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The Dark Tower series, by Stephen King

I’ve learned many things from the writing of Stephen King (both reading his novels and his great book On Writing). Among those lessons, he’s taught me that fantasy and science fiction need not be segregated, but can be present in the same fictional world at the same time. It can be done. It can work. It can work well.

Aside from the Dark Tower series by Stephen King, I’ve come across this idea elsewhere too–from Anne McAffrey and Terry Brooks, to name a couple. I also found the idea fascinating in the 80’s cartoon movie Wizards.

Go then, there are other worlds than these. ~ Jake Chambers

This has been one of the cornerstones of my fantasy world for a long time. One of my first tries at writing a novel (in middle and high school) included a human from Earth ending up in my fantasy world of Dadreon. Over the course of the story, she learns the horrible truth, that Earth was destroyed and this alien fantasy world eventually sprung from its ashes. The horror of it struck me enough to think of it as a good enough segway.

Then, I grew up and I noticed the glaring holes in my worldbuilding. I’ve spent the past few years stitching up many of them, but I had started to think I would drop the “far-future Earth” idea because I wasn’t sure how I could make it work. I feared it had become my “darling” and one that needed killing. (More advice from Mr. King.)

Kill your darlings… ~ Stephen King

I had my pantheon of gods. I had the protectors that served those gods. I had mortal races that had “normal” day to day lives, like real life, but in a fantastic world. These characters all make up the side of “order,” and on other side of that balance coin, the forces of “chaos.” But I still hadn’t figured out how to make the fantasy and science fiction elements blend. I didn’t want some blah reason for Earth to die. I didn’t want to make some statement of how awful we are as a human race and have us blow ourselves up in a nuclear war (which was my original thought, but never satisfying).

Then everything (finally, after almost 30 years) started to come together.

When I started my blog, I used it as an outlet for the fan fiction stories building in my head. Stories for my World of Warcraft characters. They were set in a known world, so I had that part done for me, very safe, but it’s such a wide world it gave me the latitude to get creative. Eventually, realizing I would never (realistically) be able to publish fan fiction (except on my own tiny corner of the internet), I shifted back to working on fiction for my own fantasy world of Dadreon again.

About 30 years after creating it and about 10 years since I’d even looked at it.

I filled in lots of worldbuilding holes. I made great progress.

But I missed those great fan fiction stories I had started.

So I began to wonder if there were a way to translate those stories from the Warcraft world to my own.

What I came up with was sparked by Effraeti’s “Descending Twilight” series. So I brainstormed and I wrote a teaser:

Earth, the Near Future.

Humans have been advancing their technology and learning the science of time travel, but not in time to save themselves. Dark old gods have emerged. They and their demonic minions lay waste to Earth.

In one last effort to save humanity, scientists flee through time both backward (to prevent) and forward (to escape), trying to find their salvation and discover what might stop these awesome, destructive beings.

But something goes wrong. Dr. Gabi Graf is caught in a temporal vortex and nearly killed. Somehow she is split in two and ends up in two times and places, each half aware something is missing…

Can she survive in the distant future? What will Earth have become at the hands of these dark old gods? And will she find what she’s looking for?

Gabi has become her own alternate timeline.

Okay, okay, so the blurb probably doesn’t need the last line, but I really like it.

Now, instead of working on my four book series Jadeflare (specifically Book 2) for NaNoWriMo, like I had originally intended, now I want to work on this. I have so many ideas in my head.I’m currently working to straighten them out in my head and on paper with the help with

I’m currently working to straighten these ideas out in my head and on paper with the help with Kristen Kieffer’s awesome Pre-Writing Story Bible. (Kristen also runs a great Facebook group called Your Write Dream with a great writer community if you’re interested in something like that.) Once I get every question answered in the Story Bible, I’ll do a chapter outline. Then I’ll enter those chapters into Scrivener. Then, I should be ready to start writing.

I love the idea of NaNoWriMo, but I doubt I’ll aim for 1667 per day (for a total of 50,000 between November 1st and November 30th). I’m thinking of doing something more lowkey and attainable, like 500 words per day, which was suggested by Shaunta Grimes who runs another awesome Facebook group called Ninja Writers, which is also a great writing community.

