Hollywood Formula, Titles, Next Novel

First off, I'd like to drop a plug (again) for Writing Excuses. If you are an author, you should be listening to every episode of this when they come out on Sunday. All the panelists are extremely knowledgable regarding the publishing industry, writing, and nearly every combination of those two you could imagine. They also do well in getting excellent guests that provide even more insight into writing and how to best approach, write, and sell your story. Plus, they've been nominated for a Hugo several times, which means it's quality.

I wanted to make this plug because an episode three weeks ago, The Hollywood Formula, is probably one of the most interesting Writing Excuses episodes yet. Basically Lou Anders from Pyr books does an excellent job in breaking down the basic formula used by Hollywood to pack their stories with an emotional punch. Basically, it's a system that has been found to best resonate with viewers in terms of characters, plots, and pacing. Most movies in Hollywood follow this formula to a degree, but it's main focus is that every story has a protagonist, an antagonist, and a relationship character. These three play off each other throughout the various acts in a certain formula in nearly every Hollywood film.

Point being: it was extremely interesting, but it also made me take a look back on my books to try to figure out who was who (or if the books even had these characters or followed the formula). The general idea is that the protagonist has a goal, and the antagonist (who is not necessarily the "bad guy") plays against these goals.

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Humoring my own work for a second, I took a look at Steelgods 1, mostly because it was fresh on my mind. The protagonist was easy: Cevan, our viewpoint. But who was the antagonist?

(note: possible Steelgods 1 spoilers)

Well, Cevan's ultimate goal in Steelgods (and the entire series) can be summed up that he wants to live a normal life. The whole "Destroyer of the World" thing, having to always run away, the troubles with his family; he just wants it all gone and back to how it was before this all exploded. So who is the one ruining this goal?

Well, the book starts with the Peacemakers (the jerks saying Cevan is the Destroyer and hunting him down) kidnapping Devent and Rosemary, Cevan's step-siblings, and holding them ransom for Cevan's life. Cevan ends up training in a secluded town with a smithgirl named April, leaving her and getting into all sorts of trouble before confronting the Peacemaker in an attempt to save his family. Then a bunch of other stuff happens which I won't say because I don't want to go that deep into spoilers.

The thing is, when I tore this book apart, I began to realize something: the Peacemaker might not actually be the antagonist. It's true he is hindering Cevan's goal, but if you really boiled it down, the real ones who are keeping Cevan from having a normal life are Devent and Rosemary. They refuse to let him settle down, even when all three of them are given the offer at the end of the book. Because they are insistant on carting him around they end up getting captured, which also messes up the good thing he had going with April. While they are trying to keep him alive, they are basically thwarting his direct goals. Devent and Rosemary could be the antagonists in Steelgods 1.

This is further accented by the fact they are most assuredly the antagonists in Steelgods 2, but that's a different story altogether (literally).

So who is the relationship character? This is the one that is with the hero the whole time, who helps slowly persuade him/her towards a sort of final conclusion.

My first guess was April, even though Cevan leaves her, because she stays on his mind. But as I thought about it, I realized it could perhaps also be the Peacemaker (either the individual or the group as a whole). They force him to realize who he is, which is something he fights against the entire series. And at the end of the book, Cevan comes to that realization (at least to a better extent than he had at the very beginning). Maybe April and the Peacemaker are some sort of joint relationship character, tag-teaming. Who knows.

Enough self indulgence, but I found that interesting.

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With that in mind, I actually structured the general ideas regarding my characters for my next dark fantasy project (which finally has a title) on this three character formula. And, when I did this, I came to a realization: the person I thought was the protagonist was actually very much the relationship character, and the relationship character is the protagonist! It was actually pretty shocking for me, but it fits regarding the plot I had considered. This formula also helped me iron out a good number of details I still had in limbo regarding this plot, which is good.

Oh, and I also got a title for it (woo woo), finally. Book #8 will be...

Naught but Glass


Cool title, right? Yes? No? Well, I like it. It fits what happens, and so we'll take it.

I also realized this book is extremely political. It's a good deal different than any of my previous books (though it might be more in like with Where Gods and Mortals Dance; both have very little magic and focus primarily on political conflicts), especially considering this is my first book ever where the deities don't directly have any influence on the story. Yes, I'm finally going to actually attempt writing a book where some god doesn't play a major role in everything. Granted, I thought Effulgent Corruption was going to be that way (I even killed the stupid gods so they wouldn't show up) and the jerks somehow managed to creep their way back into the story.

I'm also going to try my damnedest to make sure this book stays short; I'm shooting for between 100-150k at the most. The good part about this it it means I might actually finish it before the year ends. The bad news is...I'm going to have to try really hard to keep it short.

