Author: DH Hanni

Musings

Weekly Musing: Need Not Apply

DH Hanni

Something I’ve frequently heard is that writing teaches people to try new things, pushes us out of our comfort zone, and to experience the world. Since I’ve been doing this for a few years now, I must say I don’t think this is true. At least not for me. The older I get the more I’m willing to try new things, but within reason and within my comfort zone; however, I don’t view these experiences as fodder for my writing. Somehow I think if I did it would take away from enjoying the experience. I equate it to tucking away my cell phone whenever I go anywhere new. I occasionally take pictures if I remember and feel inclined, but I would rather just absorb the place and the experience.

I understand the sentiment behind getting out and trying new things as a writer. Not only does it get us out of the house and around other people, new places and experiences help our understanding of the world. What I disagree with is the notion I am supposed to immediately catalogue those new feelings and experiences. Or to only live life so that I can use it later for a story. Why not just live life for the sake of living life?

This brings me to another rule or philosophy I hear frequently but disagree with. A piece of advice I see is, as a writer, we should eavesdrop on conversations because it could be a gold mine. Hmmmm, um, how about no. I’m not saying I don’t sometimes just sit there and listen to other people’s conversations. I do and think it’s natural for humans to do. When I do target my hearing to spy upon people, it’s usually because I’m staring into space while thinking. I’m fascinated by how people speak; their accents, emphasis upon certain words, turn of phrases, the speed and cadence, all of it is interesting.

I’m not so much drawn in by what people are discussing as that feels like an invasion of privacy even if the conversation is taking place in public. For this reason I absolutely cannot bring myself to jot down or commit to memory what people say. Not to sound snobby or self-righteous, it feels very unoriginal to me to mine other people’s conversations for story ideas. Granted, some people have some very compelling and unique stories which would make for great tales.

Which leads me to another piece of advice I try to stay away from and that is base characters off of people you know. A funny phrase I see is something to the effect of don’t annoy, anger, or interrupt a writer because you may wind up in their story, usually as a dead body. I guess this bothers me because what if the person reads the story and recognizes himself or herself?

I’m not suggesting we as writers try to be PC because that annoys me to no end. People are going to be offended no matter what. What I’m suggesting is know your audience. Some people are okay with being included, regardless of how they are portrayed.

I suppose one solution is to give the person a heads up before publication of said story. I don’t think it’s helpful to let the person know when you are drafting and later send the story out for publication. After all, if it doesn’t get accepted, what’s the point?

Another solution is to pick people who are dead or people whom you don’t mind rankling their feathers. Or cherry-pick characteristics Victor Frankenstein-style and mash them altogether. Or stick to physical characteristics, which is something I did for a minor character in my WIP. I did that since this person suggested I have a character with a certain name. As an ode to that person I made the character look like him but that’s where it starts and stops.

I can’t fully express why these suggestions bug me so much. They aren’t the only pieces of writerly advice that I disagree with it, but these are the ones which I’ve always found annoying. Maybe it’s because I have this contradictory natural tendency to only follow rules and advice which make sense to me. Perhaps I’m making it even harder for myself by not pulling from real life. Honestly, though, the characters in my mind shape themselves and their unique experiences shape them just as any “real” person.

Musings

Weekly Musing: I Know Why Writers Drink

DH Hanni

No, I’m not going to talk about alcoholism and authors. If you want that kind of info just do a search.

Without intending to, here’s an update of my progress on revising my novel. August was an incredibly productive month for me. I managed to finish the initial round of revision done for one of the two main characters. This was amazing considering it took me all of July to get through four chapters yet last month I got through nineteen chapters.

There were a few things which helped me get into a groove. The biggest was constructing a thumbnail outline of the character’s story. I have down numerous outlines to help me figure out a general idea. For some reason, doing a simple two or three sentence description for each chapter and assigning chapter number helped me “get” the bigger picture.

Doing this helped me figure out what scenes to cut as well as see holes. This meant I had to draft new chapters and adjust other chapters which is fine. The thumbnail outline also makes it easier for me to move chapters around to see how the story is affected. Obviously this is the point of revision.

Another added benefit came as I was looking ahead to tackling the other main character. Once I was done working on the story for the first character, I did a quick outline for the other one. Since their storylines eventually combine, I had a better visual of the structure and flow of the story.  

