Reviews of favorite books

Writing Craft: Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell

11/27/2023

Plot & Structure is a solid writing guide from thriller writer James Scott Bell. He says, “Plot is about elements, those things that go into the mix of making a good story even better. Structure is about timing--where in the mix those elements go.”
According to Bell, “Without a character facing trouble that is understandable to the reader, you don’t have a plot at all.”
“Solid plots have one and only one dominant objective for the Lead character.” This objective [or goal] must be “absolutely crucial” to her happiness and well being.

Openings:
Possible story openings include showing the lead character in action, expressing raw emotion [in context], or revealing a strong attitude. Initial reader bonding with the main character can be enhanced through showing the character’s humanity, putting her in jeopardy or facing long odds, and revealing inner conflict.
Bell advises:

“Start your story from the first sentence.
“Beginnings are always about the who of the story…begin by connecting the reader to the Lead as quickly as possible.
“From a structural standpoint, the initial disturbance [inciting incident] creates reader interest. It is an implicit promise of an interesting story yet to come.
“Give readers a feeling of motion, of something happening or about to happen. Give them this feeling from the very start.

Intensity Outline:
One of the most helpful techniques in this book was ranking scenes in the manuscript by their tension level. He says, “As a general rule you want the trouble to increase as the story moves along.”
When revising, he suggests eliminating the scenes with the lowest intensity.
Bell gives concrete tips for ramping up the tension, based on threatening the lead character physically, professionally, or psychologically.

I also like to raise the stakes by threatening the main character’s relationships or endangering their loved ones. According to Bell, “worrying the reader is the primary goal...”
He says, “If you can create a character worth following and a problem that must be solved--and then find a way to raise the stakes even higher--you’re going to have the essential elements of a page-turner."

On Dialogue:

“No two characters should sound exactly alike. And…the words they use should tell us something about who they are.”
“Think of dialogue as weapons used in the plot. Plot is about confrontation…So verbal weapons are naturally going to be employed by characters trying to outmaneuver each other.”

Using confrontational dialogue has the added benefit of letting the reader absorb crucial information in an organic, unobtrusive way. “I know you slept with my sister!” is more provocative than exposition telling the reader the character is suspicious and jealous of their sister.

Knockout Endings:
Bell provides tools for crafting an ending that is both satisfying and surprising. He says, “You want to leave your readers with a last page that makes the ending more than satisfying. You want it to be memorable, to stay with readers after the book is closed.”
The book also covers how to evaluate story ideas, practical methods for constructing compelling scenes, a comprehensive overview of revision, and a guide to troubleshooting plot problems.

Passion:
Bell states, “passion is the most important [element] for your writer’s soul and, almost always, your ultimate success."
“If you are passionate about your [story] idea and reasonably certain about the potential it has to reach readers, trim away anything that is not in line with that potential."
In other words, write what you love!

Writing Craft: Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint by Nancy Kress

11/21/2023

Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint delivers on all three critical aspects of crafting fiction.
Nancy Kress explores characterization through physicality, voice, and motivation. She provides pertinent examples and step-by-step instructions for crafting character emotions.
The pros and cons of different point of view choices is the most impactful discussion of viewpoints I’ve read to date.
Overall, this is an exceptional writing guide.

Favorite quotes:

“Readers want to care what happens in the story, and character is how you make them care.”
“Unless it’s on the page, the reader doesn’t get it. [The author] must constantly be aware of what the page reads like to someone who is coming to it cold.”
“Make everything serve more than one purpose. [E.g., characterization can color emotion and reinforce point of view]”
“Chapter ends, scene ends, and one-line paragraphs all give emphasis to whatever appears there.
“If you want your character’s emotions to be taken seriously by the reader, underplay it rather than overplay.

Characterization:
“The first step is to decide what overall impression you want your character to make on the reader . . . Next, choose a few visual images that project that image . . . choose a mix of details that give readers both some concrete images and a coherent interpretation of those images by the [character observing them].
For example, other characters describe my main character Ayda in Sky God’s Warrior as “moving with predatory grace,” “shockingly handsome,” and "uncivilized."

