Collaboration and Community

I've been spending most of my time this weekend (and Monday) getting my short stories ready to send to the lovely, lovely people who volunteered to critique them for me (and attempting to clean my house, burning out the belt on my vacuum, deciding to forget housecleaning and making baked doughnuts with the kids instead), but I did scratch out enough time to read through The Floating Admiral.

Have you heard of it? It's a joint effort by the Detection Club (some notable members: Agatha Christie, GK Chesterton, Dorothy Sayers, Anthony Berkeley, Freeman Wills Croft ... etc) to see if they could detect a mystery without knowing the end. Each person wrote one chapter, and then handed it off to the next without any hints. Anthony Berkeley had the unenviable task as the end of trying to make sense of the preceding tangle of clues and evidence, and wrapping it up in a tidy solution (which he did BRILLIANTLY), and then in an appendix at the back, each author revealed his or her own solution.

It was fascinating. I loved it. Both as a mystery fan and a writer. As a mystery fan, it was delightful to see each writer try to guess where the previous writer had been pointing, and to contrast the different styles of writing and detection. As a writer, I loved seeing the way they played off each other and used each other to make their own writing stronger. My favorite part, honestly, was the appendix where they all revealed their solutions, because it showed so plainly the way each of them crafted their stories (Agatha Christie's solution, by the way, was the most preposterous, and yet you KNOW that if she had written the entire thing, we would have swallowed it without hesitation). From Sayers' complex and tidy backstory and timetable to Clemence Dane's frank admittance that it was all a muddle to him and he just tried to leave it open so that Berkeley could finish it off in any way he pleased, it was great.

Trying to read it as one cohesive detective story would be fairly exhausting, and judging by some of the negative reviews I've read of this, that's where many people go wrong. Reading it for the enjoyment of seeing all these authors work together and blend their many different styles (the main detective in the story, Inspector Rudge, ends up being a character of so many layers and great depth, simply because he is written by so many different people - just watching his character develop was half the fun for me) is the way to go with this story.

I've been plotting a joint fanfiction story with two of my good friends (Adrienne and Cathy, we really need to get moving on this!), consisting of letters and journal entries between three cousins. It's not the same premise as The Floating Admiral, but much of the idea is the same - we each have our own idea of our character's story, and the fun and challenge will be weaving them together into something cohesive.

This is one of those aspects of writing that thrills me. As much as I love crafting stories and bringing characters to life on my own, I also love the thought of being part of a community of writers. The very idea of the Detection Club makes me happy, much like the Inklings (if given the option of going back in time and sitting in on only one meeting of those two groups, I'd be hard-pressed to pick between them). Can you imagine if the Inklings had written a joint-effort fantasy like the Detection Club did with The Floating Admiral? It would have been amazing and hysterical, all at once.

Twitter and blogs are a wonderful way to build writers' communities; one of the reasons I'm thrilled to have critique partners for my short stories is because it is yet another way to build that same sense of community. Ultimately, though, nothing quite beats in-person meetings of a regular sort, to discuss and laugh and help each other become better writers.

Maybe someday - for now, I'm thankful, so very thankful, for these internet communities I can call my own.

Music

Thank you to those who commented on the last post! I was asking the question because I was stuck on figuring out a particular magical adventure in my MG fantasy, and I wanted to see what, if any, were some common threads that wove throughout most people's childhood dreams. There was one, too! It was ... flying, whether on winged horses, flying carpets, or just on one's own. Pretty neat, to see how much so many very different people have in common from childhood.

And now on to today's topic, which is, as the title suggests, music.

My sister and I were very fortunate, growing up. We had parents who refused to listen to, or allow us to listen to, bad music. So my childhood music memories include listening to Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf; making up dances to Bach; humming John Denver along with Dad; and taking naps accompanied by songs about phonics ("Apple, apple, a,a,a") and Spanish-to-English translations of simple phrases, also set to music.

Awesome stuff.

Thanks to such a diverse and rich background musically (I don't really remember listening to much kid's music at all, except for Raffi, naturally, and Peter, Paul, and Mary, and the aforementioned tape with the learning songs on it - which I now have in CD form for my littles), I find that I still appreciate a wide variety of music. Different sorts for different moods or needs! I like:

Beethoven or Hayden for cleaning

Mozart-Handel-Brahms-etc. for relaxing

Bach for inspiration

And for just general listening, or if I need a specific kind of music for a specific kind of story: Owl City; Regina Spektor; Marina and the Diamonds (some); Lenka; Ingrid Michaelson; Kate Nash or Lily Allen (some); and, of course, Michael Buble.

And then there's the Celtic music I like, whether instrumental or with vocals. And thanks to growing up with a string-pickin' father, I'm a sucker for American folk music.

I'm trying to imitate that same sort of diverse background for my littles; we do have a bunch of children's music, but it is all either Raffi (EVERY kid needs to grow up listening to Baby Beluga, which my Joy freely adapts into "Heaven above and the sea below, and a little white hi-ip-po - whee, whee, whee!"), or more folk music, adapted for kids. We are big fans of Elizabeth Mitchell and Lisa Loeb! More often, they listen to whatever Carl and I are listening to - which can be anything from instrumental hymns to Brahms to Michael Buble!

Do you have music that you listen to for specific tasks? When you write, do you have music playing in the background, or do you need silence, or does it depend on the story (it does for me - some stories I need to write in silence, while some require music to put me in the proper mindset)? What sort of music did you listen to as a kid, and do you still find yourself drawn to that sort of music now?


Disclaimer: I am not associated or affiliated with any of the artists mentioned in this post; the opinions therein are my own.

Things I Have Learned ... From YOU!