The Facebook groups are great support, but also a huge distraction sometimes (like when I’m unconsciously trying to avoid writing).

500 words are still more than my average, so it’ll still be quite a stretch.

But I can do this.

And I’ll work on this new novel idea (which I’m affectionately naming Split Personality until I come up with something better) until I get stuck like I did with Jadeflare. Then, I’ll switch and keep going with that.

I’m trying to tell myself that multiple projects are okay. It might slow me down, but if it keeps me writing reguarly, it’s worth it.

Wish me luck in November! If I’m not stressing too much over word counts, I’ll try to post updates. Otherwise, I might not pipe up here again until December 1st.

~ Effy

On Writing: The 4 Major Story Structures for Fiction

There are different ways to start a story and different ways to write them.  Sometimes they start with an idea for a character and that character’s journey.  Sometimes they start with a place, known or invented.  Sometimes they start with a problem that needs solving.

Whatever motivates you to write – take it and run!

Looking for motivation to write?  Here are some different types of story structures that might help get you started.

I have my favorite author Orson Scott Card to thank for these 4 story structures.  He wrote an article for Writer’s Digest about them.  I believe they are also mentioned in his book on writing, “How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy.”  They have inspired me on how to focus my stories – some fall into all 4 of these categories.  I hope they in turn inspire you or at least help you focus your story to a fine enough point to start, continue, or even finish.

Milieu Story

In the Milieu Story, the focus is the world and showing and explaining that world.  Want an example of a Milieu Story?  Think of the Wizard of Oz.  The point is made most obvious in the movie because as soon as Dorothy arrives there, the movie goes from black and white to color, then back to black and white when she leaves.  This is because the land of Oz is the focus of the story.

Start: The protagonist arrives in the world.

End: The protagonist leaves the world.

Idea Story

In the Idea Story, the focus is seeking and discovering new information.  The best example of an Idea Story is a mystery.  Something unexplained happens and the main character has to figure out the how and why.  Think of the Dresden Files series.

Start: A question is raised.

End: The question is answered.

Event Story

In the Event Story, the world is out of order and the focus is making things right.  The Lord of the Rings is a great example of an Event Story.  The world is in disarray and Sauron is trying to conquer it.  The story revolves around stopping him and setting the world back to “right.”

Start: The protagonist enters the conflict.

End: A new world order is established.

Character Story

In the Character Story, the focus is the development of the protagonist.  I heard somewhere the series A Song of Fire and Ice (ie. Games of Thrones) described as a character story, or more appropriately a group of character stories.  Since I do not know how the series ends yet (after reading all the books), I cannot confirm or deny this.  But it makes sense.  Especially the character Daenerys, who has gone through a number of moments of character growth already.  Despite all the story arcs, I think she will end up being the “main” character.

Start: The protagonist becomes unhappy and/or seeks change.

End: The protagonist settles back into happy or gives up.

The are a number of other ways to categorize story structures, but I find these to be the most all-encompassing.

~ Effy

On Writing: Writing Prompts – Helpful Distractions and a Means to an End

 

Writing prompts – the writer’s savior

I ordered a few books about writing, specifically a few about ideas for writing.  I keep finding myself at roadblocks with pieces I want to work on, and working with writing prompts has been helpful.

The book I flipped through this weekend is called The Writing Adventure by Sexton Burke.  It has pages of starters for writing.  In fact, each prompt sits on a full page so you can write.  I am not sure if I will do any writing inside the book – that is what I have all these notebooks for! – but I think it is a neat concept.

The book starts off with a few prompts geared towards personal reflection.  So I focused on these, and I figured I would share.  Maybe, as they helped me, they can help someone else too!  In fact, I think these might help content creators of all types, not just necessarily writers.

Sum up your most important reason for writing in a single word.

Every time you sit down to write, put this at the top of your page.

My word: Share!

Sharing my thoughts, ideas, feelings… this is my biggest reason for writing.  As I mentioned in my post about why to create a blog, I write because I am the only person who can say what I have to say.

It also gave me an idea for one of the six word memoirs we worked on in Creative Writing: Share it, Show it, Tell it!

Make two lists… the first detailing what it is you love about writing; the second, everything you struggle with.