Nancy Kress also covers character change:

“Character change must come about in response to story events.”
“Your charcaracter must have emotional responses to these events.”
“We must be shown [character change]. This is called validation, and it is essential for all changing characters.”
“A character who genuinely changes needs a validation scene, usually at the end of the story, to dramatize that the change is permanent.”

Motivation:

“Motivation is the key to your entire story.”
“People often want more than one thing because people hold more than one value. What makes life--and fiction--interesting is when those values collide.”

For example, Ayda, the headstrong hero of Sky God’s Warrior, values self-direction and independence, but she also values honor and duty. These values collide when her grandmother asks her to stay and protect the clan (duty) instead of returning to her (independent) life as a nomadic warrior. Once Ayda chooses to give her word (honor), she’s duty bound to stay, though she tries to solve problems without asking for help (self-direction).
These conflicting values shape motivation and hence character choice.

Nancy Kress takes colliding values a step further and suggests writers “consider what your character’s attitude toward his choice will be.”
She suggests “you dramatize your character’s choices the same way you dramatize anything else: with actions, thoughts, dialogue, backstory, and emotion.”

Emotions:

“The aim is not to label emotions: it is to make the reader experience the same emotion that the character does.

This is performed through four techniques:

Actions: make your characters do something that accurately expresses their feelings; [he] “hit the boy who tormented him.”
Dialogue: Avoid characters talking about their feelings (“fiction is not therapy”). Example: ‘Don’t, don’t! You’ll break my arm’ is far more vivid than, ‘He felt afraid’. "
Bodily sensations: “clenched hands,” and “sob and gasp are all preverbal and vivid.”
Thoughts: Instead of “I was angry” try “I wanted to tear her head off” or “I had to turn away before I said something I would regret later.”

“Note that bodily reactions and inner thoughts trump actions and dialogue. The body doesn’t lie.” [Thus a deceptive character may say one thing (That’s fine) but feel something else (No way!)]
Ask yourself: “What emotion do you want your readers to experience during the scene you’re writing? Find sensory details that will reinforce that feeling.”
The book also covers techniques to portray mixed emotions and changing character emotions.

Viewpoint:

“Use as few POV [point of view] characters as you can get away with and still tell the story you want to tell.
“First person [I, me] has the advantages of immediacy, individual language [voice], and internal range [of emotion & thought], but disadvantages of limited flexibility, claustrophobia, and greater difficulty for the writer in being objective [determining how the text actually reads].”
“Third person [he, she, they] has the advantage of greater flexibility, external range, and objectivity, but may be less immediate and individualistic than first person.”
“Omniscient POV, which goes into many characters’ minds at will and includes authorial comments, is hard to do well.”

The final chapter of the book gives hints for a workable writing process (start by becoming your characters) and a detailed analysis of scenes to determine what works or doesn’t work in the narrative.
This guide is a treasure of practical tools for any fiction writer.
Not only did I learn new skills, I discovered a name for what I like to write:
“The ‘little tailor’ plot, in which circumstances force a person to discover within himself strengths he did not know he possessed.”

Fiction: The Future Second by Second by Meridel Newton

11/14/2023

I’ve been kicking around an idea for a post-apocalyptic story where humans survive through cooperation and consensus rather than brutal anarchy (inspired by the nonfiction A Paradise Built in Hell). The plot would involve violent outsiders (think Mad Max) who come to prey on the peaceful heroes . . .
I was delighted to discover Meridel Newton had already written this story.
Hooray! Now I can focus on finishing my novel.

The Future Second by Second is technically a novella, a small, slim book (120 pages), yet it manages to explore quite a few themes. We meet Vasha in the first chapter, an older woman who uses a cane for her club foot. She commiserates with Ben, the commune’s not-very-good cook.

As our understanding of the setting expands, we discover the community has a central bunker-like building and some “outlier” homes. There are fields of grain and farm animals. Some individuals specialize in farming, others hunting, and still others the arts.
Violent outsiders do come to prey on our heroes--raiders looking to steal their food just as winter is setting in. But the community leader suggests a surprising solution that may (or may not) save her people.

