We just started another round of the Blog Chain, and I'm the second in line. Annie has this question for us:
Do you ever get inspired by a real-life event or news story and fear you're ripping off the story too much? Do you ever get inspired by a song or poem or line from a book and worry you're stealing that original person's idea? What if your research is overtaking your originality?
Given some of the prominent lawsuits involving plagiarism, I can see why Annie is concerned. After all, no one wants to be sentenced to wear 70's fashion the way George Harrison was after being found guilty of unconsciously "borrowing" from "He's So Fine" when he wrote "My Sweet Lord." (Here he is in "This Song," which was written in response to the lawsuit.)
On a serious note, you can't copyright an idea, only the expression of an idea. This means, for instance, that anyone can write about teenagers going to wizard school or falling in love with vampires, and Rowling and Meyer can't complain. However, if your characters are too similar to those in the Harry Potter or Twilight series, then that might be a problem. And if you lift lines from those books, expect to have one thrown at you. However, you can give an old story a new spin by telling it from a different character's perspective or using it in a new way. For instance, Wide Sargasso Sea tells the tale of Bertha, Mr. Rochester's mad wife in Jane Eyre. Jasper Fforde plays with the plot of Jane Eyre and many other famous books in his Thursday Next series. I've read several short stories that offer a new twist on classic fairy tales, and I own anthologies that feature SF/fantasy twists on Shakespeare or Sherlocke Holmes.
I've mentioned before on this blog that the Beatles have inspired my Season Lord and Paul Harrison books. In my Season Lord series, the Beatles inspired my quartet of young magical women, but Gwen, Jenna, Ysabel, and Kay have their own unique histories and attitudes. Things do become more tricky with my Paul Harrison stories. The prequel to Across Two Universes was called "Move Over Ms. L.," which is the title of a John Lennon solo song. I did quote some lines from the song in the early drafts, so if I'd ever gotten it published, I would have had to seek permission to use them, probably paying a hefty sum for the privilege. Ultimately, I chose to reword the lines to avoid that problem. I've also mentioned that the first drafts of ATU used real historical people (John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Sean Lennon) as characters. Granted, they were in an alternate universe, so technically they weren't the same people in ours. I was worried about possible lawsuits, so I decided to change the names and some other identifying characteristics. (For instance, "Yoko" will now be Filipina instead of Japanese.) I think this change is for the better, as I have freedom to create my characters the way I want instead of being forced to use the real ones. Although I'm changing the details of John's death, I'm still using my research as a model for my fiction. Across Two Universes is a mix of several ideas, so even if quest stories, cloning, rock stars, and Hamlet aren't original, the combination is unique.
Annie said in her blog she was so worried about these questions that it inhibited her writing. My advice for her is to go ahead and give yourself the freedom to write without worrying if it's original. The more you write and hone your skills, the better you'll be at finding your own way of telling a story. Besides, stories may change so much from draft to draft that what started out as being about one thing may turn out to be something else instead.
That's all I have for now. Archy is up next, so head over to her blog for her unique ideas on this topic!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Work In Progress Wednesday
I always sneak these in right under the wire, don't I? It's hard to get much done in the evening when your toddler doesn't go to bed until nine and you don't get to leave his room until after ten:
Currently On: Chapter 10, Page 105
Total Pages: Page 295
Total Words: 95,000
I finally got my characters off the train and into Chicago, so things are moving along! Of course, it would help if I had more time. Maybe I should start writing at 5:30 in the morning, since I'm up anyway. I mean, what else would I possibly want to do....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Currently On: Chapter 10, Page 105
Total Pages: Page 295
Total Words: 95,000
I finally got my characters off the train and into Chicago, so things are moving along! Of course, it would help if I had more time. Maybe I should start writing at 5:30 in the morning, since I'm up anyway. I mean, what else would I possibly want to do....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Alex, Clover, and the Wall
Normally, if Alex wants to go to the park in the evening, we do so right after we get home. I get home at least an hour before Eugene does, so there's usually time to play a bit before I have to get dinner ready. Today, although Alex asked to go to the park, he also wanted apple juice. After I gave it to him, he wanted to watch an episode of The Wonder Pets! I thought he'd forgotten about the park, but he remembered--just as a friend called. I had to cut the call short and carry him to the park.
