June 2018 – Welcome to Bridgetown

On Writing: The Denouement

June 25, 2018June 24, 2018 Jon Chaisson1 Comment

that's all folks

Not gonna lie, one of my favorite parts of writing a novel is the ending. But it’s not necessarily because I’m FINALLY FINISHING a project that has gone on for far too long.

No, I love writing denouements. I know…I’m weird that way.

Some people see this as the post-climax ‘what happened to the characters’ sequence, or confuse it with the epilogue, and I can understand why some aren’t fond of these types of end scenes because of that. Like the occasional argument about prologues, this is a sequence that some people think is completely unnecessary. [A really good example of this not being done well is Tolkien’s The Return of the King, where the main story actually finishes up around three quarters of the way through, and ending with a post-adventure rambling about hobbit life that was much longer than it needed to be.]

Denouement done well, on the other hand, is always a joy. It’s where all the remaining strands of plot are brought together to complete the story and give it proper closure. In The Balance of Light, for instance, I used it as a final closure scene for all the main characters. Everything was as back to normal as it could be, and everyone was content in returning back to their daily lives. It was definitely needed there; I wrote it as a relaxing exhale (for both the characters and the reader) from the almost nonstop action in that third book in the trilogy.

The trick in writing a good denouement is to treat it as part of the story proper. Try to avoid the trap of writing a list of what happened post-climax to everyone; that will read like a dusty old classic, and it’s a style that’s very rarely used anymore. Instead, what you want to do is treat it as a proper coda to the entire story. Picture how you would react if you were the main character, having FINALLY just completed an intense ordeal; you’d want to take a break, right? You’d want to clean up all the loose ends, close the case, and then have a nice twelve-year vacation doing absolutely nothing. That’s the denouement right there: that cleaning up and putting away of everything.

I’m just about to start in on this segment of In My Blue World, in which our main characters have defeated evil and are now going back to their normal lives. They’ll need to return to their own time, come to terms with what they’ve gone through, and move on.

Why do I enjoy writing these? I think it’s partly because this is where I’m right near the finish line for the project, but it’s also because I get to do a little bit of last-minute character development. If they’ve gone through this ordeal, they’ve definitely been changed in some way, good or bad. I get to look at the characters one more time and decide precisely how they’ll act next. In The Balance of Light, Denni is relieved that her role as the One of All Sacred has ended, but she’s still worried whether or not her actions have actually made a difference. In Meet the Lidwells, the siblings and cousins interact with each other once more as adults, finally enjoying their lives the way they truly want to.

Think of it as a kind of poetic coda to a song. Perhaps like the “The End” off the Beatles’ Abbey Road: after the songs and long medleys, this track brings the band together one last time, with the three guitar styles playing off each other, followed by a final verse that ties it all together (“And in the end, the love you make…”), all brought to a close with a final melodic statement.

The denouement should always provide that final relaxing exhale. And if you’ve done it right, it’ll provide one for the writer as well.

As If I Don’t Already Have Enough to Do…

June 22, 2018June 20, 2018 Jon ChaissonLeave a comment

ghibli poppy hill shun — Source: *From Up on Poppy Hill*

I was looking through my two blogs and I realized that a lot of the subpages — the links, the Buy Stuff and Newsletter pages in particular — are woefully out of date. I haven’t touched them for at least seven or eight months. And to add to that, I haven’t set up a newsletter in probably well over a year.

That’s gonna change. Not right now, and not overnight, but soon enough. Over the course of the next couple of months I’ll be updating those blog subpages and restarting a newsletter. That will most likely be a monthly thing, a cross between a link aggregator for my blog entries and any news and upcoming events, and maybe a special passage or two.

So how am I going to update this? Good question. Between finishing off a novel, writing a second one, revising that first one, heading to the UK for a week and a half in August and following that up with Worldcon — not to mention juggling all that with my Day Job — I’m going to be ridiculously busy. But I think I can do it.

