Again, I am a little late to write about the TV series Wednesday. I actually watched it the first week it came out, but with November being busy and much of the first part of December being taken up with Holiday preparations, well I am late.
If you haven’t heard of Wednesday, it is the story of Wednesday Addams when she is sent to a private school for the outcastes of the world. In the promotional material it is described as a coming of age story with a mysterious madman lurking in the background.
I liked the series far more than I expected. I thought the casting was great: Jenna Ortega makes an excellent Wednesday Addams. They have Catherine Zeta-Jones for Morticia Addams, who is fabulous. I was less impressed with the young woman they had playing Morticia as a school girl, I didn’t find her as strong. Interestingly, I liked the young man playing school-aged Gomez Addams more than Luis Guzman who played the older version of the character. Luis was a bit stiff for me. The rest of the caste was well chosen. Emma Myers pulls off an amazingly colourful Enid!
The story was visually interesting. There is an interesting play of colour and shadow throughout the series. I liked the stylization of the costumes, buildings and locations. The plot flowed nicely from start to finish. There were lots of guesses as to what was happening and who was behind it all that left me guessing from one episode to the next. The final reveal did not come out of nowhere – which I really liked. I hadn’t exactly guessed ‘who dunnit’, but I wasn’t blindsided by the twist either. It made sense and worked with the story.
It was easy to watch and very engaging. Which is impressive since it could have been very boring and painfully stilted (or ridiculously dramatic) with its focus on high school aged characters – such an awkward stage of life. I think I finished the series in four days – and generally I don’t binge watch TV. Overall I was quite surprised by how much I liked the show. I will give it a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars.
The hardest part about writing a review of the TV series is that I did like it. There is really not a lot to comment on. I think if you enjoy the Addams family then you will like this continuation of Wednesday Addams’ story.
Today’s writing tip is less a tip and more my general philosophy when it comes to writing. See, this is an art just as much as it is a craft. And the fun thing with art is that anything can be art. Yes, stick figures can be art. Finger painting. A toilet bowl. We didn’t come out the other end of postmodernism to sit and quibble about what does and doesn’t qualify for the umpteenth time. Besides, we live in a late capitalistic market so hoity toity concepts of what is and isn’t art is less important than what sells anyway.
And what does sell? No one knows. Don’t trust anyone that says they do. The best written works are almost never the most popular. And what’s popular is hardly ever new. So don’t sweat it.
We’re going to focus on the distinction of art and craft today anyway.
First off, let’s address what I’m not saying. I’m not saying you can just ignore all those suggestions on what makes good writing. I mean, if that were my goal, I wouldn’t have done several months worth of posts on the subject. But I do want to stress that these are suggestions. All “rules” of writing are really just shorthands for what people have noticed generally work best. Will they work in every situation? Of course not. Any rule you are taught that is important to good writing, you can usually find a successful or accomplished piece that undermines it. I mean, James Joyce is considered a master of the field, after all.
However, I’d argue all those that are successful at breaking the rules do so intentionally. That’s what makes it art. When you accidentally “break” a rule of good writing – you’ve made a mistake. But when you know the rule and have analysed its use in your work and then choose to forgo the rule, that’s when you’re being artistic. But how do you get to that point?
Well, you play, really. Try new things. Try different things. We learn best by our mistakes, afterall. And this loops back to my primary tip which is to always be writing. But the more you write the more you learn what works and what doesn’t. And then you start noticing the edge cases where you can skirt the “proper way” to produce something surprising and effective.
However, before we can start undermining expectations we must first learn what those expectations are. So I do encourage you to go out and learn all these rules and tips. Try to understand what they are and what they are accomplishing. Pay attention when you read other works, especially those that are deemed masterpieces, and take particular note when and where the creator chose to follow the rules and chose to break them. Ask yourself why they did it in the different situations and tease out deeper meaning which you can use with your own writing.
And once you’ve got a good grasp on the fundamentals to the point that they’re second nature, that’s when you start to twist them. Bend them. Stretch them to the point of breaking. Find where you can skirt the rules as much as you possibly can. And play with it.
Because at the end of the day, we enjoy art because it’s fun. If you’re not having fun with your work, how can you expect someone else to?
So, for this tip, it’s more to keep in mind when you’re receiving feedback. If someone points out something in your writing and says its a mistake, ask yourself:
Did I intentionally write this point of contention to go against protocol and establishment? If not, it’s probably a mistake.