Once there, he went down the slide a couple of times and then on the swing. I tried urging him home (since I'd seen Eugene arrive), but as toddlers do, he became distracted. A huge patch of clover in blossom was next to the park, and he wanted to watch a bee visiting them. Luckily, he didn't try to touch the bee; I warned him it would be "owie." Alex kept calling the clover blossoms dandelions, even after I told him they were clover. He also wanted to pick some of them--or rather, have me pick them for him. I thought he might take them home, but he dropped them.
Alex then wandered over to the stone retaining wall separating the grass from the park. The drop to the park is a couple of feet. I've let him walk on the wall before when I could parallel him on the ground and hold him steady. Of course, that meant he wanted to do it now, when I wasn't in a good position to support him. I followed behind him as closely as I could, holding onto one arm and trying to get him on the other side. He was doing OK when he slipped. The good news is that he fell onto the grass next to the wall, so he didn't fall far. The not-so-good news is that he scraped his leg. It's not serious--it already looks better than it did earlier--but it upset him. I distracted him with a pine cone I found under a tree and finally carried him home for dinner.
Once there, he went down the slide a couple of times and then on the swing. I tried urging him home (since I'd seen Eugene arrive), but as toddlers do, he became distracted. A huge patch of clover in blossom was next to the park, and he wanted to watch a bee visiting them. Luckily, he didn't try to touch the bee; I warned him it would be "owie." Alex kept calling the clover blossoms dandelions, even after I told him they were clover. He also wanted to pick some of them--or rather, have me pick them for him. I thought he might take them home, but he dropped them.
Alex then wandered over to the stone retaining wall separating the grass from the park. The drop to the park is a couple of feet. I've let him walk on the wall before when I could parallel him on the ground and hold him steady. Of course, that meant he wanted to do it now, when I wasn't in a good position to support him. I followed behind him as closely as I could, holding onto one arm and trying to get him on the other side. He was doing OK when he slipped. The good news is that he fell onto the grass next to the wall, so he didn't fall far. The not-so-good news is that he scraped his leg. It's not serious--it already looks better than it did earlier--but it upset him. I distracted him with a pine cone I found under a tree and finally carried him home for dinner.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
A Few Random Things
* I have magnetic clip-on shades for my glasses. They've been missing for several months, but today Eugene found them in, of all places, my laptop bag. The ironic thing about that is I had my eye exam today. My prescription didn't change, so I'm not getting new glasses, at least for now.
* My son got to make a stuffed animal today at daycare; they had a company called Noah's Ark come in. Alex made a cute white teddy bear with a brown nose. He also named it--"Raccoon."
* I ordered some extra balls --200 of them--for Alex's ball pit. They arrived today at work. One of my co-workers saw them and jokingly asked what kind of scientific equipment it was. I told him I was studying the kinetics of toddlers.
* Writing is going extremely slowly. I was hoping to write a bit after my eye exam, but traffic ate up my free time.
* Speaking of traffic, why would IDOT close the highway entrance I use and cut the detour down to one lane at the same time? I have enough trouble getting to work on time with Alex as it is.
* My son got to make a stuffed animal today at daycare; they had a company called Noah's Ark come in. Alex made a cute white teddy bear with a brown nose. He also named it--"Raccoon."
* I ordered some extra balls --200 of them--for Alex's ball pit. They arrived today at work. One of my co-workers saw them and jokingly asked what kind of scientific equipment it was. I told him I was studying the kinetics of toddlers.
* Writing is going extremely slowly. I was hoping to write a bit after my eye exam, but traffic ate up my free time.
* Speaking of traffic, why would IDOT close the highway entrance I use and cut the detour down to one lane at the same time? I have enough trouble getting to work on time with Alex as it is.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Back on the Blog Chain: Can You Feel It?
For this round, Christine picked the topic:
How do you add emotional depth to your stories? How to do [stet] know when you have enough emotional content? And how to [stet] you keep it authentic?
Annie posted before me, and Archy will follow.
Before I get started, here's my theme song for this topic:
I'm going to answer the questions out of order.
