Recent Posts

So I finally saw District 9 a few weeks ago (I know, I know; that was so 2009 but that’s life right now; I run about a year or two behind on movies) and I’m still not totally sure what to make of it. My sister warned me of the gore (which, to my dismay, I did find a little too gratuitous at times—meaning beyond what the story really needed) and the lack of creative vocabulary (the main character seemed to forget any adjective, adverb—and verb, in some cases—other than the f-bomb). And so maybe her lack of enthusiasm countered my excitement from the positive reviews that the movie garnered upon release. There is always inherent risk in trying to evaluate a movie when expectations are not completely objective (i.e., either too high or too low). What ended up really impressing me about District 9, despite its flaws, was the story that is the film’s heart.

One of the things that I read so much about District 9 was that it was “realistic.” I always find that adjective full of irony when discussing science fiction and fantasy. I suppose that’s what we want our speculative stories to be, though, right? Realistic, aka believable. Isn’t that what science fiction is all about: expanding imagination of what’s possible without the artificially imposed limits of current scientific perception?

The technological/scientific implications of that question are for another blog post. What I think makes a story realistic (and of higher quality) is if the story can convince the reader to “suspend their disbelief” (to borrow the phrase) in both a vast and personal way.

We as readers and viewers perceive a story through our understanding of the world around us. If a story can successfully convince us that its milieu is plausible based on its own rules/laws (which may or may not be close to reality), then we can believe in that world. We are therefore more inspired, saddened, entertained, and/or left breathless by the story because what starts to matter is the people in the story. If we’re constantly baffled by the stupidity or illogic of a science fiction/fantasy milieu, how can we really believe that the situations/character of the people will be any less stupid/illogical? [As an aside, sometimes the mileu is so well developed and believable and awe-inspiring that a story of lower quality becomes even more of an annoying letdown due to the contrast; see Avatar.]

Because the milieu was realistic (at least enough), I think District 9 nailed the personal journey becomes all the more powerful. The main character, Wikus, is a relatively normal guy with a bureaucratic job. He’s not a super CIA agent with years of combat training that he suddenly remembers when he’s cornered. He’s a relatively smart yet normal guy who’s trying hard to be a good guy. And in the climax of the film, he gives into the primal human instinct of self-preservation when he betrays the prawn (alien) who he’s been trying to help. Something that the “everyman” would probably do in the same situation.

I found myself rooting for Wikus to do the right thing and being saddened when he didn’t. And the film lets Wikus run away just long enough to convince you that he really is too afraid to do the right thing because he is us, the average person trying to make it through the world. And in that situation (and in countless others) we want to believe that we would do the selfless and noble thing, but in our innermost self, we’re afraid we won’t.

And just when I wondered if it was over, when my hope in ordinary people was dashed once again, Wikus stops and turns around to do the noble, selfless, and difficult thing that we, deep down, all hope that we would do. The milieu was believable and realistic enough that the personal, tragic journey of the main character means a great deal and we end up learning a little bit about our own humanity in the process.

I think that’s the beauty of science fiction: yes, ordinary people rising above themselves to do something noble and great in an extraordinary situation—or even an ordinary one!—has been portrayed and told a thousand times. But it’s been told a thousand times because we yearn for the reminder of that possibility in us. Science fiction and fantasy allow us to look at that journey in new and different and imaginative and impossible ways so that when the choices we face seem just as impossible, maybe, just maybe we would do the right thing too.

So this blog entry is about a month overdue. Hard to believe that it has taken this long to revisit the blog. I want to give a detailed update of where the Elarra Solstice is and some thoughts on plot and character.

First of all I know that updates and notices of progress have been few and far between lately. I want to reassure you that the project is alive and well. In fact I’ve never been more excited about the project. The outlines and plans I’ve completed for revisions are really going to enrich the story and I’m excited. The biggest frustration is that I can’t wait to get to book 2 and beyond because the whole story builds and builds and right now I’m the only one that knows where it’s going. I can’t wait for readers to experience that! However I know that there will never be a book 2 and beyond if book 1 isn’t exceptional. So my current project is to make book 1 exceptional.