If this was an intentional “error” is the reader getting the desired effect from breaking this rule? If not, maybe try breaking it in another manner or provide better context for the reader to understand what the “error” is attempting to achieve.
I confess, I am late in writing my review of the Glass Onion. See, I saw the movie (in theaters) in November, but that was also the month I participated in Nanowrimo and I got sick. It was a busy month, so here I am quite late but still wanting to share my opinion of the movie: It was Great!
I really enjoyed Knives Out. It wasn’t perfect – but nothing ever is. There were some distinct flaws to Knives Out, but I liked that old-time murder mystery feel to it. It was like an Agatha Christie mystery, but new and modern. One of my biggest complaints about Knives Out was that it had an amazing caste of characters, but ditched them about half way through the film. This is one area I think the sequel did better.
The Glass Onion has an amazing caste of characters and actors to portray them. And this time, all the key characters get lots of screen time. This made the Glass Onion so much better than Knives Out. By far the best of them is Janelle Monae – she gives the most amazing performance. And since I really don’t want to spoil your enjoyment of the film, I wont say anymore – but gosh she was brilliant!
While it is true that Danial Craig’s southern accent for Benoit Blanc wavers in and out, he still plays the detective quite well. Benoit has all the self-confidence of a classic, world-famous detective. He can even back up some of his boasting with the ability to notice details.
It was also really interesting watching a movie that so clearly referenced the pandemic and some of the impacts it had on society. In fact there are a number of modern issues that run though this movie placing it nicely in current times, while still having a classical flare to the filming and script. It was really well done and easily deserves 4.5 stars out of 5 (because I am feeling slightly too stingy to give out perfect scores!).
Oh, so what is the plot of the Glass Onion? Well, I don’t really want to give too much away. But it follows a group of old friends, from different walks of life, getting together for a weekend on a private island. It is a murder mystery – so death is involved. Really, for more information, you should watch the movie. I know I am definitely going to see it again!
Here’s a little tidbit for you – writing isn’t real. It’s true. Writers create fantastical places, people and events to titulate and entertain. And we most certainly never base things on real people or events unless it’s a biography.
Scouts honour.
But how do we convince people to get invested in clear make belief? I know when my nephew whines that his imaginary friend is hungry, I’m not jumping into the kitchen to whip up some homemade tacos. Harold could stand to lose a few pounds there. He’s clearly been engorging himself on one too many many breakfast waffles.
However, for our stories, we seek to create a sense of verisimilitude. This is a very complex topic and one of the primary pillars of storytelling. So there’s no way I can properly discuss it in one blog post. Or three for that matter. It’s a real art of giving your creative work a sense of reality or truthfulness and there are a lot of tools in which you can produce it.
Today, I’m going to tell you how to avoid one.
The goal of writing isn’t to reproduce an exact copy of real life. Readers really don’t want to get bogged down in the minutia of someone’s day-to-day activities. It’s why so few stories have people go to the bathroom. Or fixing dinner.
There is one pitfall, however, that beginner writers might tumble down. And that’s in trying to capture the peculiar speech patterns of real life dialogue.
My advice is simple: don’t.
If you actually sit and record someone speaking, it’s a little painful to listen to on playback. There’s a lot of pauses, stammerings, filler words and sounds as well as random tangents that don’t go anywhere. Real life conversations are messes. Please don’t try to replicate them. No one wants to read through a transcript of verbal tics and noise.
So don’t stuff your writing with “um,” “like,” “ah,” and “you know.”
You can use a small sprinkling, think of it like salt, to add just a dash of flavour to one character or so. But excess use of verbal noise and repetition makes dialogue really hard to read and, ironically, less organic. No one talks in real life like people do in novels. Just like no one talks like the characters on Gilmore Girls. But it’s this novel creativity that gets people interested and attentive.
If life weren’t so boring, we wouldn’t want to read and listen to the tales of storytellers to escape it.
So, when writing your dialogue ask yourself:
Is there too much unnecessary filler in my character’s dialogue?
If my character has a verbal tic, am I overusing it to the point of annoyance?
Can I cut any words from the dialogue to keep it short and snappy while still maintaining the necessary information?
It is that time again – Publication Time! That is right, a new Red Sabre adventure releases today. Jader’s Fog is book three in the Red Sabre series.
Felicity and the crew are back, but what starts as simple job turns into a deadly adventure of deceit and betrayal. Explore a new part of Athemisia in the sequel to Cinderborn.