How do you add emotional depth to your stories? I actually took an e-mail course on Empowering Characters' Emotions several years ago through the Romance Writers of America. Unfortunately, I don't think they offer the Killer Instinct classes anymore. We covered too much material for me to summarize it effectively, but I can offer a few tips (and examples from my own work). One of my techniques is to consider physical responses to emotion as a sixth sense, one focusing on the body. This means I sprinkle in physical responses to emotion as I would any other piece of description. Here's an example from my short story "A Reptile at the Reunion"; I wrote this paragraph as a writing exercise for my course:
Anger seeped like acid into my stomach, then erupted, burning my face and pooling in my palms. Even the hair on my forearms felt repulsed by it. My jaws ached like overstretched rubber bands as I clamped them shut.
(The examples were supposed to be over-the-top, but I don't think it's too much.)
Emotions also affect characters' perceptions, so I have them color how the character views a setting. Here's an example from my current novel, Across Two Universes. The main character, Paul, is at his mother's funeral:
Paul’s inner strength melted when he reached the funeral home’s entrance. He sagged against the black iron railing. Below him, fresh green grass and yellow flowers taunted him with their exuberance. How could anything be normal or joyful again?
How do you keep it authentic? Here, I do what most writers do: draw on my own experiences and my observations of other people. Even if I haven't experienced exactly what my character is going through, I can project how I might feel onto him or her. I have to have some empathy for his or her situation; after all, as Robert Frost said, "no tears in the writer, no tears in the reader." (I like this quote so much I've used it in another Blog Chain post.) I also try to make sure the emotions flow naturally in the scene and that they are appropriate responses to stimuli. (I learned this from Jack Bickman's Scene and Structure.) Sometimes this may require rearranging scene elements.
How do you know when you have enough emotional content? When my readers react the way I want them to react. I'm too wrapped up in the story to judge it effectively, but if I can make a reader feel my character's pain, then I've done my job.
Feel free to follow the other links in the chain to learn how other writers handle emotion. Tune in later this month for another Blog Chain topic!
How do you add emotional depth to your stories? How to do [stet] know when you have enough emotional content? And how to [stet] you keep it authentic?
Annie posted before me, and Archy will follow.
Before I get started, here's my theme song for this topic:
I'm going to answer the questions out of order.
How do you add emotional depth to your stories? I actually took an e-mail course on Empowering Characters' Emotions several years ago through the Romance Writers of America. Unfortunately, I don't think they offer the Killer Instinct classes anymore. We covered too much material for me to summarize it effectively, but I can offer a few tips (and examples from my own work). One of my techniques is to consider physical responses to emotion as a sixth sense, one focusing on the body. This means I sprinkle in physical responses to emotion as I would any other piece of description. Here's an example from my short story "A Reptile at the Reunion"; I wrote this paragraph as a writing exercise for my course:
Anger seeped like acid into my stomach, then erupted, burning my face and pooling in my palms. Even the hair on my forearms felt repulsed by it. My jaws ached like overstretched rubber bands as I clamped them shut.
(The examples were supposed to be over-the-top, but I don't think it's too much.)
Emotions also affect characters' perceptions, so I have them color how the character views a setting. Here's an example from my current novel, Across Two Universes. The main character, Paul, is at his mother's funeral:
Paul’s inner strength melted when he reached the funeral home’s entrance. He sagged against the black iron railing. Below him, fresh green grass and yellow flowers taunted him with their exuberance. How could anything be normal or joyful again?
How do you keep it authentic? Here, I do what most writers do: draw on my own experiences and my observations of other people. Even if I haven't experienced exactly what my character is going through, I can project how I might feel onto him or her. I have to have some empathy for his or her situation; after all, as Robert Frost said, "no tears in the writer, no tears in the reader." (I like this quote so much I've used it in another Blog Chain post.) I also try to make sure the emotions flow naturally in the scene and that they are appropriate responses to stimuli. (I learned this from Jack Bickman's Scene and Structure.) Sometimes this may require rearranging scene elements.
How do you know when you have enough emotional content? When my readers react the way I want them to react. I'm too wrapped up in the story to judge it effectively, but if I can make a reader feel my character's pain, then I've done my job.
Feel free to follow the other links in the chain to learn how other writers handle emotion. Tune in later this month for another Blog Chain topic!
