A Negative Impact on Your Art

     In her essay "A Sweet Devouring," Eudora Welty described how her reading appetite has changed since childhood. She used to enjoy quantity over quality. Book lust. The more books in a series, the better. That didn't last forever, though, and she eventually began to care more for the content of her reading. "And then I went again to the home shelves and my lucky hand reached and found Mark Twain -- twenty-four volumes, not a series, and good all the way through" (251). She found a new kind of "Sweet Devouring."
     The idea of "more is better" is not an uncommon one in America, and the many trilogies and expansive book deals of late seem to reflect this. In her essay, Eudora Welty mentioned that a certain series was "one grand prevention" (250-251) of resolution. A series keeps the reader asking for the resolution, but doesn't give it until the final installment. Sometimes I just feel like I'm being strung along, as a reader, so that I'll keep buying books and giving the publishers my money.
     Trilogies are hot in the YA market, right now. I used to enjoy that aspect, but it's getting old. A lot of books just aren't interesting enough to merit several sequels. Not that all of them are bad, but many of them are just "eh." I'll read the first book and think, "Why didn't *insert author name here* stop after this book? It was fine, but there isn't enough room for expansion to create a series. I probably won't pick up the next book..."
     But I can think of examples that have the opposite effect. For instance: The Montmaray Journals. I'm reading the third book of this series and enjoying it immensely. Catching Fire, the second book in the The Hunger Games series, is another example. I thought it was even better than the first, which must have been tough to pull off because the first was already an incredibly engrossing Dystopia and a thought-provoking social critique. I couldn't put it down. Why?
     Suzanne Collins did not just add episodic adventure to episodic adventure in her series. She created, explored, related, and critiqued a whole society over the course of her three books and she made a statement about war. She used a compelling character in order to do so. The plot and character stakes grew in each book. And, of course, she made some interesting new comparisons between Panem and America in each book. Collins NEEDED three books to fully explore the concepts she tackled in the style she chose. Those are general ideas of about why THG worked so well over the course of a series. Maybe someday if I ever wise up (will I ever?), I can theorize about the specific craft work that powered Suzanne Collins's success.
     I hypothesize that when a book doesn't meet my high expectations for a series, it has something to do with money. When publishers release a book, they test reader response before releasing a sequel. They leave the story ending slightly open to keep up the possibility. If interest is low, they may not publish another book. If response is high, they rip out a sequel. I think the author should be allowed to write for however long their universe supports a good story and they should stop there. They shouldn't have to or want to stretch it on and on just to make big bucks.
     Movies can also have this problem. I anticipated watching The Hobbit like MY ENTIRE LIFE and was very excited to finally see it. Although I enjoyed a lot of it, the "sequel storm" definitely impacted the movie negatively. Because the story is being stretched into three separate films, someone had the, uh,  brilliant idea of attaching a whole subplot. No, no, no. That kind of thinking is all about money. *
     I'm resisting the urge to explain in-depth my thoughts about the new Bourne movie, The Bourne Legacy. Basically: they created it for money, and used the hype from the original Bourne movies to carry on a new, completely unoriginal story line.
     When art is created singularly for monetary gain, it's usually not very good. Don't get me wrong--all artists should get paid for their hard work. I even think it's okay for money to be a part of the reason you choose one project over another. But adding to a perfectly good story or stretching it out just for money is wrong, because the focus is not on art, but on money and how to make it.
     Scribblers, why do you write? Let's not get caught creating "one grand prevention" to get more money.

*Update 1/7/13: I did find out that the subplot was not entirely tacked on. Some of it was discussed in the Simarillion. However...it still felt out of place to me. I understand what the producers were trying to do. I even like some of it--but parts of it felt silly. I won't ruin it for you. If you have any opinions on this matter, I'd love to hear about them!

Works Cited

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. NY, Scholastic Inc., 2008. Print.

Welty, Eudora. "A Sweet Devouring." The Best American Essays of the Century." Ed. Joyce Carl Oates. Co. Ed. Robert Atwan. Ser. The Best American Series. Houghton Mifflin: 2000. Print.