The book changes point-of-view frequently and at times I wasn't entirely grounded in the POV character--meaning it took a page or so to figure out who I was “following.”
I also found some of the characters stereotypical and a few plot resolutions a too tidy for my taste.

The character relationships give this book depth. There are conflicted factions within the community, and two teenagers have run away, inciting a “Romeo and Juliet” scenario. One teenager is from a powerful family hiding dark secrets, and the other from a newer family hoping for a fresh start. How the various family members deal with this situation, and the interaction between the community members and the raiders, makes for a fascinating read.

The ending was absolutely satisfying and had a delightful reveal/twist. Recommended.

Fiction: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

11/6/2023

If you’re looking for a fun space opera with depth and heart, check out Becky Chambers’ The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet.
I snagged a copy from Left Bank Books at Archon 46.
This book kept showing up on my to-read list, and I understand why. It’s a delightful romp.
It's also a true page-turner. The climax at the end was a nail-biter. I stayed up late finishing the book!

The novel follows nine colorful characters aboard the Wayfarer, a ship that tunnels wormholes through space (technically subspace).
The two primary characters are Captain Ashby, an idealistic man born on a generation ship, and Rosemary, a human from the Mars colony with a shameful secret. The Wayfarer is piloted by a reptilian alien who prefers to be naked and engage in group sex (nothing pornographic). The two techs that keep the Wayfarer running are a tattooed dwarf in love with the ship’s AI system, and a woman who’s LOUD in voice, mannerisms, and clothing. A cantankerous scientist, six-limbed chef, and symbiont Navigator complete the crew.

The book is expertly written (read my post on multiple storylines for more).
Despite the huge cast of characters, all of whom have point-of-view scenes, it never gets confusing. The author also manages to make the nonhuman characters both alien and empathetic:

“Ohan [the symbiont Navigator] was afraid. They could disconnect themself from fear, but it lingered, like an unpleasant taste in the back of the throat. Fear. Such a throwback emotion, meant to spur primitive life-forms away from potential predators. Life’s universal constant.”
[Sissix the reptilian pilot trying to understand human grief]: “The death of a child about to feather, yes, that was sad. But the real tragedy was the loss of an adult with friends and lovers and family. The idea that a loss of potential was somehow worse than a loss of achievement and knowledge was something she had never been able to wrap her brain around.”
[The philosophical six-limbed Chef]: “People can do terrible things when they feel safe and powerful. . . . all any of us can do is work to be something positive instead. That is a choice that every sapient must make every day of their life. The universe is what we make of it.”
[Ohan the symbiont Navigator]: “You kill microbes all the time, in your kitchens, your cargo, without a second thought. But consider the bacteria living in your skins, your mouths, your guts, creatures you could not survive without. You, too, are a synthesis between organisms large and small.”

I fell in love with the Wayfarer and her quirky found-family crew. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series, which explores the adventures of a sentient AI and her human friends.

Fiction: Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

10/29/2023

“The tower, which was not supposed to be there, plunges into the earth . . .” so begins Jeff VanderMeer’s intriguing novel, Annihilation.
A biologist and three women are sent to study Area X, a mysterious area devoid of human settlement. The more they explore, the stranger things become.
We studied this book in my Contemporary Dark Fiction class with Richard Thomas, which helped me appreciate the author’s meticulous craft.

Almost every section starts and ends with a tantalizing narrative hook to draw the reader deeper into the story. Some of my personal favorites:

Originally our expedition had numbered five and included a linguist . . .
At the time, we didn’t think to look for more sets of boot prints.
Experience told our superiors that few if any of us would be coming back.
Perhaps my only real expertise, my only talent, is to endure beyond the endurable.

The use of background information was masterful, just enough to keep me engaged and curious, yet never bogging down the story’s forward momentum. Backstory comprised about 20% of the total novel, more than I expected, because it blended so well into the overall storyline.
Similarly, foreshadowing provided critical clues to the novel’s climax and conclusion.

