Skeletal Writings

I'm in a semi-snarky mood right now, although I am dead serious about this concept.  Just advanced warning.

Okay, so something interesting happened one night when I was asleep.  Yes, it's a dream, and I know it was a dream because in this dream I was a singer (ha!) and I had a band (ha!) and we were successful (ha!) and I ended up richer than rich (the lols are killing me, seriously).  Anyway, in this dream me and the band were kicking over the last song for our CD and we decided on this one song, untitled at the moment.  So then I said, "It's about me and this guy.  I hate him, like so much I quite literally puke every time I see him.  Well, he didn't get the memo because he asked me to marry him."  Then one of the girls in the band said, "So maybe you should call it something like I Hate You So Much I Puke."  Then I said, "Yeah, no."  Finally we reworked the song and called it Prison or a Promise, because that related way too perfectly to the wedding aspect.  Dream over after that point (although later I have continuing segments, so...interesting, definitely).

So, Jess, what's that have to do with writing?  Well, I love the title Prison or a Promise  but it's obviously not going to be a song (I am painfully bad at singing, so there's that little issue).  Then I thought, hey, what if I used it as a chapter title?  And then I thought a lot more about it and thought, I know exactly how it fits in.  And now for the outline so I don't forget.

This is the third novel in my Slayer trilogy, so Callix Ruelo is a grown woman (anywhere from twenty five to thirty) and the only ranked female slayer (but she's dedicated to helping teenage girls develop their slaying so she's not so alone in that world).  The important thing that happens in this third novel is two men (of sorts, and I'll mention why later...for now, keep in mind that they are men in age only) propose to Callix (who is of course a slayer and would slay them if she could).  The thing is, one man (Toriaun, who is the man in age only; he's immature, can't make decisions for himself worth anything, relies on his mother to defend him, and so on) she absolutely, one million percent loathes.  At one point she thought maybe they'd have a future if he stopped keeping demons for torture purposes (having been tortured by her father from age 0 to 10, she knows it's not fun) and he's her age (okay, two years older, but close enough) and there are so many reasons she could use him (he's rich, he has influence, he's powerful, and so on).  However, being around him even in the name of business (she slays his problem demons, essentially) makes her want to puke (see a pattern here?).  Therefore, his marriage proposal (the promise), while solid, could trap her in something she doesn't want (the prison).  See how awkwardly I tied that in?  Well, the plan is to make it flow more smoothly when I write it.

By the way, the other man is Marius So-and-So (that is not actually his last name, I just don't have one for him right now) and he's a special problem of his own.  He's a serial killer, he makes sacrifices that hurt everyone around him including himself and he never realizes it, and basically he's like Callix's father.  On the count of three, let's all say "Ewwwww!"    

Well, I've been all over the board with my novel (anywhere from DELETE IT ALL! to okay, there's one paragraph that just isn't working, I need to change it to ugh, I don't even want to see this thing to wow, this is awesome! and everything in between).  The new inspiration came from a dream, where I saw the first book's final title as well as the completed first chapter.  It was also a mass market book in bookstores, which was super duper awesome, but one of the least important details.  I'm going to write this novel based on my outline as well as what I saw in the dream, and the first step is to list the three novel titles.

First book: Slayer's Playground (where Callix has first exposure to the world of slaying and nothing is too serious)

Second book:  Slayer's Paradise (where Callix has a new life and slays, slays, slays)

Third book: Slayer's Battlefield (where Callix becomes a villain, makes some tough decisions, and faces death during the Ultimate Battle Between Good and Evil)

This way, I can free up titles like "Victim Hero" and "Downward Spiral" for related chapter titles.

Okay, so apparently the trend in Young Adult books is post apocalyptic/dystopy.  I'd sort of kind of fit in.  Yay?  But here's the thing: Whether I was writing for adults, teens, kids, whoever, I'd want to write my own thing the way I wanted to write it.  I don't believe in following trends just because that's what sells.  See, that's what sold two years ago and is coming out two years later.  By the time all these post apocalyptic/dystopy stuff is out, it's a new trend.  My god, I shudder to think what people would write when the trend is happy fluffy bunnies that go around hugging people and making the world happy.  In any case, I'm writing this novel the way I want to write it and right now, it's not going easy (or at all) but at least it's working the way I want it to work.  So there is that.

