s nothing more relatable than the idea of a rivalry since many of us have perceived rivals in our own lives. Mine would be my little brothers.

This is where I think rivalries are seen as such an interesting and dynamic writing tool. It provides a great way to show character dynamics and relationships whilst presenting it in a more active capacity that doesn’t come across as slow. This certainly help in situations where you want the story to be fast paced where you can have the rivals engage in some playful banter whilst sparing or something of that ilk. Of course not all rivalries have to be positive but we’ll get to that later. This actually plays into part of why I think rivalries are so interesting as it is a open space to excite the readers and even shippers. *But we don’t talk about them here*. What it seems to me is that we find rivalries in stories interesting because, as I said earlier, we all feel we can relate to the somehow. All of us have had people in our lives who we’ve felt inferior to or wanted to surpass. That one person who always seemed better than you no matter how hard you tired. Because of this I think a lot of us find rivalries interesting because we can so easily see ourselves in that situation. However, more so than why rivalries are interesting we must also take a look at what specifically makes a rivalry.

Sibling

As millions of people across the planet can attest, the most bitter of rivalries comes from those between you and your older or younger siblings. The arguments, the fights, the thefts, all of it serves to build up a complex narrative of sibling rivalry where each of you is trying to outdo the other for one reason or another. There is always this strange sense of competition that exists between siblings and good writers will use this as a key part of building convincing sibling rivalries. Now like any other type of rivalry this will of course vary on a spectrum of intensity. The question you have to ask yourself is simply how intense do you want the rivalry to be and how well does it fit in with the narrative? Some of the nicest one are rivalries that are playful but then you can play around with the tragedy of a sibling rivalry where they absolutely despise one another. Or for extra point you could play the idea that the rivalry means more to one sibling than it does to the other. There’s a whole host on thing you could potentially use and this is partly why i think sibling rivalries can grow to be some of the most interesting in a story.

Competitive

You usually find this one appearing in stories with team dynamics or the Five man band trope. Usually this rivalry will fall between the leader and their lancer but this never always has to be the case. You can mix it up to introduce some spicy drama to the story and even develop the team dynamic. Maybe there’s a rivalry between more than two members. Maybe there’s an interconnected web of rivalries ranging from the friendly to the not-so-friendly. There’s a lot of possibilities with this. Moreover it can be simply used between to show conflict and development between two different characters. Maybe they both trained under the same master which encouraged a sense of competitiveness or perhaps they were both reaching the same prize and thus their rivalry spawned from that. Interestingly you could create a rivalry that outgrows the actual objective. For instance maybe the object of their competition is lost but the rivalry still remains. Its small things like this that really help to create great characters as it shows either a certain amount of stubbornness. Essentially with a competitive rivalry the difference is that there is some sort of objective to which they are trying to reach and come into conflict over.

Romantic

Ahah, didn’t think I was going to leave this one out did you? When it comes to rivalries some of the most iconic in storytelling are those featuring love. Now this is best seen in the heinous creation of the love triangle which realistically is more of a love line most often. Romantic rivalries are very straightforward and simple as it usually features a rivalry between two people vying for the affection of a third person who has to choose between them. now I don’t have much to say on this but one thing I will add is that i am yet to see a story where the people competing for the third persons affections end up falling in love with each other. Romantic rivalries usually come out as very character focused, taking a look at how emotions can come to build or break particular characters. Often these situations are stressful and if there is one thing I certainly approve it’s throwing your characters into stressful situations for improved storytelling. As you can guess this type of rivalry plays on emotions but it doesn't have to be limited to the romance genre and can serve as a great way to help flush out a romance subplot.

Now what I feel is the most important part of rivalries is the potential for it to help develop characters but also develop character relationships. It provides a great opportunity to make your story interesting via how these characters treat their perceived rival. Perhaps one rival doesn't even acknowledge the others existence. Perhaps the rivals ere old lovers. There’s an almost endless supply of inspiration and interesting stories you can tell or imply base purely around the premise that during the events of the story they are rivals. The biggest part of a rivalry in term of developing characters has to be that it enables you to explore a range of emotions in how the rivals present themselves to each other. For instance consider this, does the rival try to present themselves as better off than they actually are or do they change their behaviour so that they are different from how they interact with other characters not part of the rivalry?