Forming Opinions on Books We Disagree With

    
     Have you ever loved a book, but also disagreed with it on some level? You were hooked, but...something about it grated on your spirit. Your soul felt raw and charged after reading it because your beliefs were under attack.
     How do we deal with such bothersome books? We must figure it out for our own personal sanity. Some of us, like teachers, parents, librarians, book-reviewers and members of book-clubs must also decide how to review and whether to recommend books. The only thing to do is to form a careful opinion.

Settling it in Your Spirit

     "We need to be really bothered once in a while." Montag said this in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. He was referring to books; books should bother us. I couldn't agree with him more. Sometimes books affirm our 

beliefs, and other times they test our beliefs; they even give us new ones! When considering a tough book, think about what exactly the author is saying. Don't just ban the book: pick it apart and mull over it. Wrestle with the points it makes. Think critically--you'll be glad for the effort. Study the subjects, and write down your thoughts. If you're a Christian, pray about it and study the biblical stance.

      It's okay to like a book, even if you disagree with it. It's the same way with people: you'll never agree with them on everything, but you can still appreciate and like them. Books are peoples' thoughts on a page. Powerful, popular authors have something to say, and they say it hard. You're expected to disagree with at least some of it. 

     The Recommendation Question

     So how do we review books that bother us? Should we recommend them? Recently I read a book called Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore that gave me this problem. I struggled with rating it.
     Bitterblue was fabulously written, from a craft standpoint. It's everything I like in a book--a strong heroine, multidimensional characters, grand adventure, high stakes, plot twists, political intrigue, magic, fantasy, love, visible imagery, fully-developed setting, and compelling mystery.
     My problem lay with two of the author's agendas. They can be summed up with the phrase "sexual sins." As a Christian, I have very strong opinions about sex. It bummed me out that the author (whom I greatly respect) so forcefully pushed my boundaries. I won't go very deep into it, because that's not the purpose of this blog, but I'll briefly explain my problem. Cashore pressed her readers to accept two ideas: that it's just fine to have sex before marriage, and that homosexuality is normal and right. I can't just ignore what the Bible says on these topics. If you'd like to know why I believe what I believe, please email me, and I'd be glad to explain. More than glad--thrilled.
     So how am I supposed to review this book?
     Recently I asked a dear friend about how to review books that give me this problem, and this was her advice: Be honest.
      And I will be. Bitterblue was a beautiful book about a young queen trying to help her country heal from it's terrible past. It grated on a few of my moral sensibilities, but I enjoyed it very much despite that. Books are written to make us think. I gave the  presented issues some thought. Eventually I decided Bitterblue deserved four stars, rather than five, simply because I think the author is wrong about one of her minor subplot-agendas.
     As far as recommending it to people, I will tell them the same thing as I did in my review. Fantsay-lovers will probably like this book.
     If you would like to read my review of Bitterblue, click on the book on my bookshelf to the right of the page.
    
     Tip: Reviewing books is generally easier if you can separate the reviews into sections: 1) writing craft, 2) how you liked it, and 3) its message. Or something like that. That way, you can give it the full respect it deserves!
     Scribblers and Book Bandits: do you ever struggle with books in this way?