One other thing I read today.  There were some people saying "We hate fantasy (specifically YA Fantasy)!  We want real because it's real!"  If I didn't think it would pop my teeth out, I'd beat my head against the nearest wall all day.  You know, when I was a kid I read a lot of slice-of-life fiction, and I hated it to no end.  Because in being real, it felt too real.  I wanted something I couldn't see every day.  Not necessarily true fantasy (I got into that as well as horror when I was about eighteen), but stuff that was clearly fictitious.  These people also said "You can only learn about the world through realistic fiction."  Sorry, but wrong.  I learned more about real-life issues through speculative fiction novels.  I'd even say I've learned more from paranormal romance than my tenth grade health class (and that is super embarrassing to admit on more than a few levels).  So no, not true.

First of all, I was Tweeting about this earlier today, but I realized I had so much to say I wanted to do a longer version here.  So if by chance anyone on here follows me on Twitter, this might seem familiar.  Now that that is out of the way...

This is the link that spawned said rant: http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php/weblog/comments/physical-erotic-perfection/.  Short version is this woman writes in, says she tries reading recommended erotica, but gets pulled out of the story because the men are ridiculously perfect.  She adds that if that's what women want, she's a bit upset nobody talked to her.  Her relationships have been all over the board size wise and none of her partners have been "perfect" but she was more than okay with it.  So essentially she's wondering what women REALLY want, and the comments are interesting.  From what I saw, it seems that some women share her view (overly perfect men are a problem and they'd rather read about people they can picture meeting in their everyday life) and some women disagree (because it's fantasy, and they want perfect in their books). 

As an important disclaimer, I do not write erotica.  I think the world will breathe a sigh of relief for that.  See, I don't have a romantic bone in my body.  I even have problems writing relationships where there's absolutely no physical contact.  I just...don't get it.  I'd butcher it so badly if I tried, it's probably better I don't.  However, I do write in a genre where the term "fantasy" is used (well, it is the fantasy genre, so...).   

The Novel That Never Ends is interesting to write.  Besides that it's never perfect and there's always something new I feel like Oh my god I have to add, it's just all the characters I'm writing about.  So, this is a fantasy novel.  Part of it is very solidly fantasy, like genre wise.  The other part is only fantasy in the respect that I only wish I could do things my characters do (which is a very different type of fantasy).  This leads me to the point, which is because I'm writing a fantasy, anything (within reason) can happen.  So, for example, if I wanted to write every single character as being sizzling hot, I could in theory get away with it.  Which brings me to the rant. 

Because here's the thing: I hate this idea that if you're writing fantasy, you should make your characters everything that turns you on (which for a sizable number of readers, would be super duper muscular men who are possessive over Their Woman).  For starters, this isn't really a huge turn-on for ME.  To be honest, if I met someone like that in real life (and by met, I just mean see them walking the street), I'd look at them and say "Meh."  Unless they happen to love writing and have no problems hearing me chatter about the latest idea that popped into my mind, and then MAYBE it's a bit of a turn-on.  I thought I'd get that out of the way first, because it's relevent to my rant.

Okay, so we have this idea that if it's fantasy, you should be writing what turns you on, and that means HOT men and HOT women and HOT creatures.  Well, I don't buy into it at all.  In this ridiculously hard to write novel, I write my "good" guys as being varied in their appearance (some of them are sizzling hot, some of them are average, one of them is super cute and looks like she's five years old, which is a problem because she's semi immortal and already has a good couple hundred years on her) and my "bad" guys as being varied but more often than not HOT and my creatures as being goofy.  Yes, goofy.  They're scary, they'll kill you, they'll kill you in the most painful ways possible, but they're hilarious to look at.  It's hopefully a little different than the fantasy genre conventions, and as soon as I get stuff more developed, it should be a lot of fun as well.  And this brings me to a point about my HOT villains.

I'm not very good at writing villains, I hate to admit.  It's a bit of a challenge to come up with their motivation for being so evil.  There's the standard take over the world aspect, which I am using.  I also want a deeper, slightly more personal reason.  One thing I'm doing well (at least, I think) is that it's not fifty villains teaming up.  There are levels of villainy and different villains want different things.  That may be a different rant for a different time.  In any case, I'm still working on them.