Alex's Third Fourth
This weekend, Alex got to celebrate his third Fourth of July. In recent years, it's become a tradition of ours to spend the Fourth watching fireworks at a friend's house. Alex has been there every year since he was born, but this is the first time he showed interest in fireworks.
Our weekend started on Friday, since I was off from work, daycare was closed, and Eugene only worked a half day. I wanted to take Alex to the library to play in the morning, but it was closed. Instead, we bought Alex some summer-weight pajamas, browsed at a pet shop, and had lunch at a nearby restaurant. (Alex had to get a balloon, of course.) Alex fell asleep on the way home but woke up when I tried to take him out of the car. We hoped to take him to a local festival in the afternoon, but the carnival didn't open until the evening. By then, Alex had a late nap, which made it tough to put him to bed. It didn't help that our neighbors kept shooting off fireworks. The noise startled Alex, but once we showed him what fireworks were, he was entranced and kept asking for them. Still, it took me two hours and four attempts to put him in the crib before he was finally sound asleep.
Saturday was unusually cold and rainy for the Fourth--we couldn't spend it in the park. Instead, we had lunch with Eugene's mother and brothers. I took my laptop along to entertain Alex with videos. He got a decent nap on the way home, allowing me to write, but then Eugene had a headache and needed to sleep it off. (I had a headache too, but I don't nap very well, and Alex wanted to play with me, so there's no rest for the mother.) We wound up getting to our friend's house around seven, later than we normally do. There was still plenty of time to eat (Alex ate a cupcake first and went for the burgers later) and play. Alex particularly enjoyed a playhouse (he laughed whenever I climbed in and out of the windows), a toy riding pony that made sounds, and a slide. We pointed out the early fireworks to him, and he kept running down to the edge of the lawn to get closer. He was pretty good during the show itself, though he did go up to Eugene a couple of times as he was taking pictures. We finally left around ten, well past his bedtime. We changed him before leaving, so he fell asleep in the car and stayed asleep when I put him to bed. Unfortunately, he woke up at 5:30 crying, so everyone had to get up too. At least he's taking a good nap now. Hopefully we can take him to the park or enjoy the last of the weekend in some other way.
Our weekend started on Friday, since I was off from work, daycare was closed, and Eugene only worked a half day. I wanted to take Alex to the library to play in the morning, but it was closed. Instead, we bought Alex some summer-weight pajamas, browsed at a pet shop, and had lunch at a nearby restaurant. (Alex had to get a balloon, of course.) Alex fell asleep on the way home but woke up when I tried to take him out of the car. We hoped to take him to a local festival in the afternoon, but the carnival didn't open until the evening. By then, Alex had a late nap, which made it tough to put him to bed. It didn't help that our neighbors kept shooting off fireworks. The noise startled Alex, but once we showed him what fireworks were, he was entranced and kept asking for them. Still, it took me two hours and four attempts to put him in the crib before he was finally sound asleep.
Saturday was unusually cold and rainy for the Fourth--we couldn't spend it in the park. Instead, we had lunch with Eugene's mother and brothers. I took my laptop along to entertain Alex with videos. He got a decent nap on the way home, allowing me to write, but then Eugene had a headache and needed to sleep it off. (I had a headache too, but I don't nap very well, and Alex wanted to play with me, so there's no rest for the mother.) We wound up getting to our friend's house around seven, later than we normally do. There was still plenty of time to eat (Alex ate a cupcake first and went for the burgers later) and play. Alex particularly enjoyed a playhouse (he laughed whenever I climbed in and out of the windows), a toy riding pony that made sounds, and a slide. We pointed out the early fireworks to him, and he kept running down to the edge of the lawn to get closer. He was pretty good during the show itself, though he did go up to Eugene a couple of times as he was taking pictures. We finally left around ten, well past his bedtime. We changed him before leaving, so he fell asleep in the car and stayed asleep when I put him to bed. Unfortunately, he woke up at 5:30 crying, so everyone had to get up too. At least he's taking a good nap now. Hopefully we can take him to the park or enjoy the last of the weekend in some other way.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Work In Progress Wednesday
Here's a quick update:
Currently On: Page 100, Chapter 10
Total Pages: 289
Total Words: 93,000
After going around and around with a scene, I finally figured out what to do with it and finished a chapter. Yay! I think I even know what I want to do next. I deleted a scene I no longer needed, but at least it's progress. Now if only I could sleep past five in the morning, I might have enough energy to do something.