The most pleasurable aspect of the novel for me were the descriptions of the wilderness filling Area X. Some favorite passages:

the black water that soaked the cypress trees
beards of gray moss
dull, algae-choked lakes
oases of wind-contorted trees
shimmering gold-brown of the reeds
a smell, carrying with it the earthiness of the marsh reeds

This same poetic language is used to describe the alien tower:

A loamy smell . . . along with an underlying hint of rotting honey
whitish steps like the spiraling teeth of some unfathomable beast
gentle sweetness, as of a muted nectar
the blue-green light…surged out, blinding and bleeding and thick and layered and absorbing
a crescendo of ice or ice crystals shattering to form an unearthly noise
A raging waterfall crashed down on my mind, but the waterfall was comprised of fingers.

Annihilation is a strange and haunting journey--but one I’m glad I took.

Fiction: Tracker 220 by Jamie Krakover

10/13/2023

Teen fiction isn’t my usual reading fare, but I enjoyed Jamie Krakover’s contributions on the author’s panel at Archon 46 and decided to take a chance on her debut novel, Tracker 220.
The strengths of this book are the premise and the plot: it’s a page turner with lots of surprising twists and turns.
Set in a futuristic St. Louis, everyone is implanted with “tracking chips” at birth. The chips help authorities keep citizens “safe” and provide medical information. They also function as Google on steroids: you can access almost anything on the “network” with the blink of an eye.

Things go wrong for the protagonist, teenage Kara, when her chip goes off line. Authorities storm her house and use an invasive, painful procedure to reboot Kara’s chip. This sets off a cascade of exciting adventures: including learning to ride a flying motorcycle.
Kara’s Jewish faith is woven throughout the narrative, giving the story added depth. The Mourner’s Kaddish is mentioned a couple of times. It was a wise choice on the author’s part to leave the prayer up to the reader’s imagination, as the specifics might've distance non-Jewish readers.

I struggled with the main character’s dramatic emotions and mood swings. This might resonate with younger readers, but I skimmed the passages of her guilt-ridden angst and dithering self-doubt. They became repetitive for me.
The love triangle is a standard of teen literature, and the author does a good job setting up Kara’s internal conflict over two very different teen boys.
She also gave the reader ample reason to cheer Kara's final choice.

The most enjoyable aspect of the story were the many plot pivots. We learn there’s a traitor among the rebel Ghosts but are left guessing the traitor’s identity. I was completely surprised by the reveal at the end, though in hindsight it was well supported by the storyline. A surprising yet perfect ending.

Archon46 Hopepunk Reading List

10/1/2023

Curious? Access a reading/watching list PDF of inspiring fiction (including basic definitions of the fastest-growing genres in speculative fiction: Hopepunk, Solarpunk, and Eco-Fiction).

Thanks to my fellow panelists from the St. Louis Writers Guild for great insights and examples on our Friday evening panel, Hopepunk, Solarpunk, and Eco-Fiction: Diana Morgan, Jennifer Stolzer, and Kathy L. Brown.

Writing Craft: Write Away by Elizabeth George

9/25/2023

My writing instructor Greg Ashe recommended this book on writing craft by best-selling mystery writer Elizabeth George.
Write Away offers fresh insights into characterization, setting, voice, plot, and scene construction. She recommends the writer give her characters “flaws, allow them to doubt themselves about something, see to it that they grow and change, and make certain you are putting them into conflict [for]...conflict is what will bring your characters to life and make them real for the reader.”
And “Creating characters who are real to the reader, will evoke an emotional response within the reader.”

Characterization
The author advocates giving each character a core need. “This is something essential to a person, and automatic striving within him that, when denied, results in [a defense mechanism].”
She says the most important element of character voice “is the character’s attitude. More than anything you can do to illustrate voice for your reader, the character’s attitude will differentiate one character from another.”
Character-specific dialogue “is what all dialogue should aspire to be.” "If your dialogue is distinct enough for each character, you can run the entire scene without tag lines [he said, she said]”
Also: “...dialogue needs to be concise, [avoid] dealing with too many ideas at one time.”

Setting
The author explains how to create a setting using “specific and telling details. These are details with a message attached to them, the kinds of details that no reader forgets.”
“By the end of a novel in which the author deftly handles landscape, the reader feels as if he has been there and has experienced the location firsthand.”