What I Love About Writing:

• Sharing my thoughts, ideas, feelings
• Putting my thoughts into words
• Making worlds and characters come to life
• Creating a world of many layers and fitting them all together
• Making A and B work together, whether it is pieces I have created or lore pieces from WoW that fit with my personal characters

What I Struggle with About Writing:

• Making time
• Finding the energy
• Writer’s block
• Writing about what I want to write about (often I end up working on prompts instead)
• Distractions that come up while I am writing (usually self-induced, “researching” various items on the internet)

Reframe your view of the obstacles in your life that impede your writing.  Make a list of these obstacles.  Then, next to each one, write about how you can overcome the obstacle and how it might be used as a tool for creativity.

My obstacles:

• Work – Use work as an inspiration instead of a hindrance.  Start writing some pieces about window cleaning!  I need to write down ideas as they come to me for posts and infographics.
• School – Continue to use school projects as inspirations for blog posts.  I have used essays and short stories and even public speaking pieces to inspire blog posts.  Re-purposing my school work makes it serve multiple purposes.
• Time – I need to MAKE TIME to write, instead of making excuses about not having time.  Sitting down with writing prompts (like these) are a good way to start.  I need to schedule time where I am not allowed to do anything but write about SOMETHING, no matter what it is.
• Energy – If I need to drag myself off my butt, then so be it.  The important part is to keep myself motivated, create scheduled chunks of time (both for accomplishing things and for being “lazy”), and make writing more of a habit.
• Inspiration – Writer’s block is no excuse for a blogger!  I do not have to stick to one story or topic.  I do not have to write anything in order.  I can write snippets as they come to me, and publish them in logical chunks.  Heck, I can post pieces I write from story prompts.  I am basically without limit on what I can do here on my blog.

Take a moment to examine [the] lists from the previous [prompts]…  Describe in detail what you find to be the single most challenging thing about writing and why it affects you the way it does.

It is not so much writer’s block I find frustrating, but not being able to work on the pieces I want to work on.  It seems whenever something is strong on my mind, my ability to actually write the story evaporates and instead I have to switch my focus and work on something else.  (ie. writing prompts)  I enjoy prompts, but I have plenty of stories I would prefer to be working on.

Now, determine what needs to be done to overcome this challenge…  Find a solution.  Write it out.

The past few weekends, I have been spending my free time working on updating and fleshing out the details of my personal fantasy world – Dadreon.

The other thing I do to combat writer’s block is to write out of order.  I write as things come to me.  Sometimes, writing out of order helps me to get back to the part of the story I was working on.

So the solution: Keep writing!  Write regularly.  Write as things come to me.  Write from prompts when nothing comes to me on its own.

 

From The Ultimate Secrets of Total Self-Confidence, by Robert Anthony:

“Psychological studies in personal performance show that individuals who have a plan and goals for their lives are happier and more successful than those who do not.”

What are your goals as a writer?  Do you have plans for achieving them…?  If you do, write the plan below.  If you do not, it’s time to create one.  Write it below.

My short term writing goal is to continue to regularly post on my blog – whether stories or posts about writing or personal stuff.  Post regularly.

My mid-range goal is to get back to actually writing stories in my personal fantasy world.

My long term goal is to eventually get a novel finished and published.

So there is an idea of what I have been working on this weekend.

~ Effy

Do you have any input or writing goals to share?  Please let me know!

On Writing: 10 Types of Short Stories

My blog posts have taken many forms over the years – WoW-related mostly, from transmog to raiding to Best-in-Slot lists, but also short stories, personal thoughts, and school work.  I enjoy everything I write, but I have come to realize that my favorite thing (next to actual writing stories when I have the ideas) is writing about writing.

Recently, my very talented streamer and video-creator beau WoWMartiean got access to the current Alpha testing for Warlords of Draenor.  It has been interesting to sneak peeks over his shoulder, despite how adamant I usually am to keep my distance and not learn anything about WoW content before it is released.  Honestly, I think that has all been thrown out the window since 1) I live with him and 2) I am too damn nosy and curious.  I cannot help it, now I want to know about the changes to Mistweaver Monks and see every little bit of Draenor I can.

