I'm Alive, I Swear!

Let me start by wishing you all a (belated) Happy New Year! We're two weeks into 2012, enough time to put some resolutions to the test. Here's hoping you're all staying strong with those goals!

I have a good feeling about this year, although that could be partly because of all the excellent movies coming out. The Hunger Games, anyone? Or how about The Avengers? I'm just saying, the movie theatres might as well just take my money now. That's not even counting War Horse and Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows which have already been released that I still need to see. While I usually wait for most films to come out on DVD, there's some movies that just have to be seen on the big screen. Here's a few others that look interesting: W.E., Snow White & the Huntsman, and The Iron Lady which is already playing.

Apart from drooling over movie trailers, here's what I've been up to lately:

1. Working on my novel. This has been a 24/7 job as the process of writing a novel often is. Most days, it seems that even when I'm not writing, I'm thinking of writing, manufacturing dialogue and weaving tangled plot twists in my head.  All in all, it's been an enlightening experience thus far, and I'm learning a lot about myself, my writing, and the magic of discipline. Even if it's taking me longer than I expected! I'm getting close to the end now which has brought on some bittersweet angst -- the excitement of wrapping up loose ends and finally being done, the pressure of getting the end right, and the sadness of saying goodbye to characters that I've spent the last four and half months getting to know quite intimately, especially my protagonist who's proven to be quite the trooper.

2. Making fanvids. As I mentioned in my last blog post, I like to make fanvids for characters from movies and shows that I like. You can watch a happy one. Or a less happy one. Spoilers for Thor in the latter.

3. Updating my blog layout. You may have noticed, but O, My Kingdom for a Plot! is now 90% more blue! And there's also a somewhat blurred castle in the background! Cue the ooh-ing and ahh-ing! Kidding aside, I wanted to get a little more color up in here, straying from a tendency to go with shades of brown. Fun fact: blue was historically associated with girls (and pink with boys) until the 1930s-40s.

4. Not placing in the Writers of the Future contest. After perusing the forums, I knew I didn't have much of a chance, which was confirmed with a form rejection email. However, I'm aware of some things to do differently, and I'll likely enter again some time in the future.

5. Playing video games/reading/watching British shows/pretty much everything else that isn't working on my novel. There's a quote in circulation that goes something along the lines of, "a writer will do almost anything to avoid writing" and I've found it sadly true on more than one occasion. But! I just like to call everything else "research." You never know where you'll find plot bunnies hiding! They're sneaky like that. Plus, I'm currently stocking up on all things fantasy as I'd really like to write my own some time this year.

And speaking of, I'd love any reading recommendations for fantasy books, be they adult or YA! So please shoot some suggestions my way! Hey, that rhymed.

Multitasking and You

While I'm writing a novel, I tend to become singularly focused on that one task. It's a big, challenging one, after all! Between school and a novel, most of my brain juices are sucked dry and need to be replenished daily. But as I'm writing my current WIP (work in progress, for those not hip to writer lingo), I've found a neat little trick to help keep my brain fresh and actively engaged -- and that would be multitasking.

I don't mean it in the traditional sense of doing all kinds of different things at once, but rather alternating between different types of creative projects. For example, I've come to find that I really enjoy making fanvids for movies and TV shows that I like. Whenever I get stuck with my writing, I stop and work on a fanvid, which lets my brain think it's having a break doing something fun while also keeping the creative portion of it chugging along. Plus, I have something immediately tangible to show for my efforts and since we tend to be reward-based creatures, this helps reinforce my motivation to keep going in all facets of my creative life.

Common writer advice is when you're stuck, to step away from the piece and do something else. I've found this works almost 99.9% of the time. Of course, sometimes you just have to push through the block, but generally it doesn't hurt to work on something else for a little bit to recharge the batteries.

What sort of things do you do outside of writing when you need a break? Do you think it helps to keep in that creative mindset or "zone"?

Starting a New Story

It's pretty much like this.

On that note, I will hopefully be starting a new novel soon! Also, edits for my short story are almost finished and then I'll be sending that off to the Writers of the Future contest. Nervous, but also excited (see also: cautiously optimistic)! I haven't submitted my writing anywhere since the ninth grade so I'm interested to see how things turn out. Fingers crossed!

Beyond the Nostalgia Factor

On a recent nostalgia kick, I decided to hook up my old Nintendo 64 console to play The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, a game I played but never finished when I was much younger. For as many frustrating memories of the game, I also had fond memories, too. The Legend of Zelda games heavily influenced my creative leanings way back when, encouraging some of my first fanfiction writing, and so they hold a special place in my heart. It's a testament to the story and setting that a game like Ocarina of Time can still compete with other video games today, even lacking the graphics.

It got me thinking about what sort of qualities combine to make a "classic" or a story with long-lasting appeal -- something that makes the audience want to come back time and time again for the experience, regardless of knowing the ending.

In part, the argument could be made that it has to do with nostalgia, where memory evokes some of the good feelings associated with the reading/watching/playing/etc of the story. But I don't want to oversimplify matters here. A terrible story cannot be redeemed by nostalgia alone. There has to be that special something first to create a point of nostalgia for the future, where we can look back and go "that was really a fantastic story" and want to revisit the world and the characters that were a part of the journey.

Here are just three of the factors I've come up with:

An Identifiable Protagonist. All writers know that their main characters should be memorable in some way, or else they'll just be words on a page and soon forgotten. Taking that a step further, an identifiable protagonist is one that could be easily picked out in a line-up of characters. They are particularly unique in some way or fashion that sets them apart from your average fictional character.

Off the top of my head, examples would include Link from Zelda with his trademark green outfit or Harry Potter with his glasses and lightning bolt scar. While these are primarily appearance-based, personality shouldn't be underestimated either. Think of Jack Bauer from 24 who's recognized by his devotion to his country and getting the job done no matter what the cost; or Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games and her extraordinary selflessness in regards to her sister.

A Great Supporting Cast. No man is an island, and no one character can carry a story on their own. A setting must be populated by interesting secondary characters -- ones that have their own goals, beliefs, and purposes for being where they are and doing whatever they do. The more memorable, the better. Not all need be likable, though -- and in fact, it's better if some aren't! Audiences love to hate a despicable character as much as they enjoy rooting for a good one. (And sometimes, if they're like me, they love to love the villains, too! Poor maligned villains. ;))

A World All Their Own. It doesn't need to be an outrageous fantasy land with magic and elves prancing about, or a sci-fi universe with advanced technology aplenty, although that's always fun, but it does need to have consistency and authenticity. Magic should have rules, technology limitations, and actions consequences. This results in a believable setting that adds to the action and story, rather than distracting away from it. Examples of well thought-out worlds would be Tolkien's Middle-earth or Collins' Panem.

It goes without saying that great writing also helps make for a great story! That being said, what qualities or factors do you think make for a timeless tale? What sort of thing keeps you returning to the same stories? What are some of your favorite story worlds to "visit"?