Before i say goodbye id like to include a list of great rivalries from stories we’ve seen in the past:

Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa - Pirates of the Caribbean

Naruto and Sasuke - Naruto

Loki and Thor - Marvel Cinematic Universe

Jean Valjean and Javert - Les Miserables

Batman and the Joker - DC Comics

Gollum and Smeagol - The Lord of the Rings

Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty - Sherlock Holmes

This has been TheYoungKlein and I’m writing blind.

#writing #writers #writing advice #writing blog #rival #rivalry #fighting

Writing Blind #23: Supernatural Creatures

Ahh the joys of the unknown, the terrifying speculations of staring into the abyss and wondering what is staring back at us. Now unfortunately the supernatural isn't something that is so easy to define as on a global scale the idea of the supernatural has quite the range. However i find it can be brought down to something that is seen as otherworldly and different from our normal understanding of the natural world. Again this can be argued against as one cultures perception of natural can be seen as very different from another. Also it is important to remember that the supernatural has been a way for mankind to explain the unknown for thousands of years. As such there is a plethora of supernatural creatures we can draw on for inspiration in our writing.

So because the supernatural is so large I’m going to approach one of its smaller aspects, that being supernatural monsters, beasts creatures, demons etc. This is of course important for a lot of writers, especially fantasy writers as these creatures will help to flush out their worlds but also serve to give it a sense of authenticity. After all what's a dangerous magical world without monstrous beasts. I think this aspect actually comes form how we look at the idea of things that are foreign. Supernatural creatures are foreign to us as is a fantasy world so naturally the two fit together quite nicely. Also a lot of fantasy is based in vaguely medieval societies and to encourage familiarity a lot often feature supernatural creatures familiar to that particular setting. That's one of the key purposes supernatural creatures can serve, helping to create a sense of familiarity or vice versa, a feeling of alienation. Here is an example, you writing a world based on feudal Japan and so you use supernatural creatures associated with that culture to help immerse your readers in that world. Now you do this to build the stories world and create familiarity. However if you were to create this world and then have a creature like the Wendigo it would feel out of place and as such you create a feeling of alienation and that something is wrong. Thus you put the reader on edge and make them aware of the danger of that world you created.

Now I am sure you are wondering, where do I look for inspiration for what to use? Well look around, do your research and choose what is most appropriate to your story. Like in the previously mentioned example you could look to what is native to that culture to help. Over the past few millennia hundreds of different cultures have created their own supernatural creatures with a lot of these used to explain away phenomenon that they couldn't properly understand. This is useful as there’s a veritable wealth of information you can use ranging from local folklore to widespread mythological creatures such as the infamous dragon. This is great because a lot of the important information you need about these creatures is already written down for you. Strengths, weaknesses, the whole lot. Just do plenty of research and you will find some creature that is useful to your story.

Now this builds into another point I want to use. A lot of these creatures didn't simply exist for any reason. And many of them didn't start out the way we know them today, Tackling the first point is that these creature always served a purpose no matter what form they took, whether a local tale or a myth they always served a purpose. In classical Greek mythology many creatures served as difficult obstacles for the heroes to overcome and occasionally serving up moral teachings about not messing with the gods. In other cases the monsters were directly linked to moral stories that were meant to teach by frightening. It’s why there’s the cliché of children being told the story of a monster by firelight. The monsters were messages. So when creating or using supernatural creatures just consider if the monster is part of a moral tale. Personally I find Fafnir a great example of am oral tale of the sickness of greed. This same rule applies to supernatural creatures you create that are brand new and with edgy sounding names.

Moving onto this juicy little topic. Creating your own creatures is of course difficult but one of the better places to start is to consider the real life animals that inspired the creation of these supernatural creatures. Some writers will look at existing supernatural monsters and real life animals and go “yeah, I can make this more horrifying” and thus they create their own terrible monsters unique to their story. However I’ve got bad news. I guarantee your monster isn't entirely original, and that's not a bad thing at all. A big part of serval of the more memorable monster/creature myths is how they evolve. As stories are passed down they lead to changes depending on the era. For example the vampires thought of in the 1800′s are certainly not the same ones imagined in 2020. This is simply because as culture changes and evolves so does its stories and morals. As such characteristics and traits of monsters evolves. Because of this it means new monster will actually take inspiration from existing ones. Its not even the author or readers fault. As people we work on pattern recognition, its why we see shapes in the dark. Because of this pattern recognition we look to find familiar details in supposedly new creature designs. I am very guilty of this as one I created essentially took inspiration from old folklore tale of lycanthropy.