*****  *****  Spoiler Start  *****  *****

One of the things he and I have discussed so far is a new type of rare mob being introduced.  I am not sure of all the details, but Blizzard is referring to them as “vignettes” and they seem to be a rare with more complicated mechanics than a normal rare.

*****  *****  Spoiler End  *****  *****

This started me down an interesting train of thought… and I decided to write a post on the different types of short stories.

Defining a Short Story

To discuss the different types of short stories, first I should define a short story.

A short story is a piece of brief literature, usually written in narrative prose.  Short stories can be written in a variety of formats, but the most typical features a small cast of characters with names and focuses on a single, self-contained incident.  Short stories make use of a plot and other normal literary components, just to a lesser and shorter degree than a novel.  They also vary in length.

10 Types of Short Stories

Now that we know generally what a short story is, we can discuss the different types of short stories.  This is by no means a comprehensive list, since short stories come in a wide variety of lengths and styles.  But this is a list of the most common.

Anecdote

An anecdote is a short account of something interesting and amusing, which usually tells a story about a real person and/or incident.  Often, anecdotes are used to illustrate or support a point in an essay, article, or chapter.  They are very short, but have no specific limits.

From grammar.about.com’s entry for the anecdote, an example anecdote about Ralph Waldo Emerson:

“In [Ralph Waldo] Emerson’s later years his memory began increasingly to fail. He used to refer to it as his ‘naughty memory’ when it let him down. He would forget the names of things, and have to refer to them in a circumlocutory way, saying, for instance, ‘the implement that cultivates the soil’ for plow. Worse, he could not remember people’s names. At Longfellow’s funeral, he remarked to a friend, ‘That gentleman has a sweet, beautiful soul, but I have entirely forgotten his name.’ Perhaps most touching was his term for umbrella–‘the thing that strangers take away.'”

(Reported in Clifton Fadiman, ed., The Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes, 1985)

Drabble

A drabble is an exceptionally short piece of fiction, usually of exactly 100 words in length – not including the title.  The purpose of a drabble is extreme brevity and to test an author’s skill at expressing himself/herself meaningfully and interestingly in a very confined space.

A drabble example, by the lovely Matty, is available over at Sugar and Blood: Light as a Feather.  In fact, Matty has many drabble stories!

Fable

A fable is a succinct story featuring anthropomorphic creatures (usually animals, but also mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature) to tell a story with a moral.  Often the moral is explicitly told at the end.  A fable is similar to a parable, but differs most in the fact that fables use animals to tell a story but parables do not.

The most well-known example of a fable would be any of the many told in Aesop’s Fables.  The one I always remember the best is The Ant and the Grasshopper.

Feghoot

A feghoot is an interesting short story type also known as a story pun or a poetic story joke.  It is a humorous piece ending in an atrocious pun.  It can be very short, only long enough to sufficiently illustrate the context of the piece enough to lead up to the pun.

I found an interesting blog of all Feghoots.  This one is a good example and totally groan-worthy as the format requires: The Buck of the Draw.

Flash Fiction

Flash fiction refers to an extremely short piece of literature.  It has no widely accepted length, but has a debated cap of between 300 and 1000 words.

I found a whole webpage of flash fiction, called Flash Fiction Online.  It has a small section of fantasy and I thought this one a good example to share: One Last Night at the Carnival Before the Stars Go Out.

Frame Story

A frame story is also known as a frame tale or a nested narrative.  It is a literary technique of placing a story within a story, for the purpose of introducing or setting the stage for a main narrative or a series of short stories.

A few good example of a frame story would be a flashback within a larger piece or a quest within a larger game environment.

Mini-saga

A mini-saga is a short story told in exactly 50 words.  It is a test in brevity – about saying a lot with a little.

I found a fascinating “guide” to writing a mini-saga.  It has a few examples and the bottom is for filling in with your exact 50 words.  There was another page with good advice and a progressive piece as an example.

Story Sequence

A story sequence, also called a short story cycle or a composite novel, is a group of short stories that work together to form a longer piece, while still functioning as complete short stories on their own.

It would be hard to link to an example, but the best I can think of are several of the works of Isaac Asimov – the Foundation books and I, Robot (the original book, NOT the story portrayed in the Will Smith movie) in particular.  They are not a novel in the traditional sense, but instead a collection of short stories in chronological order that both tell small stories and one larger one.

