eBook and Traditional Publishing

Spectacle Publishing Media Group, LLC

Tag Archives: Writing

A Game of Tropes

written by Eric Staggs

A literary trope is a figurative or symbolic metaphor in its most complicated sense. In its more homogenized definition, a trope is a technique or stereotype that uses commonly established archetypes to help convey meaning.  In all stories, we know that the Hero is special. He’s the Chosen One, who will affect change in his world; this one of the most common tropes in genre fiction. Another example would be the “evil galactic empire” reminiscent of Nazis, Romans, Fascists. They sport gray uniforms, and appear in Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, Chronicles of Riddick, and a dozen others. In these pieces the “good guys” are always diverse and colorful—this is a metaphor or trope for an idealized way of life slathered in diversity and personal freedoms. Consider: In Star Wars rebel pilots wear bright orange—their enemy counterparts look like SS soldiers. In Lord of the Rings, the heroes armies gather with brightly colored banners of silver and gold, blue and green. The orcs mass under a variants of a black flag. An interesting use of this trope is Robert Heinlein’s StarShip Troopers. The narrator is, in fact, one of those gray-uniform wearing space-nazis. Though we are sympathetic to this character, there can be no doubt that he is from a less than democratic society—this causes a gut reaction in most Americans.

Everyone around me is gearing up for the next season of Game of Thrones. While watching/reading, I see elements from many other very successful authors in variety of genres. One cannot help but wonder is George R. R. Martin a singular fantasy genius or simply a well read nerd?

Neither is really a bad thing, but I want to point some of the methods he’s using to bring standard fantasy tropes to life in new ways. I may go so far as to say that nothing in the Game of Thrones series is new or the sole creation of George’s imagination. That’s okay. I once had a writing professor offer the quotation, “Young writers invent, published writers steal.” He was not of course encouraging plagiarism, nor am I suggesting George R.R. Martin is guilty of this most heinous of crimes. I am saying the George R.R. Martin has brilliantly woven in commonly loved cultural elements from a myriad of fiction sources, made them his own and taken us on a great ride.

First let’s address some of the standard tropes within the genre of fantasy literature. The one that always gets my goat is the chosen one. How many Chosen One’s can there be? It is important that we understand the necessity of this element, but also that it is as old as the concept of the story itself.

The Chosen One is the central character who finds out he’s special in some way. The uniqueness pushes him away from “hearth and home” and into a world of adventure (usually punctuated by life threatening encounters and periods of deprivation and suffering). Luke Skywalker is the Chosen One. Aragorn of LotR  is a chosen one. Harry Potter is the Chosen one. Drizz’t Do Urden is the Chosen One. Elric of Melnibone is the Chosen One. So are the little boy in Eragon, Paul Muad’dib from Dune, and Corwin of Amber and a whole host of others.

In Game of Thrones, the typical chosen one is not the eldest male heir, the boy without a home or the stranger among us. The Chosen One, in fact, isn’t even a boy. It’s Daenerys Targaryan. She is the homeless waif with a cruel family that pushes her to do extraordinary things.

The Targaryan dynasty and their dragons are reminiscent of the writing of Michael Moorcock and his epic about Elric of Melnibone. The near-albino siblings of the Game of Thrones, one especially cruel and greedy the other dispassionate and uninterested in imperial games cannot help but remind one of Elric and his cousin Yyrkoon. In fact, Denerys Targaryan looks exactly as I pictured Elric’s cousin, Cymoril. The Targaryan affinity for dragons is reminiscent of the Dragon Lord Dyvm Slorm and Dyvm Tavar of the Moorcock’s same series. Both sets of characters are the last masters of Dragons, who, interestingly enough are on the decline or all but extinct in each setting.

Martin wisely borrows from established history as well. His character Khal Drogo is nothing more than a stylized synonym for Genghis Khan. The Horse Lords are nomadic raiders with barbarian (pagan) tendencies.