Story Questions
"No matter how you choose to begin your novel, you have to think about creating an opening that either possesses or promises excitement, intrigue, or high interest for the reader. It should reflect some element of the conflicts [of] the plot [or] some indication of theme.”
“Skilled writers know that what you’re supposed to open up your story. You do this by creating scenes in which you lay down--but do not answer!--dramatic questions…if you do answer a dramatic question in a scene as the novel progresses, you’ve already laid down another. You do this by making partial disclosures instead of giving out all the information you possess.”

Scene Building
“Think of a scene as you would a complete story, and shape it like a story…begin at a low point…the tension should rise as the conflict brews. At the height of the conflict you should have the climax and [the resolution that follows] propels the entire novel forward.”
“make sure that every scene either advances the plot, advances one of the subplots, develops character, or addresses theme.”

Narrative Unity
“Every sentence in every paragraph you write either should be an amplification of the sentence that precedes it or should address itself to a prevailing [topic]. If the sentence you’re writing does neither, get rid of it.”
“When you write with an awareness of bridges and transitions [between paragraphs], you create an experience for the reader that is seductive and mysterious.” “The last sentence in one paragraph either is directly related to the first sentence in the next paragraph that follows or acts as a prompt that sets up the next paragraph.”
To create narrative unity, each scene advances the plot, each paragraph advances the scene and revolves around a central idea, each sentence within each paragraph addresses the topic of that paragraph.
“Be critical of but not brutal with your writing. If something isn’t essential, get rid of it.”

Immersion
“Your objective is to do everything possible to keep the reader in the story.”
“Anything in your writing that smacks of device is something that’s going to make your story clunky. Anything that attracts attention to itself within your writing is something that’s going to take the reader out of the story.”

Write Yourself Silly
“Committing yourself to writing is placing yourself in a highly exposed position. Once your novel is written and published you are at the mercy of critics, the readers, your fellow writers, your family, your friends...”
“Clear your life of the things that keep you from doing the actual writing.”
“Gather knowledge about the craft of writing. Immerse yourself in the art of it. Then write. Write yourself silly.”

Nonfiction: How to be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi

9/19/2023

Ibram X. Kendi combines powerful insights, meticulous research, and personal memoir in his best-selling book, How to be an Anti-Racist.
This is one of the most impactful books I have ever read and I strongly encourage everyone to read it.
Highlights:
He says, “the consistent function of racist ideas--and any kind of bigotry more broadly [is] to manipulate us into seeing people as the problem, instead of the policies that ensnare them.”
“Institutional racism and structural racism and systemic racism are redundant. Racism is itself institutional, structural, and systemic.”

Discrimination

“Focusing on racial discrimination takes our eyes off the central agents of racism: racist policy and racist policymakers…racist power.”
“Do-nothing climate policy is racist policy since the predominantly non-White global south is being victimized by climate change more than the Whiter global north, even as the Whiter global north is contributing more to its acceleration.”

Racism

The concept of race was introduced to the world in the 15th century by European colonizers to justify the slave trade and appropriation of natural resources from “their” colonies.
“The source of racist ideas was not ignorance and hate, but self-interest.”
“Race is a mirage, but one that humanity has organized itself around in very real ways.”
“...in genetic terms, all human beings, regardless of race, are more than 99.9 percent the same”
“We often see and remember the race and not the individual. This is racist categorizing, this stuffing of our experiences with individuals into color-marked racial closets. An anti-racist treats and remembers individuals as individuals.”
“Racist ideas are not natural to the human mind.”

Assimilation

“Assimilationists believe that people of color can…be developed, become fully human, just like White people. Assimilationist ideas reduce people of color to the level of children needing instruction on how to act.”
Assimilation is based on the idea that Whiteness is the normative standard, that “To be American is to be White.”

Ethnicity

“The face of ethnic racism bares itself in the form of a persistent question: Where are you from?”
“No evidence has ever been produced…to prove that Black people are louder, angrier, nicer, funnier, lazier, less punctual, more immoral, religious, or dependent; that Asians are more subservient; that Whites are greedier…Just as race doesn’t exist biologically, race doesn’t exist behaviorally.”