One more thing to consider is that supernatural creatures do not have to be unrecognisable demonic creations. After all the most infamous ones are the ones that look just like us; vampires werewolves etc. Now their horror comes from how they can blend in with the rest of us but still, it shows an understanding that supernatural creatures can be humanoid and even alluring.

Ultimately I think supernatural creatures is a topic I definitely need to expand on a great deal in the future. So consider this a brief introduction into some key concepts and ideas surrounding the topic. I mean you don’t even need to limit yourself to myths, you could use religious tales to find creatures too. For example the bible has several iconic creatures such as the Leviathan to use. But do be careful when using religious creatures. Since then you really are playing a risky games of selection.

#writing #writers #writing advice #writing blog #amwriting #supernatural #monsters #supernatural creatures

Books, books everywhere #1

Ladies and gentlemen today I’d like to start something a little different. Today I’d like to try doing a book review at least once a month to both update those of you who have shown interest and to hopefully inspire you guys to read some of the books I review and recommend. Also to be a little different I’m going to review both a fiction book and then a non-fiction book not only to appeal to different people but perhaps to help you branch out in what sort of books you read.

Non-Fiction

Title: What is History?

Author: E. H. Carr

Year of publication: 1987

Synopsis: The books is the second edition of a series of written lectures by the author. The second edition was published after his death as he was working on revising some of his previously established thoughts. That’s what the books mostly consists of, a discussion on theories and ideas of history ranging from an exploration of the historians and the use of facts to the interrelation between history, science and morality.

Thoughts: Now since I am doing a history degree this book was naturally right up my alley. Plus unlike a lot of history books it didn't focus on particular periods in history but rather took a broader approach in its exploration of history. I found it really useful for generally helping me find new ideas and theories that I had never even considered which is one of this books strongest points. Moreover most of the lectures are from the original publication in 1961 and as such it is a real reflection of its time. You can feel the cautious warning tone that a lot of Cold War books used. There’s this overall feeling in each lecture that he’s trying to set a precedent/predict the future course of how we study history. That’s another good benefit of the books is it never ignores or dismisses any opinions. Instead it actively explores and looks at all aspects of the arguments using supporting historians to show how these ideas have developed. of course its a very dense books and certain times the thoughts feel a little more meandering as originally these are lectures so certain things will obviously be lost in translation so to speak. Overall, I find this books to be a worthwhile read although an obviously very niche one as well. What I would say is that if you’re a historian this book is very useful to explore different ideas on history but even if you don’t fancy it, it is still an interesting book to feel what tensions were like during that period of history.

Rating: 7/10

Fiction

Title: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Author: Suzanne Collins

Year of publication: 2020

Synopsis: I mean most of us probably know the basic world of Panem at this point but it can never hurt to remember. In the future ruins of America there is the country of Panem constructed of the Districts and the Capitol. Ten years before the events of the book a vicious civil war was fought and the Capitol won. The story follows Coriolanus Snow who is a young boy at a prestigious school in the capitol. It is his final year and he has been selected to be a mentor to a tribute that will compete in the annual hunger games. A fight to the death between the tributes from each district. The biggest problem for Snow is that he is given what is viewed as the worst tribute possible, the girl from District 12.