Another character system that comes to mind when reading the Game of Thrones is Dune by Frank Herbert. Eddard Stark is of the same ultra-honorable archetype as Duke Leto Atreides. His personal honor and sense of duty lead him to the downfall of his entire personal empire. His house is shattered, his family scattered and his heirs left to fend for themselves in an exceedingly treacherous and hostile environment. Rob Stark of Game of Thrones is reminiscent of famous Paul Muad’dib Atreides, the scion of a rebel house who, through his own personal attributes raises an army and avenges his family. Yet another parallel is the Lady Catelyn Stark. Her steel-will and refinements make her the spitting image of the Lady Jessica of Dune. The ability to counsel her son, bring to heel wayward lords and maintain her dignity in the most undignified situations makes Lady Stark and Lady Jessica nearly interchangeable. I’d gamble that we see an increased use of mysticism and magics in the world of Game of Thrones.

These are not criticisms. On the contrary, I have to applaud George R.R. Martin’s ability use his craft to manipulate a genre that many consider cliché. As previously stated, the genre’s tropes are almost by-laws that any storyteller must abide by. The king is evil or incompetent and his ministers are corrupt. The underdog is conflicted with duty to realm and personal honor. The Chosen One will change the realm. Leaving home inspires the life-altering quest. What is important to note is that George R. R. Martin’s writing takes these common tropes and themes and makes them slightly unique, he gives them a flavor of his own. He takes stereotypical fantasy elements and violates the audience’s expectations. This simple act is what makes his writing interesting, more real.

 

Young Adult Fiction Coming Soon: Heron’s Path

Who is Alethea Eason? Read on friends…

Alethea Eason lives with her husband Bill in Cobb, California, a small town in the Mayacamas Mountains in northern California. She has worked as a reading specialist and classroom teacher at two Title 1 schools, does freelance editing of novels and memoirs, and draws and paints as much as she can. She spent a year and a half teaching at St. Margaret’s British School for Girls in Concon, Chile.
Her middle grade humorous science fiction novel Hungry was published by HarperCollins (Eos) in 2007. Her stories and poetry have appeared in places as varied as the children’s publications Shoo-Fly Audio Magazine and New Moon Magazine and the literary journals Frontiers and Sweet Fancy Moses. Three of her stories have been anthologized in collections edited by Bruce Coville, including A Glory of Unicorns. She was the winner of the SRA/McGraw Hill Imagine it! Teachers’ Writing Contest, in which her story “Turtle Soup” was made into a picture book to supplement the reading program’s second grade curriculum, and the Eugene Ruggles Poetry Prize given by Copperfield Books for their publication The Dickens. Meetings of the Minds Publications published her poetry chapbook Threshold, nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

Read a short sample of Heron’s Path right here.

To learn more about Alethea visit her website:  Heron’s Path

Now available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble!


Show Don’t Tell!?!?

 

written by Eric Staggs

Show don’t tell—at once the best and worst piece of advice a writer can hear. The first reaction is “But I’m telling a story!” The next thought in line is “this isn’t a screen play!”

A writer must balance their story with visual descriptors to avoid setting their story in a void. If the setting is not intrinsic to the story, then the audience will have a more difficult time sinking into it, melding with it. For example, while taking a writing class in my undergraduate program, I found myself in a discussion with a fellow student, about his work—a highly emotional tale about homosexual lovers in Nazi Germany. But he didn’t know anything about Berlin in 1938. His knowledge of the setting he’d chosen for his opus was based on WWII movies. Most of the story happened in very neutral environments that only happened to have a Swastika or Nazi flag in them. Without the Third Reich, his story could have taken place in New Jersey 1978 or Dubai 2001. It could have happened in space, aboard the starship Velvet. He was failing in his primary task of showing us, the audience, the world his characters lived in. His story happened in a void and made it unsympathetic to everyone.

Setting and place is just one aspect of “show don’t tell.” The other piece is engagement of the reader. Look at the following example:

A: He drank the whiskey. It burned and he coughed. His eyes watered. He sighed.

B: He jerked his head back and choked down the liquid gold. The smoky poison made his throat clench tight. His eyes, suddenly wet from the burning vapors, turned the piss colored lights of the dirty bar into watery snowflakes. As the chemical heat suffused his body, he let out a long breath.

Both A and B accomplish the same thing: they tell us that the character had some whiskey. In both A and B we get a sense for the characters comfort level with whiskey. That’s where the similarities stop.