In the west of Athemisia lies the imposing Spine of the World Mountains. These formidable peaks form a natural division between the eastern lands of the Thyrian crown and the western Jader colonies. But those who inhabit those lofty climes are a mysterious and complex people rarely seen by rail mercenary eyes. Seeking to settle an unlikely score, Captain Felicity Metticia ascends the mighty Petlushkwohap mountain in search of her stolen cargo and a dangerous foe.
She unwittingly leads her crew into a tangled web of culture, diplomacy and deceit where tensions strain the magnificent walls of Lalouzhi. Old grudges threaten war and the crew find themselves serving as unwitting pawns between the nations of the mountains and the tribes of the plains. Thrust into a wholly unfamiliar world, Felicity must follow in the footsteps of an unlikely guide as she seeks to save not just her reputation but her crews’ very lives.
You know, I wasn’t always a world class, globally famous and widely celebrated writer. Hard to imagine, I know. But it’s true. There was a time before that. Not when I was humble. Heavens, that would be silly. There was a time before I wrote creatively.
Alright, that’s a big old lie however I did attend an institute of higher learning which taught me a different kind of writing. I do feel that the job of a writer is partially to be a learner. Go out and learn things. Many different things. The more disparate the better. That way you have a wider breadth of knowledge from which to infuse your work. It’s like making an herbal tea or something. The more foreign the ingredients, the more you can charge.
Today’s little tip, however, actually comes from my scientific days. There’s a whole new kind of formatting you have to learn in order to write “academically approved literature.” Several formats, actually. Each with their own niggling, fussy details that will drop your grade each time you get them wrong. And the professors really don’t care if you forgot if it was their class or Microbiology that wanted Chicago style over APA for giggles.
At any rate, one thing you must do regardless of your professor’s love for outdated publishing standards is define your terms and acronyms. Specifically, before you start using them. And it really doesn’t matter how common you think they are. Sure, if I was writing an international thriller and my main character had a prominent job in New York, it might seem pretty obvious to say that she simply works for the “U.N.”
Course, when she starts talking about the STDs from her job, you might get a few raised eyebrows. Depending on the age of the reader, I suppose. I’ll never stop smiling whenever a mathematician mentions them.
However, regardless of how widespread or obvious you may think an acronym is, it is still good practice to write it out. Because with the wide variety of specialty fields out there, and we’re not even going to get into different languages, there’s probably a whole lot of alternative definitions which could spring to a reader’s mind before the definition you’re intending to use. And maybe what you think is common knowledge isn’t that common at all. Clarity is of the utmost importance and, honestly, there is nothing lost by a character stating at the beginning of the book, “Hi, I’m Claire. I work for the local health unit studying Ulnar Neuropathy. Specifically damage caused by Sexually Transmitted Diseases. What, why did you think I worked for the United Nations?”
So when writing your story, ask yourself:
Have I properly written out any acronyms before using them (no exceptions)?
Let’s discuss pet peeves. Everyone has them. Especially when it comes to grammar points. Don’t believe me? Ask loved ones in your life what errors drive them up the wall. Some people hate split infinitives. Others can’t stand the confusion between their/there/they’re. For a rare curmudgeonly few, it’s ending a sentence with a preposition.
For me, it’s “alot.”
I don’t understand. Alot isn’t a thing. Maybe it’s a name. I don’t know. I’m not worldly. All I know is that this particular spelling error drives me bonkers. I don’t know why. No one said pet peeves have to be rational. I sort of glaze over other spelling errors or smile bemused at a mixup between fairy and ferry (no Kait, I’ll never forget). Most don’t produce much emotion other than, perhaps, a slight tinge of resignation as I correct them.
But if you want me frothing at the mouth with rage, you can simply smush these two little words together.
I’m not even sure how this error propagated so much. You never come across abit. Do people often see alittle? Maybe English speaker’s minds can handle that small amounts should be in separate piles. But once you get into big mounds then it all sort of collapses together into a whole. Or awhole, in this case. Or apile. Or even amass.
At any rate, this is less a writing tip post and more a recommendation. It’s “a lot.”Just put a space in there. I swear, it’s not a problem. Your auto-correct should catch it anyway. And if it’s not, then you’ve been typing on your phone with predictive text turned on too much. While this won’t have a huge impact on the quality of your writing, it will still be a nice change if even one person breaks from this habit.
Because you never know if I’m going to be the curmudgeon who ends up editing your work.