Finally nailing down the time scope for the story was another big moment. This is something I have literally struggled with for years. I know the story was going to span more than a year yet I knew I did not want it cover the entire historical conflict that serves as the catalyst and background. But what years to pick?

Once again I employed keeping it simple. I combed over my research and scribbled down the years with the most activity. Then I compared that timeline with the characters’ stories. With a few adjustments I now had my time scope. I wrote out a quick, one-page summary of historical events with a sentence about where each character would be in relation to it. Finally getting a chance to “see” this helped me notice some of the decisions the characters make would be supported by what was going on historically.

It seems the theme of keeping it simple was big in August. Another useful aid was creating a cheat sheet of info for each character. What this means was I already knew the name of parents and siblings of each character, but instead of flipping back and forth from Scrivener to my manuscript printout, I just retyped it. I left plenty of room on the page to handwrite minor characters who pop up that are associated with each character.

Something I added to the cheat sheet of info was a literal road map. This was another area I’d been struggling for years. Again, turning to history and Google Maps, I was able to approximate where people should be. The road map had to be backed up by history so that meant the story would have to be adjusted accordingly.

I was also able to estimate how long it would take characters to travel from one place to another. Of course the times are based in a perfect world. Since I identified my occupation on a recent medical form as Creator of Worlds and Puppet Master, this means I was now allowed to further mess up their journeys. *insert evil laugh here*

As it stands now, I have 23 revised chapters and am at a total of 57,591 words. This is for one character. I know there are chapters which are bloated while others are deficient. This is okay because I am nowhere near the final product.

Due to all these epiphanies in August, I am vastly more hopeful I will be able to get a complete first round revision done by November. Just in time for NaNo where I plan to write a different kind of novel, one that may or may not be revised. With all I’ve learned during August I believe I can carry the momentum into September and October. For now, though, if you’ll excuse me, there is a lake house friends and I are renting for the weekend with moonshine and other kinds of alcohol, games, and football calling my name. A well needed break to clear my frazzled mind.

 

Book Reviews

Scribbling Scrivener Reads: The Gem of Acitus and Reefer Snakes! by Jay Requard

DH Hanni

No, that’s not the title of one book, but two novellas written by Jay Requard. Because they are short, I read both this month and will review each.

First up is The Gem of Acitus which follows Manwe, a master thief better known as “The Panther”, after he steals the famed Gem of Acitus. He gives it to his lover and business partner so he can fence the jewel. Unfortunately, Manwe’s lover quickly disappears and Manwe is falsely accused of raping the daughter of the powerful man whom he had stolen the gem from

What I appreciate about the story is it doesn’t focus on Manwe clearing his name rather it focuses on Manwe trying to find his lover in order to re-steal the stone. This is where the real story is and in a short amount of time, approximately 26 Kindle pages, the reader gets a lot of emotion and character development.

Mr. Requard does an excellent job quickly getting the reader immersed into the story’s world and the character of Manwe. Manwe is very likeable. Yes, he’s a thief but he does it for honorable reasons, he doesn’t pocket a lot of the money what he steals brings instead giving it to a rebel cause. He is selfless and cares more deeply about his lover than the gem.

This was one of those stories I felt at the same time the appropriate length yet I wanted to see more of the world. On a scale of 1 to 5 pencils, I give The Gem of Acitus three-and-three quarter pencils.

Next I read Reefer Snakes! and it is very different from The Gem of Acitus. Where The Gem of Acitus has a love story at the core of it, Reefer Snakes! is essentially a stoner comedy set in a fictional Iron Age world. Jishnu is the main character and member of a mercenary group called the Grinders Sellsword Company. A bureaucrat approaches the Grinders to protect the cannabis fields overseen by a shaman named Spliff and a naga (man-snake) named King Patta.

I’ll just let that description sink in for a minute.

However, all is not what it seems. Despite the constant haze, the Grinders Sellsword Company is still able to get the job done demonstrating what amazing warriors they are. It is during the final showdown the reader learns the true intent was in sending the Grinders to the cannabis fields.

Reefer Snakes! is funny and very odd. Its world is gritty, like The Gem of Acitus, but unlike that world, this one is even more brutal. While I liked this story and it made me laugh several time, it is what it is. It’s meant to be humorous and bizarre but nothing more than that. It doesn’t have the emotional pull of the other novella, which is fine.

If you want something fun to read, that won’t tax your brain, then Reefer Snakes! is for you. On a scale of 1 to 5 pencils, I give it two-and-three quarter pencils.