I’ve outlined all the changes and have detailed scene descriptions for book 1. Essentially I’m taking the backstory and making it the first chapter of the saga. I spent too much time in the narrative of what was book 1 (Whispers and Shadows) establishing the backstory that is so critical to the whole thing. Per recommendations that I received from a trusted associate, I’m extracting about 30,000 words from the manuscript as the basis for the new book 1. That leaves 80,000 to start with for what is now book 2. That also leaves me about 80,000 words to write for the new Book 1. While that is a lot of writing to do, my pace is usually about 2000 words per 90 minutes of first draft material. Now that is just the first very rough material that I usually edit about 7-8 times-a process that I really enjoy. I’ve already finished about 10,000 words of new material for book 1 and have gone through the revisions process at least four times since it is the new opening for the brook and that has to be great. So good progress is being made!

My problem right now is protecting my writing time. The last 4-6 weeks have been especially tough but that has only toughened my resolve. I want to finish my first draft of book one by July and then have something submittable by September.

So that’s the plan and I hope you enjoy the updates. They will be more frequent from here on out.

I know that my updates over the last couple of weeks have not been frequent. I appreciate all of your patience! A trusted associate—who has an excellent literary eye—recently read The Elarra Solstice Book 1: Whispers and Shadows and provided me with some great feedback.

One of the recurring themes in his feedback was about the backstory that is exposited throughout the book. When discussing this, he would often say something like, “This is such a rich story: I want to experience it, not hear about it!” He proposed splitting Book 1 into two books, saying something to the effect of “You’ve already got the outline done for a new Book 1, and then you have room to flesh out these other plotlines in what will be Book 2—therefore solving your pacing problems!”

At first, this presented a daunting challenge. I’ve worked on these manuscripts a long time and I was wary of asking you to wait longer before I go through the publication process. However, after much thought, I have completed outlines for the new Books 1 and 2 and am ready to proceed forward. What this means is that I need you to be patient as I do the following things:

• I will probably need 3-6 months to complete the rework of the new Books 1 and 2. The Elarra Solstice will then end up being a 7 book cycle. As you know, I already have completed manuscripts for Books 2 and 3 (which will become Books 3 and 4). I have also begun writing Book 4 (now Book 5). But in order to get this series onto your bookshelves, I need the first book to be the best it can be. Which is great, because in my mind Books 3 (now 4) and 4 (now 5) are where things really get going.
• I will write a weekly blog entry so that I can focus my time on writing. I’ll keep you posted on my progress through the blog, Facebook, and Twitter.
• Sometime next week, I will be making changes to the website to reflect the changes in my series.
• Sometime next week, I’ll be taking down the excerpts at least until I have the new first few chapters up for you to sample.
• I will also be moving Lindallin Snowfall into the excerpts section, and probably take it down for awhile. Several elements of that short story are now going to be integrated into the new Book 1.

I know that I’m asking you, potential readers, to wait longer for an unpublished book. All I can say is that the wait will be worth it. Stay connected by becoming a fan of the Facebook page! Follow me on Twitter for additional small updates and thoughts! And check back here weekly for the blog entry that plots my progress.

OK so I finally had some writing time today and spent some time revising my log line and pitch. While I’ve read many things about how to query a literary agent (i.e., submit to an agent, the first step in the long publication process), the best information I’ve read so far is from The Writer’s Essential Tackle Box by Lynn Price. This book has been an invaluable resource these last several weeks as I’ve revised and prepped Book 1 for submission and (hopefully) publication.

The “log line” is the one or two sentence hook that sets out the main characters, conflict and plot of one’s book. Sort of like what a 15 second movie trailer would show about the full length feature. Here’s my latest attempt that took 2 hours:

The epic science fiction series, The Elarra Solstice, is about a reluctant warrior who returns to unify his ancient homeworld and find the woman in his dreams, the feisty admiral whose dedication is destroying her marriage, and the elusive terrorist who preserves the violence by consistently beating them to his next targets.

Thoughts?

So: Now it’s time to start really submitting Book 1 to agents. As part of the process, I’ve got to whittle down the novel into a pitch (like a movie trailer) and a tag line (like a movie poster). So this got me thinking about what elements go into a good movie trailer and seeing if that translates to a good pitch. I remember some great movie trailers that ended up with even better movies; and some great trailers that far surpassed the movies they previewed.