Thoughts: So I think there is a little bias here because the Hunger Games trilogy was and still is my favourite YA Dystopian series of all time. My personal favourite has to be Catching Fire. The scheming and deception was one of the most appealing parts of that book. As such I loved this book as a large part of narrative is about deception and cunning. The best bit is that the main character Snow is brilliant at this. Also as villain origin stories go its really good at helping you to understand how he became the way he did. However the real strength in Collins’ writing is in her characters and this book does not disappoint. I thought all the characters were excellent and had very understandable motivations that naturally stemmed from their life experiences. I think the main character was certainly my favourite but there were a few others who caught my eye. The head Game Maker for example was certainly a real favourite of mine. Even better Collins doesn't restrict her story to a singular setting and just because we know how it all has to play out in the end doesn't stop it from being any tense and in my opinion it made the final chapters much more impactful as I could only pity all these characters since I knew where they were all heading. On a side note I would also say that if you like the songs from the original trilogy then you’ll really like this book since there are songs present all throughout in a fashion that reminded me of reading Tolkien's work. However the songs are interjected with Snow’s response to the lyrics which was a refreshing development. However there was one thing that I have to mention which was the main characters name. Now obviously when Collins first wrote Snows full name she never thought she’d write a prequel where he was the main character but still, I found that when reading I had to pause every time to read out his first name. And she uses it a lot, so I would say stopping to read ‘Coriolanus’ each time was a little taxing. Otherwise I'd find this book overall to be Worthing of including in the Hunger Games world as it really showed a different perspective on something we’d previously learned to hate. It also showed me a side of things that I hadn't really considered before such as what a post war Capitol would be like or how the Hunger Games evolved as the years went by. I won’t spoil anything here but let’s just say that the 10th Hunger Games is most definitely not the 74th.

Rating: 9/10

#writing blog #books #book review #love of writing #fiction #nonfiction #writers #writers on tumblr

Writing Blind #22: Romantic Subplots

Yup folk’s, we’ve moved on to the one thing every single young adult novel seems to have these days; the glorious, sometimes messy, thing called the romantic subplot. Before I start I’d just like to say I won’t be going near the topic of the dreaded love triangle since I think that deserves its own time to shine. But still the romantic subplot will not go wanting as there is still a lot to discuss. Beginning with a definition the romantic subplot can be defined as a usually intimate relationship between two characters, one of which being the protagonist, that is secondary to the primary action of the plot/conflict. Now this is a very loose definition and not all characters will fit into it perfectly, however I think it covers enough ground to warrant using.

Now these subplots tend to follow a usual format of two people growing closer together to form some sort of relationship that the readers can find realistic and believable. This typically develops over the course of the story with the climax often coinciding with the story’s end. In all forms of media this is the moment where the relationship is confirmed with some sort of kiss or some signal to the audience that they are in a relationship. And then the story ends and we don’t get to see how the relationship pans out. GENIUS STORYTELLING!

But if I’m being honest this is one of the key thing’s with romantic subplots. A lot of them go into great detail of how the characters meet, how they fall in love over the course of the story and how they finally get together. However in real life that is only the first step into a relationship, yes its the most difficult part and its the part we, as readers, are most invested in but if you’re like me you may want to see what comes after. Of course usually we never do and in a lot of stories the established relationships can feel cliched. It’s why I love stories where the romantic subplot focuses on characters in existing relationships with genuine loving characters who care about one another. And although in those stories the subplot drama revolves around some superficial problem resulting from a lack of communication I still find them enjoyable to read. Of course the young adult genre is full of relationships that are mostly okay however some go too far in the wrong directions. My assumption is that most of you are well read and therefore I don’t need to go into detail as to why in romantic subplots things like assault and consent are not typically treated with the respect and seriousness that such issues should be treated with. In books where these things happen and are treated as part of a romantic subplots “natural” development I end up hitting my head against the wall: hard.

But not to digress too much this topic will never go away because as readers we are fascinated by any example of romantic relationships and oftentimes I feel these fiction relationships are used to act as role models. This is both good and bad for obvious reasons. But don't worry, I've found five key stages that should help any of you who want to include a saucy slice a romantic subplot.

Theme

Before you even consider writing the subplot you have to plan it, and before you plan it you have to decide what the focus of the subplot will be. This is where the overarching theme of your subplot comes into play. This comes first and foremost as exploring what is the initial relationship between the characters. Are they old friends? Are the rivals? Are the even enemies? Whatever it is you need to have a clear picture in your head as to how they begin. Furthermore you should look closely at what sort of relationship is it. Essentially how is the themes of the relationship representative of the overall plot of the story. Is it secretive? Is it based around betrayal or perhaps its about overcoming the odds. Whatever you choose just remember that the novels genre will play a large role in the decision as you should want it to fit the tone of the story.

Dramatic first encounter

This obviously only applies if they haven't met before and also dramatic is a bit of a stretch but there certainly has to be some sort of significance to the first time they meet. This is useful as it provides a chance for some excellent prose and can signal to the audience that the love interest is of some significance to the story. Better yet you can use this moment to also set your tone for the relationship by the ay in which they meet. Do they meet in the heat of battle clashing swords or is more that one of them slips on a banana peel right into the others arms? Again the freedom of choice is up to you.