It’ll take time, and I’ll probably be exhausted by the end of it, but I’ll do it anyway. Because come on — I’m trying to be somewhat professional here, folks! I can do better than the bare minimum here. Y’all deserve it.

On Revision: Paying Attention

June 18, 2018June 17, 2018 Jon ChaissonLeave a comment

erasing — Yeah, that’s gonna need to go. [Source, Makoto Shinkai (of course), *The Garden of Words*.]

While on our little weekend trip up to Mendocino this weekend, I chose to bring my tablet along and read what I have so far of In My Blue World. I haven’t done this since I started writing this version back in… *checks date* early April. So far I’ve found a few things worth noting:

–The first entry needs work. A LOT of work. Interestingly the very next day’s work is just fine and pretty close to what I was aiming for. So perhaps that means that I’m getting better at openings! Heh.
–It remains in the eldest sister’s point of view for most of the first third until I suddenly go into multiple first-person POV. [They have their own chapter or scene, so I can easily slap a chapter header on there to help the reader.] Which is fine, because I did that on purpose. I’d written multiple partial scenes before starting this draft which are in other POVs. I purposely left gaps in this section to insert them in.
–As expected, many characters aren’t quite nailed down until about a quarter of the way in. [For instance, I had Zuze’s sister Trischa be younger and weaker in the opening, but later on she’s older and more of a badass.] Thankfully this too is easy to fix, with a bit of revision and rewriting. Nothing that will ultimately unravel the story for me.
–I need to nail down the rules of magic just a bit more, as they seem a bit too bendy for my tastes at the moment. They make sense for the most part, though there are a few moments where they kind of drift into MacGuffin territory. Again, easily fixed.
–I have exactly two characters that started out with promising fates, and I kind of forgot about following through. That tends to happen a lot when I have far too much fun writing the other characters! Again, easily fixed.
–The Antagonist/Evil Overlord/Bad Guy needs to be reined in just a tad bit. This one might be tricky, as his character is very much a reactive, calm-but-insane sort of dude. The balance here is to show him acting in what he fully believes is logical and right, but others seeing him as completely batshit dangerous. The good thing is that I have him nailed down already, so I just need to work backwards to fix his earlier scenes.
–Secondary Antagonist needs to have her backstory straightened out. She too is nailed down at this point, so it’s just her earlier scenes I need to revise.

Thankfully, that’s all I found (so far) that needs work. I don’t plan on doing any of this revision just yet, as I’d like take the next few weeks to finish the novel. All the revision, cleanup and post-production will take place in July, and maybe into August if it’s needed. I’m thinking the drop date at this point will be mid-September.

The tricky part here is paying attention.

I call it such, because whenever I do a ‘read what I have so far’ session, I try to remember all the fiddly bits that might need work. It’s a mix of self-critique and a line edit. I pay attention to my reaction to certain passages. I see a scene and remember how it’ll tie in with another scene further on. I’ll also think about the story as a whole. It’s kind of a giant jigsaw puzzle where I keep tabs on the image shown on every single piece. What seems weak or out of place will get the revision.

I should probably add that I do the copy-edit and the proofread during the e-book formatting sessions. That’s where I’ll distance myself from the story a bit more and look at it as a reader than a writer. That’s usually when the formatting and editing errors pop up, and those are the easiest to fix. And once I’m happy all around, that’s when I’ll upload it to the publishing site and set a drop date.

So yeah… being a self-published author who wishes to do everything himself, there’s a lot of hats to wear. I have to be vigilant and professional while working on a hell of a lot of different moving parts. It’s definitely not for everyone, and I would not blame you for not wanting to take the insane route I chose. But it can be done.

A lot of it really is about paying attention.

Planning Ahead

June 15, 2018June 13, 2018 Jon Chaisson1 Comment

tenor — *I’m usually not this bad, folks.*

I know it’s only mid-June, but I’m already thinking two months ahead to August, specifically Worldcon weekend. [Okay, I’m also thinking about our week-and-a-half vacation to London just before it, and about how I’ll be a walking zombie by the time the con is over, but that’s another blog entry altogether.]

