The End

I just finished another book. By “finish” I mean it’s done as far as content goes…I still have tweaks and editing to do. But the story is done; only polishing remains. I feel proud and happy that I’ve completed another novel. But there is such a bittersweet sensation to coming to the end of a tale. You'd think I'd be jumping around for joy...I'm done with pushing through the conflict and the sheer tedium of wrapping up loose ends.

But things bubble up. I’m not sure if all authors do this, but at the completion of every book I worry. Was that my last one? Will I be able to come up with another plot/story/characters? Will it be good? I have all of these trepidations, even though I have ideas running around in my head all the time. I’ve never had a problem sitting down and beginning a new book. But I still fret. The time between ending a book and beginning a new one is unsettling.

The other sad feeling is the loss of the characters. I do write sequels and trilogies, but there are always some characters that never more will see the ink from my pen; their story is done. And even with people I use again, a part of their life is over. I can never revisit it again.

Much like life.

One of my favorite books is The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. It is a wonderful fantasy for many reasons; I love the descriptive passages, the unique duel setting, the characters, and the story. But what I think I love most about this book is the idea that the story truly is never ending; when Bastian closes the book the tale does not end.

That helps. I can imagine my own characters are living out their lives even though I’m not writing about them. I can visit them in my imagination even though they may never make it into another story. And, their moment of struggle and triumph are preserved forever to experience over and over again anytime I wish to.

A reminder of that came to me Friday. I received a copy of an anthology (A Time To , The Best of Lorelei Signal 2008). One of my stories, Sisters, had been chosen to be included. I sat down and read it again. It had been a long time. I found myself experiencing the characters as if I'd first written it.

Sigh. Back to editing.

But soon the beginning of a new book and a whole new cast of characters to meet. I can’t wait to discover who they are…

Got Fun?

Writers can be deadly serious bunch: write, edit, market, get it back, edit, market…it can be overwhelming and hard to hear, in spirit if not actual words, don’t quit your day job over and over. This does not make for the most fun loving of professions.

Also, I’m not a funny person. I can write humorous dialogue, I compose chuckle-worthy verse, I laugh a lot, but I'm not funny. Although…others have said I DO funny things. My husband, for one. Let’s just say I occasionally run into walls. My sister agrees, mostly within the realm of what she fondly has dubbed as “Kelly’s Funny Mistakes,” or that my typos are “gold standard.” Ha. Have I said editing is not my strong suit? Quinn says mine are the best she’s ever seen. “Best” being the worst, of course, and the worst of anything is often funny.

So here is what I did. Quinn is going to be dancing a routine in an upcoming recital at our dance studio. (Note: this will be a blog post. Tune in Oct the 4th to my dance blog). Anyway, she wanted my opinion on her costume. What I said back was I will give you my hornet’s opinion. After she got done laughing and nazing her drink, she had visions of me buzzing around her saying “I don’t like your costume and now I’m going to STING you,” as I hum (naturally) The Flight of the Bumblebee . So here is what I wrote back:

Please do not mention the hornet thing to anyone. Only Gary, and now you, know. (There was a long talk early on in our dating life...he was surprised, but in the end (so to speak) accepting.) You might wonder how I manage. I sort of bend the stinger down when I put on my underwear. It hurts, but what else can I do? I’ve only lost control a couple of times, but let me say that those people deserved it. I hope you don't mind having a freak as a sister.

Then she sent me a picture of hornet. Then I sent her a weird little drawing:




And I wrote this:

There once was a girl with a wiggle
Who knew how to sway, swish and jiggle
She wore heavy denim
To hide all the venom
When stinging she often would giggle.

It’s fun. And what started out as a mistake turned into a crazy creative experience. Everyone could use this, I think, but especially writers. Every now and then we need to be jarred out of our seriousness. Writing is a hard business. But we need to have fun to be productive, even if the hilarity as at your own expense. Because really, aren’t we all funny in some way?

Think about it.

Buzzing off for now.

Loose Ends

I’ve mentioned before that editing is my least favorite part of writing; I love thinking about my stories in an abstract way, I love mulling over characters, plot points, and settings. You might think that completing a book would be the best part…everything coming together in one final glorious swipe of the electronic pen.

But that isn’t so, at least, for me it isn’t. Don’t get me wrong, finishing a book feels fabulous. It’s the getting there I don’t like so much. Which is interesting, because I’m a completion kind of gal; checking things off my list is a satisfying behavior. So why the reticence?

As a writer, it’s very important for me to finish up loose ends. The weaving in of errant plot threads is the final elegant touch that makes my work complete. A famous playwright once said if you show a gun in act one you’d better use it by act three. I agree in spirit, although my rule tends to be more like if you mention something three or more times you’d better do something with it, or at least work it into the final resolution of the story.