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Aside from that, I'm currently plotting the basics, re-reading Steelgods 1 and hopefully submitting it soon, getting ready to attend World Fantasy in San Diego, and working. So here's hoping everything turns out for the best.

That's all from me.

Nathan Major vs. Writing Excuses

I find it interesting that I just posted on how first sentence obsessions annoy me, and that same Sunday the Writing Excuses podcast ("Mating Plumage") was on first sentences, covers, and titles.

I found myself agreeing with Dashner on the majority of the subjects. Book covers are what really help pull me in, as well as titles. For me, the "judging" period of the book happens before I even begin to open it. As I've said countless times, I started really noticing the Dresden files because of how cool I thought the covers were (also because there were so many, which means they must be good if he gets 12 books out). Other instances include The Eye of the World, which I started reading because the cover was cool, and I Am Not a Serial Killer, which I knew about because of Writing Excuses, but the title was what really solidified my desire to read the book. The Maze Runner was also a book that I wanted to read because of the title. I actually have actively averted myself from Dashner's other big series, The 13th Reality, because I thought the series title was extremely generic (sorry James, but I still think that. I'm going to give the books a shot, though...someday). On the other side, A Series of Unfortunate Events sucked me in because of the clever series title.

So, I agree that covers and titles do influence me. Call me shallow, but there are a lot of books in the bookstore, and a lot of bad fantasy novels for sale. When a book has a cool title, I'll pull it off. If the cover is also quite awesome, I might flip it open. If it doesn't have this (or I haven't heard of it), odds are I'm going to leave it where I found it.

I think it's this point (where I flip open the book) that many authors get more hung up than they should. If I'm going to spend my money on a book, that decision is not hinged on that first sentence. Given enough time and money, anybody would write a zingy, catchy first sentence. It says nothing about the skill of the author if your first sentence is clever. A first chapter (or first three-four pages) would be a much better assessment.

I will admit a clever first sentence has a pull that one can't explain. Even I experience it. However, I'll never stop reading a book I'm interested in if the first sentence isn't catchy, but I might read more of a book if the first sentence is really grabby. I think of Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia and how it snagged me because of the first sentence. I gave it more of a chance (I'm not a huge gun nut, so I wasn't sure how the book would appeal to me) because that first sentence was a witty, clever hook. Would I have still tried out the book if the first sentence has been dull? Yes. But I wouldn't have had that little happy "zing!" that pushed me to like it a little further.

I'd argue that your cover, title, and first page/chapter are what sells a reader, as well as your blurb on the back/side. Yes, the first sentence is important, but it really isn't all that fantastic as people crank it up to be.

That being said, BRIEF TANGENT: I think titles are super-important. This is mostly because this is one of the few things the author has actual control of that goes on the outside (jacket) of the novel (besides their name). Other people draw maps, cover art, sometimes edit your blurbs for the back, etc. But the TITLE is yours. Yeah, sometimes they want you to edit it, but it really is your only possession.

Which is why a lot of the time it takes me a while to craft titles. Paradise Seekers is one so far that I actually don't really like the title. An idea I had originally was Thanatophobia (Fear of Death), or Somniphobia (Fear of Sleep). In the end, both didn't really work for a YA novel, and Paradise Seekers alone has enough hidden subtleties to work. It isn't Where Gods and Mortals Dance, The Reigns of the World, or Lacrymosa, but it works.

I also hate Harbinger's title, but I have no idea what to do with that anyway.

END TANGENT

This blog post is coming from a consumer, who had to spend a good hour in Barnes and Noble last week figuring out how to spend a gift card.

The moral of the story is Writing Excuses is wrong, and I'm clearly right. Because it's my blog and I say so. (Don't I wish... :P)

BONUS!

I often envision title art for novels as I write them, and I can say my tastes lean towards minimalistic. Maybe I'll do a blog post on it sometime, with which covers are my favorites and which I find to be kind of...lacking.

At any rate, it would be interesting (assuming any of this crap I write ever gets published) to see what a publishing house would like to put on as a cover. Considering my incredibly picky tastes, I'd probably hate just about everything, but something about a cover seems to be meant to convey the soul of the novel (ones that just show a single scene picked from the book frustrate me). So, in that regard, I've always felt that minimalistic covers work (I hate to say this, but Twilight had an extremely clever and well-chosen cover. Too bad whatever cleverness or symbolism was found in the first cover was completely lost in the sequels).