Fear

“We are not meant to fear suits with policies that kill...we are to fear the weary, unarmed Lantix body from Latin America. The Arab body kneeling to Allah is to be feared. The Black body…is to be feared. Adept politicians and crime entrepreneurs manufacture [these fears] and stand before voters to deliver [them]…from fear of these other bodies.”
“...researchers have found a much stronger and clearer correlation between violent-crime levels and unemployment levels than between violent crime and race.”

Welfare

Welfare critics said “little to nothing about rich White people who depended on the welfare of inheritances, tax cuts, government contracts, hookup[s, and bailouts. They said little to nothing about the White middle class depending on the welfare of the New Deal, the GI Bill, subsidized suburbs, and exclusive White networks.”
“Poor Blacks are much more likely to live in neighborhoods where other families are poor, creating a poverty of resources and opportunities.”
“With Black poverty dense and White poverty scattered, Black poverty is visible and surrounds its victims; White poverty blends in.”

White Flight

“The combination of government welfare--in the form of subsidies, highway construction, and loan guarantees--along with often racist developers opened new wealth-building urban and suburban homes to the fleeing Whites, while largely confining Blacks natives and new Black migrants to the so-called ghettos, now overcrowded and designed to extract wealth from their residents.”
“...ordinary White people benefit from racist policies, though not nearly as much…as they could from an equitable society, one where the average White voter could have as much power as superrich White men to decide elections and shape policy. Where their kid’s business-class schools could resemble first-class prep schools of today’s superrich.”

Anti-racism

“If we accept the idea that we have no power, we are falling under the sort of mind control that will, in fact, rob us of any power to resist.”
“Behavioral enrichment programs, like mentoring and educational programs can help individuals but are bound to fail racial groups, which are held back by bad policies, not bad behavior.”
“The most effective protests create an environment whereby changing racist policy becomes in power’s self-interest, like desegregating businesses because sit-ins are driving away customers…like giving teachers raises to resume schooling”
“When it comes to healing America of racism, we want to heal America without pain, but without pain, there is no progress.”
If we “fight to create an antiracist world, then we give humanity a chance to one day survive, a chance to live in communion, a chase to be free forever.”

Fiction: Pretty Pretty Boys

9/14/2023

I bought Pretty Pretty Boys for my 82-year-old mother who reads mysteries→and she bounced it back to me (the language was too vulgar for her tastes). Another motivation for the purchase was that I've taken writing classes from the author, Gregory Ashe. (He's a phenomenal teacher.)
Confession: I don’t generally read mysteries, but I read this novel in one sitting. I experienced this book as a hot gay romance with a side of mystery, though the romance doesn't turn out the way you might expect.

The characters are the heart of this novel and I found them three-dimensional and compelling. The main character, Emery, returns to his hometown in the Missouri Ozarks after losing his job with the St. Louis Police. He was brutalized by a group of bullies as a teen, so his decision to join the hometown police force is fraught with conflicting emotions. Especially when he discovers he'll be partnered with one of his former bullies, the golden-boy Somers (who is hoping to make amends for his part in torturing Emery).
Both men are described in evocative terms: Emery is muscular (stacked) and brooding, with dark hair and amber eyes. Somers is a handsome, charming, blue-eyed blond with a drinking problem. Both men are harboring secrets that complicate their lives and their relationship with each other. The two main characters are white, however the police captain is a black woman, and a gorgeous hispanic man plays a critical role in the story.

Some of the imagery didn’t work for me: for example, Emery is described as having “scarecrow eyes” and I kept imagining black buttons. The backstory bullying seemed extreme (and no parent or teacher involvement?) The language was also awkward in spots. Aside from these minor speedbumps, it was a smooth read.

I enjoyed the author’s craftsmanship--the way he linked the chapters so I couldn’t stop reading. The characters are flawed, yet compliment each other. And there are a number of steamy sex scenes--not graphic, but gripping. I also appreciated the LGBT themes throughout.
The identity of the villain didn’t surprise me, but the last four chapters had some twists I didn't see coming, and yet they were an absolutely perfect resolution to the book.
This is a fun read, especially for anyone looking for a M/M romance-mystery.

<<Previous