B also tells us that the character is in a bar (not a void), more about what the character is experiencing and feeling. The character is more real because we can more easily imagine his discomfort. His eyes are burning; he’s fighting back a knee-jerk cough from a shot of hard liquor. We also get the impression that the character is under stress—but we don’t know how or from what. In fact, while B gives us huge amounts of information, it leaves us with many questions. Not to mention the fact that it tripled the word count.

The question now becomes, “How about situations where there’s a lot of telling naturally?” That is, what about dialogue? It can be argued that dialogue is naturally expository—we talk about things. But in reality, contrary to what George Lucas believes, most characters, people, monsters, aliens and animals do not say what they feel. Example:

C.
“I am hurt. You are doing things to hurt me.” She said.
“You’re uncommunicative.” He retorted.
“I shouldn’t have to tell you how I feel.” She said.
“But how will I know then?” He asked.

D.
She wouldn’t face him. He moved around the kitchen, trying to make eye contact, but she always found something else to occupy her attention. Finally, he stopped moving.
“What’s wrong?” He said softly, hoping his desperation didn’t come through in his voice. He felt a pressure in his chest, almost an ache.
“Nothing.” She pulled some carrots from the fridge and cut them slowly and firmly, feigning intense concentration.
“Can I help?” He reached out to take the knife from her. She recoiled in mid stroke and hissed as the silvery blade chewed deep into her finger.
“Look what you made me do!” She held her hand up accusingly, the crimson droplet growing bigger by the second. He glanced from her hand to her eyes, noticed they were red-rimmed and puffy.

C and D tell the audience there is a conflict of an unclear nature between the man and woman. C tells us there are hurt feelings and frustration.

D tells us (or implies) the couple lives together and that they have a ritual and routine of preparing a meal and eating it together. It tells us that they are both emotionally bound to one another, but are unable to communicate their emotions for some reason or other. The cut finger is a convenient (and heavy handed) metaphor for the woman’s emotional state. While D is predictable, it is still far better than C.

A rule of thumb, when writing to show and not tell, is to stop and look around. Center yourself in your characters eyes and look around. What do they see? What do they feel? Can they feel the soft padding of a high back leather chair? Maybe it’s the hard vibrations of a metal bench on a rattling subway car? Put yourself in their skin. Is it raining? Do they feel raindrops or stinging pellets of heavy water, splashing down with incredible force and fury, soaking their coat and clothes?

Think about it.

Read Stuff: Huldredrom – Dream of the Hid-Folk

Huldredrom – Dream of the Hid-Folk by Christopher R. Knutson

 

written by Eric Staggs

Review by Eric Staggs

 

This unique piece of literature came to my attention through pure chance. Since I have found that the best pieces of literature often do arrive via unforeseen channels, I agreed to read and review it.

 

I’m glad I did. The style of writing at first seemed simple, unsophisticated, but as I progressed, I found I was drawn into the unfamiliarity of the culture, the complexity of Norwegian proper nouns seemed to help heft the weight of their folklore and a new found Christianity.

 

The story takes place in a picaresque rural village; imagine fens and glens and heathers, buffered on all sides by brooding mountains whose caps are white year round. These snow caps help to anthropomorphize the mountains, giving them an ancient and wise presence. Within these mountains and valleys lives the Hid-Folk. Fey and spritely, these trolls, changelings and their kin live out long and mischievous lives just under the nose of the villagers. The Hid-folk have a habit of stealing human babies and raising them as their own.  The author opens with a classic I-told-you-so moment and the tragic disappearance of a baby.

 

The plot is at once simple and convoluted – the rules that govern the interaction of mortals and hid-folk are complex and not always logical, but offer a vivid peek into one of Europe’s oldest mythologies. Hid-folk live a semi-parasitic life, stealing lovers and food and cows and whatever else strikes their fancy from mortal villagers, who in turn have developed a whole array of protections against such incursions.

 

At times almost comical, these cultural clashes between the Hid-Folk and the Villagers carry with them a deeper sub-text. The old ways are under siege by the new Christ-God whose representatives have banned the worship of the Old Norse Gods. Yet, for our characters, the reality remains: Hid-Folk could be any stranger you meet while tending the sheep and elemental spirits might easily burst forth and offer you knowledge or simply wish for company. The only evidence of the truth of Christianity is the agony the cross and tolling bells causes the Hid-Folk.