At present, I can safely say that I’m nearing the climax to In My Blue World. If I time this right, I should have this draft done by the end of June, leaving me the entirety of July to revise it and ready it for self-publication. I may or may not have it ready in time for the con, but I’m not too worried about it. If I’m successful, I may be able to snag a reading panel then to read from it.

I’ve done this for pretty much all my books so far…once I know I’m nearing the end of the first draft, that’s time for me to start working on the post-production things. I’ll start playing around with book cover images. I’ll start thinking about promotion items and platforms. Working out the final release schedule. Those sorts of fiddly things.

I work on those things very early on and in a piecemeal fashion so I’m not crushed under the weight of doing it all at once at the end. It’s also so I can give myself time to make final decisions or if I should go in a different direction. And also, these fiddly things are often quite enjoyable to me when they’re not breathing down my neck!

As a self-published writer, I find that I often have to plan out my post-production work in very much the same way I plan out my novels. I need to think about the overall plot and how each scene and sequence fits together to form the whole. Or in this case, plan out where I’m going to be when, and what needs to be done to make it all happen. There’s a lot of multitasking going on, but if I spread it out a bit, I can handle it.

My plan is to do a reading at the con, and if I don’t have the book available, I’ll at least have postcards to give away with the book cover image. I’d like to have the book out into the wild by September, at least in e-book form. [I’m also thinking of other platforms for physical copies, but that’s another long term project and another post entirely.]

So yes…even though I’m wrapping up another novel, I’m just getting started on the post-production, which should keep me busy for a few months longer.

And for those curious, here’s a very rough draft outtake for the cover of In My Blue World. This is by no means the final cover, of course, but it’s along the lines of what I’m aiming for.

050418 shutterstock outtake 1

Keeping Busy

June 11, 2018June 10, 2018 Jon ChaissonLeave a comment

makoto shinkai tgow2 — Source: Makoto Shinkai, *The Garden of Words*

Despite possibly overburdening myself a bit lately and falling prey to exhaustion and sore throat for a day or so, my latest writing regimen seems to be paying off. I’ve been consistently been hitting an average of 900 words per project Monday through Friday, with the occasional run on the weekend as well if time and inclination lets it happen. Add the four blog entries and other small things to the mix, and I’m probably averaging around 11k words a week.

That’s a LOT of words.

Mind you, it’s not all at once, and I’ve got it down to a strict schedule. The Monday-Tuesday blog entries are written on Sunday afternoon, and the Thursday-Friday entries on Wednesday. In My Blue World is written during my Day Job afternoon break, and the Apartment Complex story during the evening sessions. I keep the creative writing separate from the clinical writing Day Job. And I let myself have a breather every couple of hours a day so I don’t run myself ragged.

So yeah, I’ve been keeping busy. Writing two novels at the same time is definitely a trip, and not for the faint-hearted. More than once I’ve opened up one of the project pages and sat there for a minute, trying to remember if this was the magical girl story page or the boy and his alien friend story page.

How do I keep two completely different and unrelated projects straight in my head? Good question. I’m not sure myself. I just manage to keep them separate because I work on them at different times of the day. Since both sessions are in the latter half of the day, this gives me most of the day to come up with a general idea of what I want to write. I also try to write complete scenes, or scenes that will be completed in the next session. Again, this is almost exactly like my process when I wrote the trilogy; I would prep myself during the day so no evening session time would be wasted.

Will I keep this going on the next projects? Who knows. I’d like to, but if I have to adjust it along the way, so be it. As long as I’m going in the right direction.

Clarity and Action

June 8, 2018June 6, 2018 Jon ChaissonLeave a comment

edward-elric-gif-13 — Source: *Fullmetal Alchemist*. Edward Elric provides me with a *Damn, wish I’d written that!* moment.

I try thinking about new ways I can play around with storytelling. I’ve often said that the stories that inspire me the most are the ones that have moments of brilliance. I’m not talking award-winning prose here… I’m talking about moments of damn, I wish I’d written that!