The Writing Process in 5 Stages

     Hi, Scribblers!
     The concept of writing or "creating" can be intimidating for the beginning writer, (more on that next week) so let's break it down. There are 5 smaller, more manageable stages in the writing process: Observing, Gathering, Recording, Organizing, and Touching Up. Some of these stages have "professional" names, which I'll use later, but the names I've used here describe what the writer actually does during each stage.
     This process may sound less romantic and flowery than what novelists like to say: if you write stories, you add in imaginative elements to your information; you may rephrase your words into story arcs and metaphors to make the message more accessible. However, it is the same essential process.
     The first stage, Observation, is fun and inspiring. It doesn't feel like work. Rather, it makes a writer feel...well, writerly! You carry around a notebook, and people wonder why you are always pulling it out and scribbling something down. You may not even be thinking about writing: you may have just been walking around town, or reading a book or hanging out with a friend. Little and big truths come to us in the form of observations like, "A strong wind blows, but only one of the many trees dances in it." From there, you can go a thousand directions. What kind of tree is it? Why does only that one dance? I strongly suggest writing your observations down in a notebook; it's been one of the most useful tools for me. Observations don't all get used--in fact, most won't--but they're a great jumping-off point. The great children's author Lois Lowry said in this fabulous interview that a writer who has lived in a small town for 50 years can get as much great content as they need, as long as they are observant. I have to firmly believe that, because as far as I know, I'll be living in Lake County for a loooong time! :)
     The second stage, Gathering, a.k.a. Researching, often stems from a writer's Observation. You take it a step further. First you see, hear or even smell something that interests you--a news cast, the strange new style of dress these days, the strong smell of curry from that restaurant across the street--and you may want to research it a little. You pursue what you've observed.  You buy a fashion magazine and laugh at the outrageous getups; you go ask the owner of the restaurant where he moved from, and pick up a menu; you check internet articles or read books. Often, more interesting tidbits will show up. Last week's post discussed how research helps engage reader interest through specific details. This is a great time to find specific details. This second stage of the writing process is ongoing--even while you record (Stage 3), organize (Stage 4), and touch-up (Stage 5), you might still be snooping around for more interesting tidbits to liven up your story.
     The third stage is Recording, a.k.a. First-Drafting. Really, you begin recording in the observation stage, but once you begin writing the first draft, you've stepped into the third stage officially. For NaNoWriMo writers, this begins strictly on November first.* Although there is some organization (Stage 4) involved in this stage, mostly you are throwing your research and ideas and truths and metaphors onto a page. You are making characters out of one-liners and internet images. There are many different methods to this stage: some writers take months or years, organizing as they go, and others do it extremely quickly. I prefer the quicker version, because the first draft nearly always morphs dramatically during the next stage. Lately, however, I've been leaning towards taking more time on the first-draft. Your preferences will change the more you write.
     For me, Stage 4, Organizing, a.k.a Revision, is the biggest, scariest of the all the processes. The biggest difference between this stage and stage four is the pace of the writing. Stage 4 takes up the most time out of all three processes. It consists of making decisions about content: keep this, toss it, or save it for later? What else needs to happen? Organization is overhauling the mad dash of Stage 3, and figuring out what unanticipated-but-lovely metaphors and themes showed up. Here, you have to shove all the parts of your story into a story arc. You plot. Let nothing go untouched or unquestioned in this stage--yes, question everything, even your inspiration. Deepen your characters--here, they should become more real. They should make decisions, like real people, and change your plot in unexpected ways. You can create a setting using details you've researched, and from your imagination. During this stage, it's important to remember that nothing is permanent. You can change or rewrite ANYTHING. Don't get too attached! Your specific details and research (which is still ongoing and getting deeper) might stick, but most of your first draft from Stage 3 will be revised away. Don't start "touching up" (Stage 5) yet. If you want some other great articles on revision, check out these two written by published authors: Mary Kole on Revision, and Nathan Bransford's Editing Strategies.
     Stage 5 is Touching Up, or Editing. This is my favorite part! Fun, fun, fun. Here, we play with the small picture, and make the words prettier. Grammar, sentence structure, specific images, snappy dialogue, etc. This is the part where you make the story beautiful--not just presentable, or even just passionate, but gleaming and sharp and delicate and strong. I recommend staying away from editing and touching up before your manuscript is in stage 5, because if you spend days on a passage, you won't want to let it be revised away...even if it really needs to be.
     Every writer goes through these stages a little differently. The best way to figure it out is to try it! Good luck, friends.

*Revised on 3/14/13: I've discovered that some writer prefer to outline using chapter summaries and scene lists instead of writing out their whole first draft. They do this because it saves them from writing out so many unusable scenes. For more information on this process, see the book Outlining Your Novel by K. M. Weiland. The Kindle version is only $4 books, and it's totally worth it to see examples of outlining.

What do you mean, "Not all essays are boring"?