We all know what it’s like – a friend recommends this subversive new movie that’s absolutely going to shake up the film industry with the director’s creative genius and artistic flair! You find it online after searching through four different streaming platforms for the one niche provider still willing to throw a few bucks towards an arthouse production. You grab a snack, turn off the lights, pop some popcorn and get ready to have your entire cultural paradigm shifted.
Except you only get about twenty minutes in and you have to turn it off. The main character is such a jerk and completely detestable. Every scene is like listening to nails scratching chalkboard and they treat everyone around them like utter garbage without any pushback or confrontation. People bend over backwards to appease them which only makes them even more insufferable to watch.
And that’s why I won’t sit through The Order of the Phoenix.
I’m sure we’ve all read stories where the main character is not heroic. I mean, I would hope we all have. Variety is the spice of life and we don’t want every single tale to be some noble King Arthur riding around with his unwavering knights to banish evil at every turn. I actually like a good anti-hero. I particularly enjoy reading stories from morally questionable characters. I mean my favourite fantasy series is Thieves’ World. And it’s right there in the name – they’re all thieves! Well, mostly. It doesn’t really matter.
My point is that you should write a likable character.
Sure, that may seem like it’s flying in the face of my previous paragraph. Why can others write complete heels and jerks but I have to be stuck with the goody-goody law abiders? Well, first, I didn’t say that. I said your character should be likable. Second, I didn’t even say it should be your protagonist.
But it probably wouldn’t hurt if it was.
You see, most people are going to want to cheer for their principal character. Generally we only get behind people that we like. This isn’t always the case and there are certainly stories that follow the redemption of terrible people or even them simply getting their comeuppance. These are a little harder to manage so if it’s early days in your writing journey, do be conscious that you’re choosing a more difficult task while still trying to hammer down the basics. But even if you do choose to have a real jerk of a protagonist, I implore you that you need a prominent secondary character that isn’t. And the sooner you introduce that character, the better.
In this day and age, you really have to compete for readers and eyeballs. And you’re not just competing against a massive library of past and present literary works. You’ve got film, television, telephones and video games all vying for the recreational time of the broader populace. If you don’t provide something to really grab your reader, they’re apt to simply put your book down and go off to something that’s more enjoyable. They won’t stick around for your hard wrought narrative of whatever fate befalls your detestable protagonist and they won’t enjoy the payoff for having to sit through their unpleasantness.
So you need to give them a reason to keep with your story. A promise, if you will, that you’re aware things may not be immediately gratifying but they don’t need to worry – you know what you’re doing and you will deliver them that massive payoff in the end if they stick with it.
And there is no better demonstration than giving them the juxtaposition of an utterly contemptible person with a charming, good natured and witty foil. Be sure to let them know that early and clearly.
So, when considering your cast of characters, ask yourself:
Is my protagonist sufficiently likable/relatable that my reader is going to want to continue reading to find out what happens to them?
If not, do I have some supporting character that my reader can be a cheerleader for?
Am I introducing this likable character early enough that I’ll secure my reader’s trust before the commercial break ends and they go off to watch whatever new Marvel tv show is making the rounds in social media?
It occurs to me that had I been a classically trained teacher, I would have structured my tips to build on one another. But I’m not, so they’re not. Last time I rambled on about how your main character should have agency in the story: their actions should have some bearing on the narrative especially at the climax. We’re not looking for passive observers here.
But how do you determine their actions? What should they be?
And that is an excellent question. I like to think of my characters as individuals. Sure, some stories will emphasize their themes or action more. These characters will often times act irrationally or contradictory in order to drive home these other aspects of the narrative the author wishes to stress. Personally, I think the stronger your character and their behaviour, the better your story will be.
Which isn’t to say no character should be irrational. There are irrational, contradictory people out in the world. You may even know some in your own life. You may even read some of their blogs!
So how do we square this issue?
For me, there is a single primary thing to know about your main character. No, it’s not their name. It’s not where they’re from or how much they make. The single most important thing for writing your main character is drilling down into the core of their being and finding out what they want. All of us are driven by wants. A lot of them are superficial. You may want the new iPhone or whatever doodad Apple is releasing today but that’s not a character want. That’s the behaviour which communicates that deeper want.
What you really should be asking is why do you want that new Apple product? Is it because you’re an Apple loyalist and buy all their products. Unlikely. Maybe you just like its sleek design and need to upgrade every time its design gets sleeker (you don’t really). No, you want this new iPhone for what it means when you have it.