Realisation of attraction

You know whilst love at first sight is good and has some interesting interpretations this doesn't mean that the realisation of attraction has to be instantaneous. Like life we usually don’t fall in love right away. Hell saying I love you on the first date is a big no no and a red flag if I ever saw it. For me the best subplots are the ones where they fall in love over time after getting to actually know each other; weird right? But I will say not to worry too much as depending on the genre you will only have a limited number of pages that you don’t want the subplot to completely overwhelm.

Conflict

Like I said earlier often with relationship in stories there is conflict. Real world relationships have conflict of course but it usually stems from two core things; a lack of understanding and a lack of proper communication. Often writers will tend to use a miscommunication as a point of conflict in a story as its usually a surface level problem that can be easily fixed. One common example I see is where one character emotionally hurts the other in order to protect them in some way, shape or form. Honestly I’d rather see more stories look at a lack of understanding as the source of conflict as most relationships I know have problems stemming from those issues. The only problem here is it shows the relationship is flawed and thus readers lose faith in it and the characters which isn't what a writer wants. Basically its just another risk that a writer has to use nothing but their charm and wits to navigate.

Climax

Yes, make all the inappropriate jokes you want to but its true in a sense. Most romantic subplots will end in some form of climax for the characters. of course this is always secondary to the primary climax of the story. I’m going to also lump this in with the story’s resolution as I feel in this case the two go hand in hand. Now with examples where the subplot ends with a relationship the resolution is typically some grand gesture or big moment like a kiss or proposal of some kind. In other examples where there were relationship issues the climax resolution can be the couple ending up back together. But again this isn't the rule. I’ve had my heart ripped out by stories as subversions of this are always saddening. Whether its tears of joy or sadness I’ll still be crying by the end.

Ultimately the most important thing to consider is that the romantic subplot is just that, a subplot. Not that it should be treated as lesser to the main story, instead think of it like a support beam on a house, or a narrative crutch, something to hold up the main story and compliment it by working with it. This means keeping it thematically relevant and present throughout. This doesn't mean go and constantly remind the readers every chapter but in chapters where it isn't the focus just drop a line or two the help to construct and build upon the subplot. And one more thing to ask yourself as both a reader and writer is this; what does my story gain from the addition of this subplot?

This has been TheYoungKlein and I’m writing blind.

#romance #romantic subplots #writing #writers #writing advice #writing blog #love of writing

Writing Blind #21: Character Death

Ah the fun times of writing death scenes. When effective a death scene has the potential to surprise, horrify, sadden and of course, with enough investment, rip out the readers heart and leave them an emotionally wrecked mess. The death of a character is important for any story as it helps in a myriad of ways such as setting a stories tone and on developing characters. In the end if you don’t want to read any further just remember that a characters deaths, big or small, should service the story in some regard. The golden rule is; no wasteful deaths! With a death you must recognise three stages to it, the build-up, which includes foreshadowing, the actual death itself and finally the fallout and impact of the death.

Now a character death should be used in order to have an impact on the story. Otherwise its just superfluous and if its done for shock factor then it is simply lazy writing. Characters can die in a variety of ways, the only real limit comes down to genre and how far you’re willing to go. But it does help to remember that the way in which a character dies can often affect how their death is treated going forward i.e. did they did as an act of self sacrifice or something. One thing I find with some stories is that death is glossed over, even if its part of another characters motivation. An effective author would aim to have the shadow of a characters death loom over the rest of the cast after the fact. Now this doesn't mean you have to constantly have someone break down and cry ever minute but it does mean that the repercussions of that death should be felt. Sure have a person be openly mournful but maybe the person dead had a specific role that they’ve left vacant. How does the story feel different with that character gone? You must remember that not only should the characters feel the emptiness of the absent character but also your readers should feel the emptiness as well.

Now before I move on to the real meat of today I just want to reinforce something very important. NEVER WASTE A DEATH! I know I already said this but I cant stress it enough. When a character dies there needs to be some fallout whether in story or not. Some of the best death’s are trajectory deaths in which they completely change the direction the story is going in. A similar vein are motivational deaths where the death of one character acts as the impetus for action in another. These are easy as we directly see the impact of the deaths. Also use their deaths to explore the emotional trauma, how it affects the other characters and how that trauma may in turn disrupt their goals. If you can think of anything to help you with this just remember that losing a friend or family member, no matter how strained the relationship is, will never be easy or something you can simply get over.