Currently On: Page 100, Chapter 10
Total Pages: 289
Total Words: 93,000
After going around and around with a scene, I finally figured out what to do with it and finished a chapter. Yay! I think I even know what I want to do next. I deleted a scene I no longer needed, but at least it's progress. Now if only I could sleep past five in the morning, I might have enough energy to do something.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Wonderful Weekend
We had a good weekend, though Alex probably had the best time of all of us. ;)
Yesterday morning our favorite pair of babysitters came to visit. One stayed with Alex and took him to the park while I went to the mall with the other one. I meant to buy Alex some more summer pajamas, but instead I wound up buying a pair of slacks, a blouse, and a dress. Maybe this weekend we can use a gift card he got for his birthday.
After Eugene got home, we visited some friends we met in our birthing class. They now have two daughters; one is about ten days younger than Alex (but she really has great verbal skills), and the other is five months. We met the younger one for the first time yesterday. Alex enjoyed playing with all the toys at the house, but he didn't get to play in the pool due to the weather. He also got a belated birthday gift: a set of play golf clubs. (Alex gave Anna a book.)
This morning, I unpacked one of his birthday presents: a "megamaze" consisting of two tunnels, a toy tepee, and a tent. They're supposed to attach together, but they're too big to all have up in the house, and I don't want to leave them outside. Alex loved crawling through the tunnels so much he insisted I do it too. It must be much easier for a toddler than a grownup!
A friend of Eugene gave us free passes for the Brookfield Zoo, so we went after breakfast. By the time we arrived, Alex was already starting to get tired, but he held out long enough to tour the butterfly garden, eat chopped onions (and only chopped onions) for lunch, and visit a "play zoo" where he got to play animal doctor and stare at goldfish. (Yes, we drove 40 minutes for goldfish. Talk about anti-climatic!) He managed to eat some ice cream, but he fell asleep in his wagon on the way back to the car. We didn't get to see much of the zoo, but maybe it'll be easier once he's older. I don't have any photos because the batteries in my camera died.
After we got home and I made Alex pancakes, he was much happier. He played with his new toys and ate turkey burgers, mixed veggies, and watermelon--with ketchup. He wound up going to bed early since he had a short nap. I hope this doesn't mean an early wake-up call tomorrow!
Yesterday morning our favorite pair of babysitters came to visit. One stayed with Alex and took him to the park while I went to the mall with the other one. I meant to buy Alex some more summer pajamas, but instead I wound up buying a pair of slacks, a blouse, and a dress. Maybe this weekend we can use a gift card he got for his birthday.
After Eugene got home, we visited some friends we met in our birthing class. They now have two daughters; one is about ten days younger than Alex (but she really has great verbal skills), and the other is five months. We met the younger one for the first time yesterday. Alex enjoyed playing with all the toys at the house, but he didn't get to play in the pool due to the weather. He also got a belated birthday gift: a set of play golf clubs. (Alex gave Anna a book.)
This morning, I unpacked one of his birthday presents: a "megamaze" consisting of two tunnels, a toy tepee, and a tent. They're supposed to attach together, but they're too big to all have up in the house, and I don't want to leave them outside. Alex loved crawling through the tunnels so much he insisted I do it too. It must be much easier for a toddler than a grownup!
A friend of Eugene gave us free passes for the Brookfield Zoo, so we went after breakfast. By the time we arrived, Alex was already starting to get tired, but he held out long enough to tour the butterfly garden, eat chopped onions (and only chopped onions) for lunch, and visit a "play zoo" where he got to play animal doctor and stare at goldfish. (Yes, we drove 40 minutes for goldfish. Talk about anti-climatic!) He managed to eat some ice cream, but he fell asleep in his wagon on the way back to the car. We didn't get to see much of the zoo, but maybe it'll be easier once he's older. I don't have any photos because the batteries in my camera died.
After we got home and I made Alex pancakes, he was much happier. He played with his new toys and ate turkey burgers, mixed veggies, and watermelon--with ketchup. He wound up going to bed early since he had a short nap. I hope this doesn't mean an early wake-up call tomorrow!
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