Because I Told You So, That's Why
Happy Monday, Mavenland! How was your weekend? (Are you still on a weekend, those of you who have Presidents Day free?) Because I work for myself, I get no vacation days, so I'll just watch from the sidelines... *sniff*
Based on the title of this post, you may be wondering, "What's on your mind, Erica?" So glad you asked. =)
Here's the setup: BookEnds Literary Agency is running a multi-genre contest, in which you post the first 100 words of your novel during the appropriate genre, and the winner gets a critique of your query, synopsis, and first chapter.
Right away, somebody posted:
I read it was a bad idea to post excerpts because it could be considered "published."
(In case you were wondering, the reply was that 100 words does not equal publication.)
Before I give my thoughts on this, a quick quote by Al Franken:
"When you encounter seemingly good advice that contradicts other seemingly good advice, ignore them both."
Snarky as that is, there's more than a grain of truth in there. So often in this industry we get well-meaning but contradictory advice, and we have to make our own decisions on the best plan for us and/or our story.
Another example: Start With a Bang vs Start with "Ordinary World".
Joseph Campbell, Christopher Vogler, Michael Hauge--3 extremely respected opinions with regard to what makes a story great--all believe in starting the story with some kind of setup before the "real" action kicks in. (Vogler's Hero's Journey and Hauge's inner/outer journeys are great workshops, too.)
The thought behind starting with Ordinary World first is so the reader/viewer knows how far the hero has been thrust outside his comfort zone. (Classic example being Star Wars, wherein Luke is on his boring planet living his boring life until he comes across a mysterious hologram and his world changes forever.)
However, hundreds if not thousands of examples abound of the importance of starting with a bang. If there's a murder, we want the dead body page one. If it's a romance, we want the cute meet on page one. If it's a scifi/fantasy/paranormal, we want the machines/elves/magic on page one.
Which one is right? Well, I propose: "There is no right. Only 'do'." (Yeah, yeah, bad Yoda accent.)
I think much depends on the story itself. While some lend themselves to a body falling atop the heroine's picnic blanket on page one, others may not. And I think you have to seriously consider what works best for your story, not how your story can work around advice.
Caveat: I'm not arguing against advice! As any Maven or MaveFave can tell you, I'm forever reading craft books and attending conferences and listening to workshops on tape and so on.
I believe knowledge is power. I believe "don't knock it unless you've tried it." But I also believe, if you've tried it and it didn't work for you, then no matter who said it Must Be That Way, think outside the box and try it a different way. You never know. Your way might be better.
YOUR TURN: Ever taken expert writing advice and had it go horribly wrong? Ever give advice and have it go horribly wrong? Tell me all about it! I also want to hear about any books / lecturers / workshops that changed your (writing) life for the better. Share!
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16 comments:
I tend to start with a setup,but I try to make it interesting and I try to make sure it's MORE than just set up. In Nailed my heroine is fixing a pool and you know by the end of the chapter that something is definitely up. In Screwed my hero, um, well, kills someone (it's his job. He's a hitman). That said, in shorter work I think you have less room for setup--just my 2 cents. I'm a Vogler girl =)
on my first WIP I took the advice of a bunch of people I probably shouldn't have given as much attention to as I did. By the time I hit my third WIP I decided to do it my way--cuz I like it my way. It works for me.
PS I'm STILL rewriting that first WIP *sigh* what a mess.
To a certain extent, I start with a setup, too. I almost feel like I have to, just so the reader can follow what's going on.
In Hi-Jinxed, the hero wakes up to find someone rummaging through his tent. By the end of Scene 1, we know she's a tooth fairy come to steal a skeleton he's been working on, but it takes a page or two to get there.
Then again, in Touched--allegedly a gothic--I recently rewrote the opening to get the heroine to the creepy manor much sooner: by the end of Scene 1 instead of by the end of Chapter 1. (There's still arguably setup... how much depends on whether you consider the romance or the externalities to be the primary plot.)
As with any advice, I try to take it with a grain of salt. I didn't use to, though. I used to take everything to heart and it would tear me into pieces when the advice was conflicting. Now I just keep what seems logical, test everything against my own knowledge and throw out what doesn't work for me. Sometimes that's all you can do.
Hey Erica? Is that part of your post that says "100 words != publication" supposed to mean 'does not equal' or is my computer screwing up the 'not equal to' character somehow? That was what I thought I got from Kim Lionetti's reply. Just wondering, because I'm in that contest. (Keep your fingers crossed for me.)
Yes! Sorry. != is codespeak for "is not equal to". I'll edit my post so I don't confuse people...
I deliberately give bad advice in order to sabotage my competition.
Ok, not really.
The primary thing I give advice about is grammar/mechanics because it's less subject to opinion than style or approach. I think that's why I'm obsessed with it, because I feel like it's something I can control instead of something that's more taste-dependent.
Jody W.
Good point--how much advice is "worth" can be hugely affected by whether it's opinion-based (head-hopping, the great adverb debate) or universally accepted as fact (grammar, punctuation).
Grammar is a big deal to me in general (I'm one of those people who cannot stand misspellings in menus, signs, etc) but especially when I'm reading contest entries or the like, b/c the subconscious can't help but judge the story/writing to some extent based on whether or not the author spelled the words correctly and put in the right punctuation/capitals. (Or maybe that's just me...)
Definitely not just you, E. Drives me bonkers, too. I just edited a friend of mine's eHarmony, actually, because I knew if *I* were reading it I'd skip by just based on poor editing.
FWIW, if it cracks you up like it cracked me up:
"Get it while it's hot girls!"
:hangs head: And I used to know stuff like that, too. I'll have to turn in my pocket protector. Seriously. I was a geek and damn proud of it. Now tech stuff has gone on without me. :sigh: Thanks for clearing that up, Erica.
Next thing I know I'll be forgetting grammar stuff, and the grammar police will disown me, too. WTF?
I recently looked at a brochure for a writer pal for her new release. Right smack on the front was a glaring typo. Well, glaring to me. I'm guessing she didn't notice it since she had printed a bunch of them and was handing them out left and right. I could not bring myself to say anything.
L: OMG.
B: heh. 1u53r. ;)
D: I had a client recently whose brochure had their website as: www.clientnamehere.comf
comf?!
LOL I have no idea what you just said.
BE - when in doubt, google.
I'm pretty sure it means loser :-P
ROFL. Thanks Lacey.
Well, I was one of those who took an enforced long weekend because the library with its high-speed internet access had the ill grace to close.
Thus I am way late to the party, but just wanted to say that I figured out != several posts ago merely by putting myself inside E's mind to figure out what she was trying to say (context is everything!). :-)
And I managed to lay out a *huge* amount of my next book, so the day wasn't a bust by any manner of means.
I don't know if it's ever possible to start a story without SOME kind of a setup--but that doesn't mean your setup doesn't occur at the moment of great change for the characters. (I'd say that's what you're doing at the beginning of Hi-Jinxed, Erica.)
I do think it's easier to start some stories/plotlines with a bang than others. One of the reasons Unbridled gave me misery for 2 years was that I could never seem to get it off to an exciting enough start.
The thing about expert opinions and writing is that, in the end, it's just opinions. The most important expert opinion, IMO, is the one that says you know what's best for *your* story and should write it accordingly.
But that's just MY opinion ;).
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