But I think its time we look at how the death can impact the story, there are more but to me these are the important ones you want to remember; the scale of the death, method, affect on the characters, service to the story and tone.

Scale

Regarding scale this means how widespread is the scale of the characters death for the story. How does it change thing going forward based of the existing role of the character? For example, did the characters death trigger some sort of political upheaval or did it cause a war to break out. These are thing to consider, but it doesn't have to only be large scale, on a smaller level it could be the impact on a friend group. No matter what you need to think about the scale of the deaths impact. If its a prince whose died you can sure bet there will be repercussions and conflict. Of course, the scale of the death is also affected by the method of death too.

Method

This one shouldn't be too complicated. How a character dies is just as important as why? Both for the story and audience. Is it gruesome? Is it blood? Is it quick? Is it painless? These are the thing you should be asking yourself when looking at the way in which ha character dies. Here's some more questions for you; are they alone? who or what killed them? How are they found by others? Is the method of death morally or thematically appropriate?

Affect on the characters

This one I love to give priority to because it really is the most significant. When a person dies no matter if they were the antagonist or protagonist that will have an impact on the surviving characters. Of course their reactions can range but I find some of the most effective story deaths are the ones where people simple don’t know how they should react, or even feel. Because to me that the realest feeling for death anyone can ever have. If you want my purest advice I’d suggest that in the aftermath of a sudden character death, some of the less mature characters should just be confused about how they should feel. When a character dies the others should feel any range of emotions and express them how it is most suitable for the character, rage, denial, regret, depression, confusion or even acceptance. Really all you need to do is look at the stages of grief for any understanding of how people react to death.

Service to the story

Simply put, how does the death serve the story in the greater picture. Closely linked to all other points you should consider this as building up the character. Usually some people make a character whose sole purpose is to die and service the story by showing the brutality of the world the characters live in. But there are other ways. Maybe the person is killed by their closest friend to showcase the tragedy of the story or maybe its a Romeo and Juliet situation, who knows. This one really depends on the type of story you’re writing as a dead character is only as impactful as the story allows them to be. They can’t just die and disappear, there has to be real fallout in the story.

Tone

Essentially make sure the death lines up with the tone of the story you’re trying to tell. If its a romance the use it to up the drama and tug at the heartstrings. If its a comedy that at make it funny, just think of stupid deaths from horrible histories for example. You want it to fit the tone otherwise it provides some jarring tonal whiplash for the readers and suddenly they can’t trust the book or might give up on it altogether. Just think that a characters death will always depend on your genre. You want the death to fit correctly with the tone, you could try and use a different tone to create some unique drama but I would be very careful not to implement conflicting tones otherwise it could disrupt the whole novel.

When looking at this subject I just want to reiterate this is only a small part of the bigger picture. You don’t have to do everything I have said as characters die in a variety of way and not all of them lend themselves to what I have discussed. Ultimately what I want you to take away today is that a characters death should service the story, be impactful to both the readers and characters, should help to blend/compliment the tone of the story and how the method of death affects the response to it.

This has been TheYoungKlein and I’m writing blind.

#writing #writers #writing advice #writing blog #love of writing #amwriting #character development #character death

Writing Blind #20: Dystopia

Now onto one of my first dives into a particular genre. When it comes to books I find that in a post-1945 world dystopian fiction has exploded into the world and since then we have seen it evolve from some old classics to more modern classics. Before we properly continue I think a definition is in order. Now dystopia has been defined as an imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic. Whilst this is the general rule for dystopian fiction the difference usually lies in the degree of injustice or suffering and in some cases it isn't as obvious for instance the society displayed in the book Brave New World which is categorised as a dystopia whilst having the façade of a utopia. This is actually a fantastic element that a lot of modern dystopias have forgotten, most dystopia worlds are ruled by governments who aim to be or at least present themselves as utopias.