Cover ideas for my books!
Lacrymosa - This was actually a game before, and we made a title screen (which I have somewhere) which I liked. A single white feather, lying on a ground of black, with the title above it.
Harbinger - No idea, actually. I never thought about this one. Probably a character montage, honestly.
Where Gods and Mortals Dance - Similar to Lacrymosa, except replace the feather with one of the pear/teardrop shaped masks the gods wear. You know, the thing could just be lying there.
Paradise Seekers - This one's easy, the silhouette of a tire swing against a setting sun. If you REALLY wanted to add something, you could put a boy and a girl hand in hand off in the distance, but the tire swing would be in the foreground still.

Yeah, it's self centered to make you read this, but it's my blog so ha ha ha. Anybody else think of covers for their books as they are writing them?

BOOK REVIEW - I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells

By Dan Wells (Official Webpage)
Buy the book here: I Am Not A Serial Killer (John Cleaver)


Review

I actually considered this book for review mostly because of my familiarity with the Writing Excuses podcast, which is hosted by Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, and Howard Taylor. Seeing as I love the podcast, as well as Brandon's books and Howard's web-comic, I felt I owed it to Dan to read his first novel. Not to mention the fact I took a class that had all three of them, at some point during the semester, lecturing to the class.

I Am Not a Serial Killer is a novel that Dan himself admits doesn't really fall into a particular subcategory with regard to audience. In some countries, it was marketed as a Young Adult novel, while in others it was presented as a straight Adult novel. After a reading, I would recommend the book for ages 15+. The book contains a considerable amount of violence and gore, often presented from an apathetic or uncaring standpoint, as well as adult content and disturbing scenes.

I Am Not a Serial Killer stars John Wayne Cleaver, a fifteen year old sociopath obsessed with serial killers. His morbid obsession is further accented by the fact that the family business involves copious amounts of time around dead bodies: they work in a mortuary. It is here where John gets his first view of a serial killer's victim: a man murdered and gutted behind a local laundromat. John, who has a therapist and his own personal "rules" to keep his believed homicidal tendencies in check, finds he can't keep away from this serial killer. His perception is less idolizing and more of general interest which, after a time, changes to disgust and hatred. An interesting note is John is never really scared of the serial killer, who is revealed about halfway through the book. Rather, he simply analyzes the killer's every action, and goes to great lengths to stop him. The climax of the book, which I will not spoil, escalates as John unleashes the "monster" inside of him, the suppressed serial killer tendencies, held behind bars by his rules he's followed. It's an interesting ending, where John changes quite dramatically to a misguided teenager to a dangerous, potential killer.

Reviewers love to compare this novel to the TV series Dexter, which I have not seen, so my review is written without prior knowledge of the show. As a general read, I found the novel started off quick, pushed me forward through the story very fast until it's satisfying, and quite creepy, ending. This is a good testament to Dan's skill as an author; I couldn't put the book down until I'd finish it. It was a reasonably short, but sweet read; I took about 4 hours to finish it, but others may take longer.

It is important to note that there is a strong supernatural or fantasy theme in the book, especially pertaining to the serial killer. Those who follow Dan closer might not be surprised by this, but as someone expecting a straight serial killer book, the elements rattled me somewhat. The only time I put the book down to get a drink was when the supernatural elements were revealed. However, as the book continued and the mystery behind the "demon," as John calls the serial killer/monster is fleshed out, the book had its meat hooks back into me. I felt it worked for the story, despite the initial conflict, though more information about the monster would be appreciated. From what I've read, Dan goes into more depth in the sequel, Mr. Monster (I Am Not a Serial Killer is the first book in an intended trilogy), which is out in the UK but not here yet in the US. I plan on reading this book as soon as it crossed the ocean to the Land of Opportunity.

Dan's prose must be complimented. Something Sanderson wrote in his blurb on the back was how masterful he felt the prose was, and I'd be inclined to agree. Dan's pacing is near immaculate, his word choices very good. I was never lost in the story at any time, a testament to Dan's stellar writing. The only issue I found was the voice of the narrator: for a fifteen-year-old, he certainly didn't sound much like one; he seemed older, much older. While John explains to the reader he is extremely apathetic, which allows him to think about and describe dramatic and gory scenes without batting much of an eyelid, it is still difficult to believe that a teenager would think in the ways John does. He seemed more like someone in their early twenties. Again, this could be attributed to his incredible maturity and near-genius intelligence, but it would have been nice to have a few "I'm fifteen!" bones thrown at me.

Overall, I Am Not a Serial Killer is a fantastic debut novel, one of the strongest I've read. It certainly lives up to it's name: the novel is gory, gruesome, and genuinely thrilling and disturbing throughout. For fans of horror and fantasy, it is certainly a book to investigate. Those of less stronger stomachs, however, need not apply.