 

Vivid imagery and thorough understanding of the culture push this story forward at a comfortable pace. Descriptions of place and time help bring to the reader’s mind concrete imagery and paint each scene in fluid detail – allowing for just enough personalization to make each reader’s experience unique.

 

Not quite a love story and not quite a fairy-tale laden with moral and metaphor, Huldredrom: Dream of the Hid-Folk­ by Christopher R. Knutson is an entertaining read for all ages and serves as a powerful reminder that there are beliefs in the world far older than those we commonly cling to.

Don’t Hide From Your Story!

It wakes you up in the middle of the night. It nudges you on the drive to work. Inside of you, somewhere in the dusty recesses of your mind, an idea is itching to be brought to life. You have a story waiting to be told, a story the world needs to hear.

So why are you sitting here reading this post? In the time you’ve been Tweeting, updating Facebook statuses and surfing the internet, you could have written the first paragraph of your next best-selling novel.

This is the problem all writers face at one time in their lives. Having the chutzpah to write every day come rain, snow, sunshine or zombie invasion is no small order. When it comes down to it, you’ve got to learn how to psyche yourself up to write. Here are a few ways you can do that:

1.) You will never have the time to write. Make the time. Pencil it in your calendar. Set an alarm. Stick a post-it note to your bathroom mirror. Do whatever it takes to get it done.

2.) It’s okay to write crap. That’s what first drafts are for. Even Stephen King writes first drafts. Say what you need to say and get it out. You can clean it up on the rewrite.

3.) Reward yourself. Writing is hard work. Recognize your accomplishments and use that as motivation to move forward.

4.) One day at a time. You will not write the best American novel in a day. Break down the project into smaller, bite-sized bits that you can achieve a day at a time. Don’t try to swallow an elephant.

5.) Build community. Stay in regular communication with writers and other creatives that motivate and inspire you. Feed off of each other’s energy. Spur each other on to greatness. (But remember, spending five hours chatting and zero time writing does not count. That, my friends, can be filed under procrastination.)

Inspiration

Inspiration comes in many forms to the Writer. The mind of a writer is a cramped place, a barely contained cacophony of images, sights and sounds, ideas and things. But, what happens when the whirlwind stops and the dreams fade to the background and the words… don’t… flow?

 

A professional writer doesn’t have the luxury of writer’s block. That’s something you throw up when you’re a student and would rather go have a beer or six with friends. If you want to be paid to write, you become an adept in self-entertainment and finding inspiration. Every hour you sit and stare at a screen waiting for inspiration to strike you like lightning is an hour you’re not being paid. You might have better luck waiting for the lightning strike. So go make your own inspiration.

 

Literary history is littered with a cast of nefarious writer-types of dubious moral standing, plagued by psychological trauma or just plain weird. Learn about them – that maybe inspiration enough right there. A writer like Hunter S. Thompson might wander off after munching some mescaline and try to find a fountain of whiskey, upon discovery declaring it a fountain of youth. That works for him. I don’t recommend it for everyone. In fact, I don’t recommend it at all. Charles Bukowski (a personal favorite) might suggest a trip to the racetrack and a six-pack of watery American beer. Though it’s somewhat safer than the mighty Hunter S. Thompson’s idea of a good time, it’s still probably not for everyone.

 

I personally like Toy Stores. They’re packed with colors and shapes and sounds, all of it vying for your attention. It’s stuff designed to grab the attention of children with short attention spans. The flood of imagery and marketing and icons and logos will make you wildly agitated and confused. It’s good for you. You can’t help but subconsciously internalize some of the concepts. If a toy store visit doesn’t get your creative juices flowing, you’re not paying attention.

 

There’s always the bookstore… well, one less bookstore option these days, but there are still some out there. The shelves are backed with words and colors, images – all designed to hook you. Wander through your favorite genre section. See what’s being displayed in the end caps.

 

Something I think most fiction/creative writing professors would balk at (or at least deny most vehemently) is that you can get a powerful education in writing by listening to music. Perhaps not Lady Gaga, but tick-tock back a few decades and we see some lyrical brilliance, stuff that’s still sloshing around in the cultural consciousness. Though not a huge fan myself, Bob Dylan can tell a damn story like no one’s business. Sit down and listen to how he paints a picture and sends action and emotion across in very limited spaces. This kind of stuff always inspires me to write; it keeps the poet alive within the prose.