Like the above gif, from Fullmetal Alchemist, where Edward Elric uses his alchemical powers (major character trait) to not just pull the atoms of metal from the nearby pipes (major ability) but to reshape it (another major ability) into a rod that he can use for fighting. Moments where three or four separate character traits come together in creative and sometimes unexpected ways, and propel both character and story forward. It’s both a moment of clarity for the viewer (‘aha, that’s right, he can do that!’) and a moment of action for the story (‘oh man, he’s about to beat someone’s ass, isn’t he?’) and it’s all threaded together beautifully in one five-second moment.

I try to work those kinds of moments into my stories when I can. I try to put a spin on them as well, by not always relying on expectations. That way when these seemingly different points come together, it’s often unexpected. Those are my favorite moments to read and watch, and they’re definitely my favorite to write.

Mind you, the story doesn’t have to have wall-to-wall moments like that. But they’re certainly one of my favorite weapons in my writing arsenal.

When Distraction Is a GOOD Thing…?

June 4, 2018June 3, 2018 Jon Chaisson1 Comment

anime-pull-yourself-together

The downside to having a full schedule, especially when multiple social events are added to it, is that physical and mental exhaustion (and maybe illness) can sometimes kick in, screwing things up even worse. Right now I’m trying to fight off a sore throat and exhaustion from too many things going on over the last few week.

That’s probably the best time for me to remind myself: It’s okay to take a day or two off from writing, you know. Or even more importantly: It’s also okay to call in sick to the Day Job now and again…that’s what your sick days are for. Between my stubborn will to keep to my writing schedule and my Catholic guilt for not letting my coworkers down, I can be my own worst enemy sometimes.

Sometimes all I want to do is play an entire afternoon of PC card games, watch silly cat videos, and noodle around with my mp3 collection. Is that too much to ask?

Well, no, not really. I’m not on a strict writing deadline. I can afford a day off from the Day Job now and again. As long as I don’t make it a habit. I can — and should — take a day or two off from reality now and again. I’ll be honest, sometimes I’m jealous of those people who spend the entire afternoon binge-watching TV series or playing video games. Why shouldn’t I be able to take a day off as well?

As long as I get back on track once I’m recharged, right?

anime sleeping — *COME ON LAZYBUTT, WAKE UP YOU’VE GOT WRITING TO DO*

Carving Out Time

June 1, 2018May 30, 2018 Jon ChaissonLeave a comment

girl who leapt through time — Source: *The Girl Who Leapt Through Time*

I’ve been thinking about time lately. Well — part of it is due to my work on In My Blue World, but also because I’ve been running all over the place lately, trying to squeeze in as much as I can into a short amount of time during the day. If I look at my social calendar it starts looking far too busy, but if I take it day by day, it’s a little easier to work with.

I’m also doing my best to ensure that I carve out enough time to work on my writing projects at some point during the day. As long as I get a little bit done, then I can rest easy. Right now I’m working with two mini-sessions a day: one during the afternoon break of the Day Job, and the other in the evening. I write my blog entries a few days ahead of time and schedule them. I’m also prepping ahead of time by at least having a general idea of what I’m going to write before those writing sessions start.

Carving out time to write is one of the most important things I must do as a writer, and I do whatever I can to make it happen. Even if it’s a half hour where I’m working out story issues. [I call these ‘blathering’ sessions, but what I’m really doing is voicing what might be bothering me, working out the kinks and rethinking my approach. These too are essential, because I’ll have a much clearer head for the next prose writing session.] As long as I’m going in the right direction, that’s all that matters.

Carving out time to write when the days are busy can be hard to do, but it can be done if you dedicate yourself to it. It might be getting up a half hour earlier, it might be closing down those social media browsers for a while, or it might even be longhand during your commute. Whatever works, go for it. Find an hour, write those five hundred words, and try to do it as many times a week as you can.

Because all that short work adds up to a larger finished project.