That’s your want.
Maybe you feel like having the new iPhone keeps you up-to-date on the latest technological changes and developments because you’re worried of falling behind in an ever changing world and left at a disadvantage compared to those around you. Maybe the new iPhone is an item which you feel others will look at with wonder and awe thus demonstrating that you’ve achieved the success you’ve always been told you would never obtain. Or maybe everyone else is getting the new iPhone and you’re worried if you don’t they’ll discover you for the phony that you feel you truly are.
These are character wants. They’re driving motivators which will determine our hero’s actions whenever they come across a challenge. Whether it’s a drive of competition to prove yourself, a need to earn the respect and admiration of your peers or the crippling worries of self-doubt and inability bringing harm to those you love, these are core motivators that keep your character going. They’re what make them react to situations differently than others. They’re what shade their dialogue and interactions and give them that spice of life.
So it’s important to ask yourself when you’re creating your story what is it that your character truly wants? And then, constantly reask yourself that question as you progress through your narrative? How does your hero agreeing to through the match challenge in the gladiator’s arena achieve their inner motivation? How does the princess betraying her father assuage her own concerns? How does the thief deciding to tag along with the captain of the guard on their rescue mission bring them closer to their dream?
Finally, it’s important to note that not everyone is going to be aware of what drives them. Most people probably don’t possess the introspection to be aware of their underlying motivations. This is where the incongruity between what they say they want and what they do comes in. Maybe your noble knight views their vows and role seriously but is constantly undermined by their inner worries and doubts. The important thing as a writer is that you’re consistent in knowing why your character is acting the way they do, even if that character doesn’t. Obviously, the knight betrayed her Queen because she was sent on a quest that was antithetical to her desire even if the knight thought she could put her own feelings on the matter aside.
If you’re consistent and clear in your portrayal of your character, the readers will understand.
You’re basically your hero’s therapist. And how well they listen to you determines the success of their therapy.
So, when creating your main character and while writing your story ask yourself:
What is it that truly drives my character? What do they desperately need or fear?
Is my character continually seeking their desire or running from their fear especially when it is directly challenged?
Is there some situation or interaction I can include which will really highlight to the reader what my character truly wants or fears?
Book Title: The Raven Tower Author: Ann Leckie Stars: 4 out 5
Spoilers Ahead!
I can’t remember who recommended The Raven Tower to me, as it was some months ago. Well, I finally borrowed the book from the library. I didn’t like it, but it was well written. Or perhaps it is best to say, I wasn’t in the mood for this particular story, but as I had borrowed it from the library, I felt compelled to read it.
The Raven Tower is a novel by Ann Leckie. It is well written with a unique style, strong voice and complex characters. Unfortunately it is a story about Gods. And while Gods and their interactions with their worshipers (humans) is not the bottom of my list (that place is held for zombies), I am not a fan of these stories.
It was a bit of a slog for me to get into the book. And then through the rest of the story. Sadly, my personal reaction is not a good reflection of the writing, which I thought was interesting. The book is written as though the main character (a god) is talking directly to one of the other characters in the story. I can’t think of another story that has employed this format (at least from what I have read). It was a really interesting way of setting up the tale.
The story wove in and out of time as the god recalled earlier times and how those shaped its perspective on life, the world and the people of the region. All of this culminated in the ultimate destruction of a town and the tower that held our narrating god prisoner.
The other really well done aspect of the story was the discussion around transgender. The “you” in this narrative, Eolo, is a soldier promoted to aid of the Lease’s Heir. The Lease is the king-like figure in this land and voice of the Raven god. The Lease’s Heir is the next in line to the seat of power. Eolo is the aide to the current heir. Born a farmer and in a female body, he leaves home to become a soldier. Eolo becomes a sort of friend and trusted companion to the Heir. Brought to the city and the Raven’s tower, Eolo helps the Heir to unwind the political maneuverings and truths about their god.
How the author deals with Eolo and some of his insecurities is well done. There is a good mix of reactions of characters to those who are transgendered in this world. I think this sensitive topic was handled masterfully, with care and consideration. It was not preachy, but I think the message of understanding and compassion were at the front. It was definitely one of the best parts of the book.
So, while I didn’t care for the god’s story (3 out of 5 stars), I did think The Raven Tower was well written. Its unique style and intelligent handling of complex societal issues was well done (5 out of 5 stars). Averaging the two numbers, perhaps unfairly, I would give this 4 out of 5 stars.