Sketch Story

A sketch story is a shorter than average piece containing little or no plot.  It can be merely a description of a character or a location.  Character sketches are common, and a good way to build a character that will eventually be part of a longer piece.

I found this good handout about character sketches, including an example.  I wrote a piece a while back about writing character sketches.  I think Regrets, my original blog post and the start of my Shaman-Effy/DK-Effy stories, and the character sketch piece I wrote for creative writing last semester are both good examples as well.

Vignette

And finally, we come to the vignette, which started this whole post in the first place!

A vignette is a short, impressionistic piece that focuses on a single scene, character, idea, setting, or object.  There is little emphasis on adhering to conventional theatrical or literary structure, or story development.  It can be a stand-alone piece or part of a larger work.

From grammar.about.com’s entry for the vignette, an example vignette by E.B. White:

“The strong streak of insanity in railroads, which accounts for a child’s instinctive feeling for them and for a man’s unashamed devotion to them, is congenital; there seems to be no reason to fear that any disturbing improvement in the railroads’ condition will set in. Lying at peace but awake in a Pullman berth all one hot night recently, we followed with dreamy satisfaction the familiar symphony of the cars–the diner departing (furioso) at midnight, the long, fever-laden silences between runs, the timeless gossip of rail and wheel during the runs, the crescendos and diminuendos, the piffling poop-pooping of the diesel’s horn. For the most part, railroading is unchanged from our childhood. The water in which one washes one’s face at morn is still without any real wetness, the little ladder leading to the upper is still the symbol of the tremendous adventure of the night, the green clothes hammock still sways with the curves, and there is still no foolproof place to store one’s trousers.

“Our journey really began several days earlier, at the ticket window of a small station in the country, when the agent showed signs of cracking under the paperwork. ‘It’s hard to believe,’ he said, ‘that after all these years I still got to write the word “Providence” in here every time I make out one of these things. Now, there’s no possible conceivable way you could make this journey without going through Providence, yet the Company wants the word written in here just the same. O.K., here she goes!’ He gravely wrote ‘Providence’ in the proper space, and we experienced anew the reassurance that rail travel is unchanged and unchanging, and that it suits our temperament perfectly–a dash of lunacy, a sense of detachment, not much speed, and no altitude whatsoever.”

(E.B. White, “Railroads.” The Second Tree From the Corner. Harper & Row, 1954)

In Conclusion

I find all of these types of short stories interesting.  So much so that I would like to try my hand at each.  I am hoping to steer my fiction in a more personal direction, and start writing more pieces that take place in the fantasy world I created.  Some of these are very short pieces – which will probably take me longer to write than my usually pieces.  We shall see.

~ Effy

Are there any major short story types you think I missed?  Or do you have any good examples of some of the types listed above?  Please let me know!  I am always on the look out for good fiction!

#NBI2014: The Single Biggest Reason You Should Create a Blog

™“Don’t forget – no one else sees the world the way you do, so no one else can tell the stories that you have to tell.”

~ Charles de Lint

This quote gave me a lot of inspiration in writing the original speech that led to this post, so I thought it an appropriate opening.  A blog gives you the best and “safest” place to find an outlet for your stories.  It gives you a simple, quick forum for writing, publishing, and sharing, all from the comfort of home and with the mask of whatever name/avatar you show to the world.

Why tell your story?  Because no one else can.  Make it about telling your story.

I have been blogging for three years now – first on Effy’s RP and now here.  While I have blogged mainly about World of Warcraft for all of that time, I created my blog because I wrote a short story that was not happy with just getting onto paper.  It insisted upon being shared.

I took the plunge and I posted it on the internet.

And I have never regretted that moment.

It led to many more stories – both fan fiction and my own brands of fiction – and it has led to many, many posts.

The idea of starting a blog can be a daunting one, but unless you just get out there and do it, you will never know what might come of it.

We are all walking around with stories to tell.  Sometimes, we express them to friends.  Sometimes, we write – either in stories or in journals, which we may or may not share.  Sometimes, we keep all of our thoughts inside.

Why share?