I remember a book that I enjoyed many years ago. At the end, the woman decided to leave the modern world and stay in the past with the man she loved. OK, cool, but there is something from the story that haunts me to this day. The protagonist had a cat. The kitty wasn’t a huge plot point, but the author mentioned the cat was the woman’s only companion, and greeted her every time she returned to her apartment. In the final scene the woman jumped into the ancient world and left everything behind. So…what happened to the cat??? I had visions of the poor creature meowing for its owner and slowly starving to death in a now empty tomb. Melodramatic? Probably. But I still feel sad about that cat. As a writer I know it would have only taken a few lines to fix this…she found a home for the cat, or even better, she took her best friend with her.

I think about that kitty when I finish a book. I’m very careful about dealing with things at the end. I don’t leave plot points hanging. If I reveal a gun I use it. And that’s hard work. But cleaning up is not the only reason I dread ending a book.

In any good tale there must be conflict. A story about someone’s daily life, no matter how interesting the character or setting, is no fun to read. Conflict...even external conflict... invites turmoil within one’s self, and upon resolution of personal strife, there is change. And change always involves loosing something to gain something. The protagonist may very much want to change, but there is a price to pay.

And writing about pain is difficult for me. By the end of the book, I have come to love my people. I don’t want them to hurt! But in order for the story to ring true, this honesty must be represented. It wouldn’t be fair to my characters otherwise, and it would cheat my readers.

Readers read for many reasons…to experience something alien, something beautiful, something profound. I also think they read to feel a connection to the human soul. And so when a character struggles, has to make a choice and deals with the aftermath, we acknowledge the “realness” of that. Perhaps deep down we know that we too can survive even if we don’t always succeed.

And although I don’t like to write about suffering or the price to be paid for a “happy” ending, authors need to express that universal truth too. So if you’ll excuse me, I have an ending to complete.

But a quick cup of coffee first won’t hurt. Sigh.

Kelly's Nest Photo

I had a request for a picture of my writer’s nest, so here it is. I could say every morning I put on a skirt, nice top, and jewelry, but that would be a lie…I’m about ready to go dancing in this shot. My normal author attire is yoga pants, tee shirt, and glasses. But I’m NOT going to put that on the web. :-)

The Writer’s Nest

My sister Quinn inspired this post. She was teasing me about a typo; I had meant to say “next paragraph” but what I actually wrote was “nest paragraph”, which she said made her think of nests of words, which in turn caused my contemplation of the writer’s nest.

I believe where you write is very important. Writing, like all art, is creative. And to be creative one must feel comfortable and inspired. This is different for every person. The trick is discovering what works best for you.

For me it’s a combination of a truckload of inspirational items, a pretty environment, and tidy surroundings. Of course, one person’s “tidy” may be another’s “cluttered”: I’m sure my desk would not be seen as neat by a persnickety writer. My definition of tidy is an absence of trash or dirt; I must be able to look out across the downstairs and see a sense of order. My office is in a corner of the living room, which means that entire space also must be kept up to my writer’s nest standards, which is probably a good thing.

“Pretty” to me means artistic. I’m a painter, so I need to have my area arranged in a pleasing manner; a recognizable color scheme, lights draped over silk trees just so, knick knacks displayed so that my gaze travels over them in a restful manner. Again, this is my “pretty”…someone else might say OMG, I could never work with all of those ceramic elves staring at me.

Finally, my writer’s nest must be inspirational. For me that translates into the correct music playing, (I match the music to the plot’s mood), framed book covers, and most importantly, photos of loved ones and the trinkets they have given me.

I do write when I’m traveling, but it isn’t the same…I just can’t get as much done. Perhaps for some authors composing on the run IS their place of comfort, but it isn’t mine. I line my nest with pretty items and records of my accomplishments, but mostly I feather it with tokens of love and affection. Beautiful things and success are great, but knowing I’m loved is even more so.

And ultimately, that’s what inspires me, because on some level isn’t every story about love?

Whew. I’d better switch my music before I dissolve completely into maudlin goo. :-)

One More Review

I’m away from home so I have more time to read, so here’s one more book review.

I read Prospero’s Children by Jan Siegel because I thought it had mermaids in it. I love mermaids. Not the Disney kind. The sort I admire are real mermaids: wild, capricious, raw fish eating, dangerous creatures. Not long ago I found a painting of a real mermaid in an antique shop (thanks Mar). She (the mermaid not my friend Mar although she could do the come hither thing if she wanted to) is laying languorously on a beach with a tray of fish bones. And two glasses of wine. Two. There is no one else there. Anymore. You get the idea. So this book intrigued me, and the mermaids did not disappoint…they even had poisonous spines! And the explanation of how mermaids came to be was unique and very well done. I just wish there had been more, because the story really wasn’t about them.