 

Sometimes it’s just the words themselves that get you all blocked up. In that case, I say do like Shakespeare – make up words or assign new meanings to words. When a snow-covered hilltop pouts day in and out while keep watch over a tiny village, you have to ask… how does a hilltop pout? Is that the right word? Does it matter?

Why Not Self Publish?

Writing. Editing. Publishing. Marketing.

It’s easy right? It’s easy to put together thousands of words into a coherent and compelling narrative. Easy. Like staring down Nolan Ryan and thwacking a fast-ball right over his head and into the upper deck. That looks easy too. Perhaps my reference is a bit dated or topically irrelevant for my intended audience–sounds like something an editor might comment about. The joke is often something along the lines of a writer spends months bleeding their soul onto the page and an editor comes along and fixes their spelling. Sure. I’ll fix your spelling. I’ll check your facts. I’ll even explain the difference between an em-dash and an en-dash. But, these things are just a part of the process–perhaps even an afterthought. The main task of an editor is to coax out the best possible version of your story all while keeping keeping the whole thing from jumping the rails and smashing into a propane-pipeline.

With self-publishing, vanity-press, a writer is at a fundamental and distinctive disadvantage. Lack of review. In every field, every profession, there is a peer-reviewed vetting process. A scientist’s ideas and conclusions constantly squirm within the crucible of scrutiny from one’s peers. Designers and advertising agencies produce hundreds of marketing ideas before just a single idea makes the cut and gets accepted by other marketers. Think of how athletes are constantly training and conditioning to be better, faster and stronger. The peer-review process, the editorial process, is basically the same as an athlete’s conditioning process. With a publishing company, with an editor, an author has the security of knowing their work is in peak form, and that ol’ aunt Agnes won’t be phoning up in a couple of days to report all manner amateur mistakes.

Why do we buy Cheerios? Nike? Coca-Cola? The reason is simple: marketing. Okay, so you’ve gone the vanity-press method: you have a link to your ebook and you paid a hefty sum of money for several dozen print copies, you have Agnes waiting on hold and now what? You’re already down perhaps thousands of dollars, not to mention the time it took you to write the book, and suddenly no one seems to have any interest. Well, the answer is simple: marketing isn’t as easy as it looks and ought to be left to those with experience. When buying a cut of beef I want the butcher’s opinion–not the cow’s opinion. Your book comes from you. No one is going to listen to you mooing all over the place talking about your tasty beef. That’s the butcher’s job, and it’s the job of professional marketing to spread the word about your delicious book.

Simply put, this is your work–your writing. It really doesn’t matter to me right now how good your book is or whether or not you have the potential to write ten more; it matters to me that your work gets the best treatment. You’re not going to find this treatment with a vanity-press. There are services out there that will edit your book, but for the cost of hundreds if not thousands of dollars. We’re not interested in your money. Only your words and your partnership. Our service is to make your book be its best.

September Fiction Contest!

While our diligent editors devote hour after hour to the completion of On The Brink…Volume 1, working through threat of hurricane and earthquake (literally), we can’t forget about Volume II. We’re taking submissions for OTB Volume II , with the same sweet prize: $100.00

Same rules as before, except with a positive spin this time. Come on, we know you’ve got a warm and fuzzy in your head, somewhere. We’re seeking original fiction or creative non-fiction tales about “life changing events” for the better. The collection is entitled “On The Brink… Volume II”

  • 2,500-5,000 words
  • character driven stories
  • all genres

This contest continues until the 15th of September. There is NO submission fee. Submission fees go against everything we believe in.

 

Send your stories with a brief introduction to Submissions@spectaclepmg.com. Please be aware that by submitting your stories to SPMG you are granting consent for those materials to be published. All stories will be considered for the contest, but only the best ones be published. Click here for more information about publishing with SPMG.

 

Spectacle Publishing is always looking for novels as well. So if you’ve got a winner, send us a query. Remember, short fiction contest submissions to not require a query and can be emailed here. Full manuscripts require a query first. Click here for more info.