I spent years writing but never sharing my stories.  Even when I did share my writing, I shared with friends or family who read to be supportive of me.  I never knew whether they really liked it, or were just being “nice.”  I never received any real, helpful feedback.  But beyond these people who would only tell me how great my writing was, I feared what criticism I might receive from others.

But a story untold is just flat words on paper, or worse yet, an unshared idea that never leaves your head.  That is a true tragedy.

Maybe you think a blog is difficult to create or too much work or that no one will read it.  Blogs are not only easy to create – WordPress will walk you through the simple steps of starting one – but there is also a vast community of support once you get started.  The blogging community is one of the friendliest and most helpful I have ever come across – especially the Warcraft blogging community.

Collaboration happens often and in many forms and there are a number people to encourage you.

NBI

 

The Newbie Blogging Initiative is both a website and an event for helping new bloggers get started.  The provide support and resources, as well as stirring the rest of the community to action.  It is mostly geared towards gaming bloggers, but the information shared can be helpful to all.

Blog Azeroth

Blog Azeroth is a forum where bloggers can come together.  The most interesting part of the interaction on Blog Azeroth is the Shared Topics.  Anyone can suggest a topic and anyone can participate in writing a shared topic post.  Shared topics are a great way to get involved with the community.

Bloggers Who Have Inspired Me

Navimie, of the Daily Frostwolf, is one of the most amazing bloggers I know, and the nicest too.  Long before the NBI came about, Navi became a powerful voice of encouragement to me in particular.

Navimie’s advice?  If you want to write, just write!  Don’t write for others, write for yourself first.  You will be more genuine and more motivated.

Truer words have never been spoken (or written).

Akabeko, of Red Cow Rise, has been another voice of encouragement to myself and others.  She has participated in the NBI and other events to drive collaboration in the blogging community.

Akabeko’s advice?  She has a great list!

• Write about what you know and what interests you
• Remember that a blog can be about anything – from business to poetry
• Cites your sources!  (Other bloggers and content creators LOVE link-backs, and it is a great way to get noticed.)
• Give your opinions
• Find your voice
• Include pictures wherever possible

Other Resources and Tips

This is definitely not the limit of great resources or bloggers out there.  It just takes some time to get the momentum going.  The best thing you can do is participate in all of the great community events going on all the time, and comment on the blogs of others!  Both ways will get you seen in ways other than just those who find you through web searches.  Being active part of the community is the best way to become a part of it.

Twitter helps too.  Even if you do not use it much, you can connect other bloggers, other WoW personalities, and other players.  And you can tweet your blog posts.

Remember: every view is one more person touched by what you have to say.

Now What?

Now that you know some of the support available out there once you get started… how do you start?

Create a free blog and go from there!

Once you have a blog and content on that blog, even if only five people see what you have posted, that is five more than would have seen it otherwise!  Picture what that could mean – having viewers for all of these ideas, stories, thoughts, and opinions that never would have made it out of your head otherwise.

Creating a blog has the ultimate purpose of getting your writing seen.  A blog gives you a place of lower stress and pressure than trying to get published, but still has the same end result of people getting exposed to your thoughts and ideas.

Without a blog you have no outlet for your ideas.  Without a blog you may never know what would happen if you share your ideas.  These can all be easily solved by just sharing.

The one downside to sharing?  Negative comments.

An article called “7 Tips to Deal with Negative Comments on Social Media” gives some good advice.  The best points were the following:

• Identify the issue – Your critic more than likely has an issue with your product or message, and not you personally.
• Decide if and how to react – Not all criticism deserves attention.
• Be specific and direct – Focus on the issue, not the person.
• Be real – Take ownership of mistakes.
• Create a dialogue – Keep cool, stay on topic, and treat the critic with respect.

The positive possibilities far outweigh the negative.  By creating a blog and sharing all the ideas and thoughts and opinions you have within you, you can succeed at the following:

• Get viewed
• Receive recognition for your work
• Possible publication
• Get paid to blog (with paid ads)

So what are you waiting for?  Get out there and go create your blog!  (And if you have one already – post, post, post!)  Go express yourself, make yourself known, and share your ideas, stories, and points of view.  Because that is the biggest reason anyone should create a blog!

~ Effy

If I have inspired you, but you would still like to know more, please feel free to contact me!  I would love to chat!