But that’s OK, because the book was fabulous. Ms. Siegle weaves an atmosphere of miasma better than anyone I’ve read in a long time; the teenage angst was represented here as almost alien…that one actually changes into something else, something alien, something not quite human on the way to adulthood. Very much like the mermaid.

I also love how well this author represents a very famous city which I will not name for those who do want to read it…part of the surprise. And the way she wraps the beginning into the ending was extremely well done. And the setting…ah. Just the way I like ‘em, full, magical, dreamy, and absolutely swept me away.

There are more in this series and I will be reading them. Sigh. I do love when I find a new author.

Book Review

I’m often surprised at what people want. I don’t think this is a bad thing…surprises are good. Keeps me on my toes. My latest heh? was this: people have asked me to review the books that I’ve listed on my blog as ones I’m reading. I suppose that’s no great mystery; people might want to know my opinion, which I never thought about when I plopped the books down in my blog.

I hesitated for a couple of reasons. One, the way I choose books is completely haphazard; my reading materials arrive via friends and family, by a good review, and OK, because of nice cover artwork. (I choose wine that way too sometimes but don’t tell anyone.) So there’s that. I may be missing some really good books, even better than the ones I review since how I obtain them is in no way methodical.

The second reason I shy away from stating my opinion is because it is just that… my opinion. And so what I say is of course colored by what I like, and add to that, I am not a professional reviewer, editor, or publisher.

The third and most important reason for my reluctance is my general abhorrence to be overly critical. This is just me…I know some people like to pick apart what’s wrong or what they don’t like, compare negatively what they read to other books, or believe they are helping folks improve. That’s cool.

But I don’t. For one thing, I think being critical is much like swearing; if you do it all the time no one notices. I rarely do, so when I make a strong statement I have people’s attention. I also would rather focus on the good rather than the bad; there are enough people who are quite happy to blast others so I will let them do that.

Saying all of that, since I myself get ideas of books to try from others, I will note my thoughts about the stories I’m reading. And since more than one person has asked this of me, I’m glad to do it. I also like the idea of promoting other writers. If I believe it’s really really bad I will say so, but mostly you will see what I think the author did well…and where I wanted more, which is not the same as criticism, in my humble opinion.

OK, so starting at the first one I listed, Angel of Darkness by Charles De Lint. Let me state before I go further that this man is one of my favorite authors and that I don’t believe it would be possible for him to write a bad book. He is THE urban fantasy writer, and I think one could make a case that he created the sub genre. This particular book is fabulous; a bit spookier than his usual fare. If you haven’t tried De Lint, I whole-heartedly recommend him. He does anthologies of short stories too, also good. Look for ones with the crow girls.

The next book in the list is Lord John and the Hand of Devils by Diana Gabaldon. Ms. Gabaldon is the author of the Outlander series, a wonderful set of books recommended to me by a friend (thanks Candy). These historical fiction stories transport you to the beginnings of our nation with a dose of passion and excitement…hard to do, I think, with historical stuff. Lord John and the Hand of Devils is a collection of short stories based around the character of Lord John seen in the Outlander books; a gay man struggling with his orientation in a time when he would not have been accepted for who he was. This angst combined with Lord John’s wit, intellect, and penchant for nosing out trouble makes for a delightful read.

I admit to resisting the Twilight books by Stephanie Meyer, partly because everyone was reading them. Why that should be bad was silly of me…I love Harry Potter, after all. But I think there was more to it. I knew it was about a teen romance and…sparkly vampires? However, a friend lent me the first book, (thanks Sandy), and I started it. And could NOT put it down. The lush, sensual setting, the longing between Edward and Belle, the fast paced action kept me up at night wanting to finish. I will be reading the others in this series. What I would have liked to know more about is the vampire world; all we know in this book is a bit about the different kinds of vampires, how one becomes a vampire, and some of their traits. I wanted more more more. Are there kings and queens? Vampire cities? What are their customs? Where did the first vampire come from? Have they always been with us? Do they have plans for the future, or do they just exist? To be fair, maybe the author explores that in the next book…I hope so. What she’s created is unique and riveting. Wow.

The book I just finished, The Passionate Witch by Thorne Smith, I came to in an unusual way; my husband Gary found it in an antique store. He picked it up because of the girly drawing on the cover and the same sort of illustrations…we both are very fond of pin up art. So the book was lying around and one day I flipped through it. I noted the author was the same person who wrote Topper, which I love. This story was hilarious. It starred a kind of a Walter Middy-like man, except this guy deserves what happens to him because he is pompous. The book is funny, but underneath runs a current of his view of the futility of life. Nice contrast. There is also a whiff of women as either dumb or manipulative, probably because of the era rather than the author’s view, but if you can get by that the book is worth reading.

So that’s it for now…I’m always reading something so this will be a regular feature.