     Essays are an unpopular form of writing--probably because we've all been forced to write them in school. And, mostly because my own essays were dead boring, I thought all essays would be, including published works.
     It's not true! Through Regent University, I took a class called "The Art of the Essay." It changed my entire perspective on the genre. Essays can be absolute firecrackers! Observational or funny. Witty, tragic, thoughtful! Where can we find these masterful works? Read on to find out. This semester, I also realized some major benefits of learning the art of the essay. What are these benefits? And, last of all, how can we begin to craft our own unique writing voices and riveting techniques? 
     I'm sure we all remember writing essays like "What I did over Summer vacation" and "An Embarrassing Experience." Boring. BORING! But that's not how it has to be. William James said essays were "The Moral Equivalent of War."
     In class, I learned about non-academic essays (have you ever heard of such a thing? I hadn't!), and how different they look from the average school slop. They can be treatises, but they can also be stories. Memoirs, to be specific. All the essays I read this semester came from an anthology called The Best American Essays of the Century, with Joyce Carol Oates and edited by Robert Atwan. They blew my mind! Then, even better than reading powerful essays, we learned to write them as well! I had to share this with my blog readers, of course! ;)
     Why might you want to write an essay like this? There are a few reasons. For one, it is a polished, powerful form of journaling. You can keep records of important moments in your life by writing them into memoir essays. The second reason is that we never really understand life events unless we explain them. Author and philosopher Dorothy L. Sayers says it like this, "You only experience a thing when you can express it--however haltingly--to your own mind" (85). We have to work it out for ourselves. Sayers also explains that this type of expression changes a person so that "he no longer feels himself battered passively by the impact of external events" (86). I'm going to keep up this fabulous excercise.
     Nobody likes to be judged, and yet people like to judge. This conundrum, which applies very much to me (sadly), was the subject of a creative non-fiction essay I recently wrote. If you would like to read it, click here.

Christy Dares You #4

     Pick an essay from the late 19th Century or early 20th. My recommendation? "How it Feels to be Colored Me" by Zora Neale Hurston (click here to read it for free). To read other essays of this awesome genre for free, click here.

     Then, write an essay in the style of the author you read. Notice the level of vocabulary, the length of the sentences, the types of sensory details and images. It's hard--but push yourself. Organize. Polish. You'll be happy with the result. If you would like to exchange your work with me, I'd love to partner in critiques with you!

Works Cited

     For those searching for a Christian worldview concerning literature, I highly recommend the essay cited below as a conservative source (you can order it from the library):

"Sayers, Dorothy L. "Towards A Christian Esthetic." The Whimsical Christian. New York:    

     Macmillan, 1979. Print."

Significant Detail, and Cinnamon Rolls

source

     A couple weeks ago, I posted on The Importance of Clarity in writing. Another way to give your writing impact is to use good significant detail. Here's a great quote from the famous "little book of style."

"The Greatest writers...are effective largely because they deal in particulars and report details that matter. Their words call up pictures." -William Strunk Jr., The Elements of Style.

    The above quote tells a very important message: good writers report only the significant details, the ones that will give the reader a picture in their minds. They should also suggest some truth the subject. That's what makes them significant. This way, the images pack more powerful punches. People will understand exactly what we mean.

     Lets aim to call up pictures with our words. When I describe something in my writing, I have to be careful not to just list things about it. Here's an example:

The original: "He still grins confidently, but a blush creeps over his cheeks."

     We get that the subject is embarrassed. Alright, that's fine.

The revised version: "He still grins, but his face tinges pink slightly, like my favorite flavor of jolly rancher--watermelon."

     Which example creates a clearer picture? This detail is significant as well, because it suggests that the narrator likes the image. It gives us a picture and interiority. In the first example, the writing doesn't convey that.
     I hope the quote and my examples shed some light on what I mean!

    

    Also, the bread-making class at the library was fantastic. Thirty-eight adults and teens learned how to make three different kinds of bread from our lovely teacher Amy!

White bread to knead. We also made a wheat bread to knead and a kneadless wheat bread.

     Five kids whacked some dough around during the class. It looked way more fun than playing DS Giga-Cool, or whatever.

38 Adults and Teens (4 teen boys!), & 5 Kiddos

      Aaaaaand, the grand finale: the cinnamon rolls I made from the bread dough!

They were so good,  we ate some before I got to take the picture!

      Have a great week, Scribblers and Book Bandits!

Works Cited



Strunk Jr., William, E. B. White, and Roger Angell. The Elements of Style. 4th ed. Massachusetts:

            Longeman, 2000. Print.