Dystopia fiction really began in the years following the Second World War with the publication of classic works like George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal. These are typical examples of the genres early roots which aimed to comment on fears of the time and in Orwell's case present commentary on the totalitarian regimes the world had experienced. However as time progressed the issues we faced also changed and dystopian fiction changed to reflect this through the decades, Margret Atwood’s Handmaids Tale is a great look at one such reality exploring dystopia from an oppressed female perspective which to my knowledge hadn't been developed in as much detail and came in the 1980′s. Jumping ahead in time to the new century we then see the point to where dystopian fiction has really come. Beginning with The Hunger Games in 2008 by Suzanne Collins we saw a dramatic change in the genre. It took a turn towards a blend with the young adult fiction genre. This sharp turn has led to the last decade where the YA dystopia sub-genre has easily become the most prolific as hundreds of books wanted to replicate the success of The Hunger Games. On a personal note I think this point is where the pollution of the genre has come from as whilst The Hunger Games offered genuine commentary on the glorification of violence in our society it begins the cliché in most YA Dystopian novels where the villainous government is villainous just because and there is an arbitrary class divide without any proper reason to it. Whilst The Hunger Games doesn't commit the crime to any significant degree the same cant be said for most of its imitators. Essentially I think most modern Dystopian fiction has lost a lot of its real purpose in commenting on genuine real issues and acting as a warning like much of the previous fiction.

Now I know you might be asking (probably not); why is this still relevant? My answer is simple, because dystopian fiction will never go out of style. No matter how the world changes or evolves there will always be some social issue that we disagree with and then there will always be a writer who feels they need to tell a story to help us understand and explore that issue. Sure the issues may change over the years and maybe in fifty years time we will look back on books written now in the same way we do A Clockwork Orange and 1984, not as predictions of the future but more as warnings and tales of how far we can go wrong. Plus as Brave New world shows us the horrible government in charge doesn't have to appear overtly oppressive to our eyes. Besides that the best bit about books. Society changes but the words on the page don’t. Therefore in the future what we view as dystopian now may seem completely different and people in the future may see us as completely unreasonable. In the end what we get is something that will remain relevant as long as clever readers and writers have a mind to question the society they live in.

Now before I finish I think it would be inappropriate not to tell you about traits of what exactly qualifies something as a piece of dystopian fiction. Therefore I’d like to present a short summary of identifiers that can help intelligent readers and writers puzzle out the ever expanding genre.

Oppressive regime - Come on, you can’t have a dystopia without an overarching organisation/government controlling the way people think and the way they live. Now as I have discussed before they don’t need to be overtly evil, they just need to expert a degree of control over the populace that restricts their freedom in some degree.

Class divides - Can be optional but almost all dystopia’s I have read contain some sort of hierarchy and class divide. How this divide exists depends on the book but it can vary. Let’s see some examples; genetically engineered from birth, gender, political beliefs, born into a particular social group and race.

Mysterious past conflict - Cant have a dystopia without one of these. Usually there is always some conflict or world wide catastrophe from the past that led to the world being the way it is. Now this doesn't have to be universal and it doesn't have to have been a single moment. Usually there is some strangely named war in the past (cough*purity wars*cough) that explains how this went downhill so quickly. Handmaids Tale actually subverts this as the decline is more gradual and frighteningly believable as well.

Rebellious protagonist - Again not the complete rule but most dystopian stories feature a rebellious protagonist who rebel in varying degrees of scale and success against the established system. Lets go through the list and see some familiar faces; Offred, Katniss Everdeen, Bernard Marx, Winston Smith, Beatrice Prior and Kathy H.

Parallels to the real world - Of course the reason the book exists since there should be some part of it the either comments on or parallels real world problems with the goal to show how bad it could be or to just offer a neat little warning to people.

(Optional) Depressing ending - Simply put, dystopias don't usually have a happy ending, 1984, the ambiguous ending of Handmaids Tale and even The Hunger Games don’t feature particularly happy endings. It’s got me asking why? Why can’t our poor suffering character’s find some happiness even if the villains are defeated?

Well I hope all that I have written can be of some use to you in the future. I think there’s a growing feeling that dystopian fiction has hit some sort of wall with its blend with the YA genre. However I think in the next few years we may be lucky enough to see the genre change and move in different directions again. Only this time there is a hopeful shift back to proper commentary of social issues and it features that desire to attain the perfect utopia and instead ending up in the gruelling world of a dystopia.

This had been TheYoungKlein and I’m writing blind.

#writing #writers #writing advice #writing blog #love of writing #dystopia

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