But one thing for sure:  My villains tend to be HOT.  And they tend to be disgusting.  A couple of main villains do this thing where they lure people to their bedroom, and they skin them, and they feed the flesh to their doglike creatures (known as Snip Snips) and make said creatures even more bloodthirsty, and they keep the skeletons for...okay, that's where I left off.  I was thinking in a future novel, they keep the skeletons to maically reanimate them and use them in their army.  Or something.  That's just the first example I could think of.  The whole thing is that I'm trying to go against this idea that HOT means good because it has been driving me up the wall.  It's why there are some genres/subgenres I frequently try, but get frustrated with after a few books.

Okay, here's another thing I just thought of.  I'm not sure if I'm writing in the Young Adult genre or not, but one reason why I wouldn't mind if I got shelfed there: I might give them a slightly healthier perspective on relationships.  Well, not exactly healthier as much as taking the "Abusive relationships are okay if the guy's hot" concept and saying "Uh, no."  I'm writing an abusive relationship and I KNOW it's an absuive.  It's just...You know how I said my villains tend to be HOT?  Well, there's this one, and his name is Toriaun.  He falls in lust/love with Callix (female lead) and at one point they have something like a relationship (besides my problems writing such a think, it's a bit one-sided; he loves her, she could do without him).  He nearly kills her one evening and has no idea why, when she's finally healthy enough to pack up and leave, she doesn't accept his "Don't go!  I NEED you!"  Because he tried to kill her and she understands that's not a good relationship.  Never mind that she's abusive as well (more mentally than physically) and yet doesn't see it.  I apologize if this was a little disjointed.  This is the first time I've been this opened on my thoughts of this particular genre and how I'd maybe change it. 

I know there's a lot more to say.  I haven't even gotten around to discussing my goofy creatures yet!  I think the important stuff has gotten out, however, so I'll leave you all with what's currently here. 

  

Title: Victim Hero (which is the original title and has been changed from that to Borrowed Life and back again.)

Main Character: Callix Ruelo (changed from Caprice Ruelo, although Caprice Ruelo is used as a psuedonyme...and I apologize for butchering the spelling of that word)

Beginning: Callix Ruelo has an unusual life, and there's detail on what that means.  Death, demons, and a serial killer father, for those folks interested in specifics.  We learn that Callix looks like a horror movie dead girl and her appearance is so scary she frightens the demons who drop by to see her.  We learn that she is abused and should've died, except said demons are keeping her alive (as well as turning her into a sometimes cannibal).  We meet Eriko (demon who is an instructor at a demon slayer school, and yes the irony is intentional, and who commits to guarding Callix even though it is a bad idea/illegal) and Simmons (spirit guide who created Callix's body and cares about her, although he has his own agenda).  There is details of Callix getting cleaned up for the first time ever, and how it's a dramatic difference.  There is talk of the slayer school, and Eriko suggests maybe she goes to that.  Throughout the beginning, Marcell Ruelo (Callix's father) talks about buying his own circus and building an ultimate death machine and becoming the greatest serial killer in the world.

Middle: More talk of ultimate death machines and circuses.  Callix is torn between Eriko and Simmons and what they both want from her (in short, the two disagree with each other and take it out on her).  Callix has a run-in with a demonic shadow and Eriko swoops in, saves her, and begins teaching Callix about demon slaying.  Astrixto (demon king and Eriko's ultimate boss) visits Callix and makes her an offer to join him in the demon realm, which she rejects because "It's scary!"  Note that in this novel, Callix is never what you'd consider tough, although she survives ridiculous amounts of pain and towards the end, stands up for herself.

End: Callix, a slayer-in-training, returns to Marcell Ruelo's house because she feels like she needs to finish something.  Marcell Ruelo introduces her to creepy new wife Melissa (a clown) and his ultimate death machine (a funnel slide that has three blades at the end, which raise from a flap and chosp you up unless he decides against it).  Callix notices ultimate death machine is bad quality and will break the first time anyone uses it.  Callix uses it, dies, and Simmons takes her back to the spirit realm to work on her reincarnation.