Here are my top 5 movie trailers that previewed movies that exceeded or at least matched the expectations that the trailers created:

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: Awesome movie trailer—accompanied by an incredible soundtrack—that turned out to be an even awesomer movie) (awesomer really needs to be a real word).
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (tied with Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King): Being a Lord of the Rings devotee (read the books at least a dozen times), I was filled with anticipation for these movies. I was blown away by the trailer, watched it religiously until the movie came out, and basically experienced spiritual enlightenment when I saw the movie. This occurred with all three movies in the trilogy.
3. The Dark Knight: I have to admit, I think Christian Bale is Bruce Wayne. I liked the original Tim Burton movie alright (Nicholson was a great Joker); the second one was just weird, though (apologies to my youngest sister). I was impressed with Batman Begins, and had heard of the hype surrounding The Dark Knight. The trailer was good because it established the premise, and created questions in the viewer’s mind that you wanted answered. And the movie? Well, definitely the best movie of the year.
4. The Matrix: I remember the first time I saw the trailer for The Matrix. Laurence Fishburne’s voiceover. Agent Smith’s declaration that human beings were the disease of our planet. And the question: what is the matrix? Brilliantly posed, but never answered. The trailer showed flashes of what made the movie great without revealing too much. Great trailer for an even greater movie.
5. Gladiator: Again, a trailer that poses the question and premise in a very succinct and visually impressive way. By 30 seconds in, you know that there is a general who becomes a slave who becomes a gladiator who defies the emperor. And it’s presented in such a way that you want to know how it all happened and how it ends up.

Here are my top 5 awesome trailers that became HUGE disappointments in the movie.

1. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: You must have lived under a rock if you weren’t spiritually, emotionally, and just plain holistically moved by this trailer. The Star Wars theme, the shots of Liam Neeson as a Jedi and Ewan McGregor as Obi Wan Kenobi…even the kid Anakin didn’t seem all that bad. Then I saw the movie. Enough said.
2. The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions: What can I say? The trailer for Revolutions upped the ante and returned a glimmer of hope to me that Revolutions would rise from the ashes of Reloaded. Nope. Such potential wasted. What made it worse was that the sequels took away everything mystical that gave gravitas to the first one. All of a sudden the faith of Morpheus is ruined and instead of a deeply spiritual man who believes in something greater that can’t be explained by the machines, the oracle is just a program, and the Matrix is god. What a letdown. And then Trinity and Neo die. While I appreciate dark, gritty reality, and heroic sacrifice, I am a bit of a sucker for happy endings. I prefer that the hero comes away having learned from their sacrifice, a better person preferably still alive [the notable exception being Gladiator, which was happy because Maximus is reunited with his family]. This was just over the top.
3. Alien 3: not much to say about this one. Again, a trailer with loads of promise and potential. Especially since one of the main questions that the trailer doesn’t answer is what happened to Newt and Hicks? Oh. They’re gone before the opening credits finish rolling. In my world, this movie never happened and Ripley’s story ends after Aliens. Just like The Matrix trilogy really is just one movie for me. (As a side note, Alien Resurrection was worse than Alien 3. But I could tell that was coming with the trailer. How in the world do stories like these get told? Don’t the writers/studios realize that what made Alien and Aliens great wasn’t just the aliens scaring and eating people? The characters and triumph of the first two is what made them great. Man: if those movies can get made, my books can get published. Why am I wasting more of my life on these movies?)
4. Mission to Mars: Speaking of life wasting, perhaps the trailer/movie disappointment list should be topped with this movie. The trailer was so visually compelling that I dragged my other sister to this movie. I had read some disappointing reviews but then I’d watch the trailer again and think that there was no way the movie could be that bad. Compelling, engrossing trailer, all star cast…it had to be great! As my sister reminded me over the holidays, “Do you realize that I can never reclaim those wasted 2 hours of my life? And it’s your fault!”
5. I can’t go on after #4.

So my goal with the pitch for The Elarra Solstice Book 1 is to make a trailer so compelling that you (and a literary agent :)) want to read it. And then have the book deliver on that promise (which I think it does; I promise that this isn’t the Mission to Mars of epic sci fi novels).

So what do you think? What makes a good pitch? I’ll be posting samples over the next few weeks. Stay tuned!