The interesting thing about working really, really hard on a writing project, is that suddenly you have no time or topics for blogging. I mean, really, how many posts do people really want to read on how this rewrite is going?

(By the way, it's going really, super well. As in, I've been at it less than a week and have over 20,000 words done. Of course, yesterday marked the first time my floors were swept in I-don't-want-to-think-how-long, and the pile of clean laundry in my laundry room is threatening to take over my house unless I start folding, and my family has been eating vegetarian for the simple reason that I never remember to take meat out of the freezer early enough in the day .... but hey. The WRITING is going great!)


One really fantastic thing with this rewrite that I do want to mention is how much the writing blogs I've started following in the last year have helped. For example? In the first version, my MC had to look at her reflection for me to feel comfortable giving her physical description.

I know. CLICHE!

I knew it was cliched even then, but it wasn't until reading a bunch of different blogs that I started to realize just how cliched it was. And, even better, how to avoid it. Now, she simply knows how she looks. Because really, how many of us need a mirror to describe how we look? I haven't looked in a mirror since leaving the house for Bible Study last night, but I can tell you right now exactly how I look:

Ash-blonde hair with lighter highlight and darker lowlights to brighten it and give it depth. Just about jaw-length, mostly one length except those front pieces that used to be bangs and I am desperately trying to lose (I TOLD the hairdresser bangs don't work for me, but she didn't listen. They never do). High, broad forehead. Dark brows that used to meet in the middle but are, thanks to tweezers and wax, mostly tamed these days. Blue eyes with long lashes that make the ever-present dark circles underneath look even darker. A blunt nose that I've always hated, even if it is a family trait. High cheekbones, one of my few claims to beauty. A mouth that is almost always smiling at least a little, and usually a lot, and mostly straight teeth thanks to my lovely orthodontist (and would be perfectly straight if I had been better about wearing my retainer after I got married, but hey, what young newlywed wants to go to bed with a mouthful of plastic?) Receding jawline that I HATE, especially when combined with my nose, because the two together make my profile look idiotic. My only comfort comes when I remember that Lord Peter Wimsey had no chin, either. Coarse skin if I don't moisturize, prone to redness when I don't wear my correcting powder, and thank goodness for modern makeup!

(I just got up and glanced in the mirror. The only things I forgot were my ears, which are unremarkable, and my glasses. I have no excuse for forgetting the latter. They are the first things I put on when I wake up, and the last I take off before bed, and I've worn them (well, not this particular pair, but glasses in general) since I was twelve.)

I've digressed here, but to try to return to my original point - the tips and tricks I've picked up from other writers, editors, deep readers, etc across the internet have helped me to be more critical in my own work, and I am tremendously thankful. I'm learning so much more than I've been able to do just on my own, especially with things such as building tension, pacing scenes, creating conflict ... I'm a fairly straightforward thinker (no tortuous mind for me, as Poirot had), and so my stories tend to happen in a straightforward manner, which equals BORING for the reader.

I'm even eliminating most of the adverbs I've always liked to add to my dialogue tags, and that's a habit I never thought I'd be able to break!

The internet can be a terrible distraction for anyone, especially writers, but the people who share their knowledge and experience through the internet? You are wonderful, and I thank you!

What are some of the best tips you've gotten from other writers on the internet? What are ways you've been able to improve your writing, that you might not otherwise have done? If you were to describe yourself without the aid of a mirror, what key element(s) would you miss, if any? Does your hairdresser ever listen when you try to tell her things about your hair?

Critiques and Connections

I had a lovely long phone conversation with my dear friend Laura two evenings ago (while taping up our tattered board books so they can last another couple years, hopefully), talking about, among other things, writing. Laura does technical writing for her job, and enjoys fiction on the side, while I can't imagine ever attempting any kind of technical writing. However, our interests and experience blend enough that talking with her always leaves me eager to get to work on whatever project I currently have going as soon as we're off the phone (which admittedly doesn't often happen, because usually we talk so long that I go to bed as soon as we're done).

Which, in turn, led me to thinking about the importance of having at least one person to bounce ideas, rough drafts, plots, dilemmas, et cetera off of. I have often heard of the importance of joining a critique group, and I think that is marvelous, if you have the option, but even if you can't find a good critique group, at least have one person you can use as a sounding board.

Unfortunately, I'm preaching at myself mostly here, because my options for sounding boards are: Laura, with whom I talk (sadly) only once in a blue moon; Carl (my husband), who is always willing to listen, but whose interests lie more in theology and philosophy, and so doesn't have much experience regarding fiction (especially YA fantasy); my mother, who loves to talk about research, but is so immersed in her own studies that we rarely get a chance to do more than just share with each other our current projects; and my father, who is the most encouraging person I know but has the delightful habit of thinking everything I write is wonderful.

Put all together, and I end up having a fairly broad base, but it's not quite the same as having one person (or more) serve as a knowledgable, critical judge. Not to mention that all of the above, save perhaps for my husband, always err on the side of kindness, which is lovely but not always helpful for preparing for the harsh reality of attempting to get published (Carl has always believed that truth is kinder than a false statement, which is why I have always, even before we were married, been able to rely on him for an honest opinion).

One of my goals through blogging, Twitter, and other social media is to start making connections with other writers, and hopefully eventually meet some people who will act as a good sounding board, and for whom I can do the same.

Are you part of a critique group? Do you know of any good online groups to join? Do you have one person whose judgement you trust enough to submit your works to, or do you have to spread it out over a disparate group of friends and family, like I do? Do you find your friends and family to be too kind when it comes to your work, or are they able to put aside personal feelings and be objective? Have you made good connections through blogging and social media, or is this more a shot in the dark?