Things to Keep in Mind: 

Callix is no older than sixteen by the end of the novel.

Callix is friends with these people: Garret, Jin, Zoello for boys and Karielle, Delivia, Debora, Ellia for girls.

Callix is in competition with these people: Tarquel, Anquil (although it's relatively friendly), possibly  Christien and Bricio if they still exist

There is mention of a girl named Henrie, but Henrie is more of a possibility rather than someone that exists.  Henrie does exist in books two and three, which are set one thousand plsu years later when Callix reincarnates, some of these other characters are dead or have their own children who are her age, and Callix's relationships with everyone from book one change.  So, there is that major thing to keep in mind.

There is a Briella and a Toriaun, and there is relationship drama because Callix wants Toriaun for herself.  In this version of the novel, Callix is a bit more interested in guys, but not much.  At the end of the day, the only thing she can be is Toriaun's buddy.  This leads to books two and three, when Toriaun is much, much older (keep in mind, he is a semi immortal and much, much older still puts him at about age thirty in human years) and falls for Callix in a different body.  Things get weird because he has an adoptive parent relationship with Callix, who was spirited away from her human mother the day she was born, before any other type of relationship.  That, however, is a more appropriate outline for books two and three.  In short, there is a love triangle of sorts and is it convoluted!

Karielle is a human/robot hybrid and it makes perfect sense in context.  Later, Tarquel becomes a hybrid as well.

Zoello is the first cambion Callix meets, and looks very much the way she looks in books two and three.  This is more a note to self because I have no idea what that is right now.

The creature villains of this novel are most definitely Snip Snips, but I'm torn between demonic rabbits, which was in the original draft.  This is something I'll have to work in.

The primary world for this novel is Escalli (water/forest world) but Simballa (desert world) is mentioned frequently, as are Baltian and Antareas (water worlds).


            

I read an article today that made me, well, not really mad, but kind of unhappy.  The article began quite well: When a reviewer reviews a book, they need to be honest.  It continued in a decent vein (while I disagreed with the statement made, it was valid and backed up): Writers should be more than allowed to respond to reviews about their own books.  The conclusion of the piece bothered me: Writers should never ever be personally attacked.  In fact, there are some writers that are so immature and nasty to everyone that doesn't think their writing is absolute gold that maybe a (accurate) personal attack is appropriate.  But the thing that bothered me most about the conclusion was the comments it spawned.

One commenter said, not necessarily word for word, that it is never okay to attack and author OR her writing.  Excuse me?  If a book is horribly written , then I see no need to say "Well, I didn't like it, but it wasn't for me."  That writer would do well hearing "Well, I did enjoy this piece (because as the conventional reviewing wisdow states, you should always start with a compliment) but these ten (or whatever number) things kept me from enjoying this book.  Granted, this method is in no ways an attack.  I most definitely would not start a review with "You suck!" even if that was how I felt (I hate to admit it, but there are those few books and authors I am not at all impressed with) and do not recommend anyone doing it.

The thing that bothers me most about this person's comment is that they don't seem to understand that being honest and blunt is not an attack.  Because as long as you can back up your statements and you're not diving into personal insults that have no tie to what you read (accurate personal "insults" are a different case) I see no problems with the review.

Now, I have to go back to what the article said about writers should be allowed/welcomed, even to respond to reviews of their books. 

Some of the authors I like actually do this, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.  If they're saying "Thank you reviewer!" it almost sounds like "Thank you for the ego-stroking!"  If they're saying "Well, yeah, if you knew anything about my books you'd know why your review is so wrong" then it makes the author look immature/not that great.  I do appreciate author responses where they clear things up for reviewers, because that's kind of like the "If you knew anything about my books..." but instead of telling the reviewer how horrible they are for "misjuging" the writing, they give them useful information for future reference.  In fact, one reason why I (used to) avoid my favorite authors' websites was, I didn't want to find out they were jerky when responding to questions/comments/interviewer questions.  Turns out, most of the authors I like are reasonable people who handle praise and criticism well, so that was a pleasant discovery.

In short, there was this article and its comments that didn't quite do it for me.