Too Much Backstory?

As a lover of all things super-hero, a startling realization recently struck me; whoever created them really hated parents - all of them.  It doesn't matter if the soon-to-be hero was born on earth or not, their parents had to die.  And of course, the role of supporting character must be given to an aunt, an uncle, a completely random and conveniently childless couple, etc.

Is this an oversight, or some terrible super-hero cliche? Is there a super-hero club that only orphans can attend?  Or does that particular train of backstory add something of credibility to a protagonist's selfless or determined motives to save the world?

How important is backstory, exactly? It seems that writers, in general, struggle more with this singular question than nearly any other specific element of drafting, and nearly every conceivable method of introducing, splicing, cramming, shoving or surgically injecting backstory into plots has been attempted.  Methods, (for better for worse) include:

1. Narrator voice-over introduction
2. Starting as a child and then fast-forwarding twenty some-odd years.
3. Starting as a child and then showing twenty some-odd years.
4. The dreaded flashbacks in all their varieties.  (More on that later.)
5. Long single-take conversations where characters recount their life stories.
6. Action set-pieces where characters find a moment to breathe amongst the non-stop action, and simultaneously use the air from their gasping lungs to carry out fluid conversations focusing on childhood grievances that couldn't possibly matter at a point and time such as this.
7. The mystery approach to backstory where authors allude to a character's woeful past by giving unexplained tails and ticks.
8. Mysterious reveals through dialog mixed in through the reading. 
9. Creating intrigue by never confirming a character's backstory, and instead offering multiple, conflicting speculations about it from an outsider's perspective.
10. Introducing the character as normal and then dropping a twisted, surprising history that completely changes the course of the story.
11. Building up the character as evil, or good, and then slowly feeding the reader facts to erode and entirely replace that notion.

The list goes on.  In the end, however short the novel may be, they're really about the story. I've even seen stories told from the end to the beginning.  (Props for creativity.)  Still, frustratingly few seem to grasp the concept.  (Screen writers, I'm talking to you.)  Just go to rotten tomatoes.  Almost any movie has reviews complaining about one of two eventualities.  The movie is slow and boring with too much story and not enough happenings, or the opposite; the movie is fast and boring because no feeling of attachment to the characters is generated.  

Generally speaking, backstories live in a three-way relationship with the type of character, and the reader's perspective to him.  Mysterious approaches work more naturally for supporting characters, or when the book's main point of view examines the character as an outsider.

Finally, I think we can all agree that flashbacks are terrible.  If they happen too soon in the story, they might as well not have been a flashback at all.  If the book starts strong and then sacrifices its momentum to later fill in character details, it can be taken as misleading or disappointing.  On the other hand, a book's pace should always increase, so waiting too long for a flashback can break the third act, which is even worse.

Also, I find myself particularly irked when characters stair sincerely into each others eyes and spout any more than two chapter's of backstory in a single setting.  At one point during Twilight, when Bella and Edward are in the meadow, their conversation dragged on so long that not only did I forget about anything that might have been building in the storyline, but it nearly erased my own sense of identity.

For brevity's sake, let's assume that a backstory's delivery doesn't have to be fancily or surgically injected into the story.  It just has to be good.  Let's just assume that simpler is better, and that it should (or shouldn't) come out naturally.  Really, if the character is well-defined in our minds, it will reflect in who they are enough that they don't need to sit us down and monolog to us for half an hour for us to get it.

All-to Common Examples

1.  The evil villain.

The first tendencies are probably to either make him a victim of heinous crimes or wrong-doing, or to simply set him up as already in power and simply "bad."  The latter is my most frequent complaint about villains, even the compelling ones.  After the novel is finished, I find myself asking questions like, "Why would he risk everything like that?  What was his motivation, other than just being the bad guy?"

2.  The hero.

And the number one approach goes to the underdog!  For some reason, the heroes have to start at the bottom and work their way up, which really sucks for them, as they have to lose everything so they can regain it in the sequel.

3.  The thriller.

Easy.  The guy has a history that could give Jason Bourne nightmares, and then gets betrayed and has to avenge himself as a fugitive.  We don't need to know anything about what the character needs or believes, because he already has "enough" motive.

4. Action Flick.

There is no alternative, someone dear to our protagonist must be kidnapped or otherwise taken away from an unrealistically perfect relationship.  Not much backstory is needed, apparently.  In these cases, characters rarely find themselves spilling their guts about what their fathers did or didn't do.

5.  Romance. 

Someone died, and make no mistake, you're going to hear about it in a one-on-one conversation that makes the Odyssey look like a plot summary.

Using backstory to Build Character.

In my own writing, I try to stay as far away from the expected as possible.  One of my favorite things is finding a winning combination of unlikely elements.  That, however, is not easy or even possible to do all the time, and as always, a little goes a long way.  Instead, nearly any type of backstory can be a compliment to a character if it fits the story's arch, and is allowed to build the character rather than define him.  (That's right, chew on that for a second and a half.)

It's time to meet a few Johns.  These Johns live in a parallel universe of an action thriller.  It's a normal world.  A seemingly normal pursuit that indirectly draws them into the larger conflict and eventually places them in the position of hero, where they demonstrate courage and save the world...or at least, a large portion of it.

1. John Stoically Tragic

This John has a hard life-story.  A tail of misfortune that has left him virtually alone.  He has a stiff upper-lip, however, and never portrays himself as disadvantaged or a victim.  In fact, the only reason we know his past heart-aches is because occasional happenings reluctantly prod him to reveal these tidbits that gradually shape our opinion of who he is. 

This approach, while simple, would lead to a believable hero, because we've seen him demonstrate the tendencies needed.

2. John Mopelly Tragic 

Cousin to John S., John M takes quite an opposite approach.  He looks for every opportunity to offer excuses as to why he cannot or should not.  He has a good heart, but wears his pain on his sleeve.  It makes it hard for him to get a meaningful relationship, a fact he is not shy to flaunt.  But then when someone does come along, it makes it that much more "special."  The special thing about John Mopelly, however, is that the reader soon becomes aware that John's own view of himself, and his actual abilities are not the same.  It can be a fun way to go about a series of impossible feats where no one is more surprised by each than John.  That's a refreshing take to the stereo-typical image of our hero walking away from a massive explosion without giving it so much as a second glance.  It also gives us a better place for character progression and would make intentionally heroic doings more meaningful.

3. John Averajish

John A. really doesn't have a "backstory."  Or he does, but it's such a real-world story that details aren't worth mentioning.  Instead, with John A, we will focus on his current story.  What he likes, or doesn't.  Especially, what he believes.  We come to understand his well-defined structure of beliefs and values.  This offers readers a chance to bond with, or anticipate a character's actions.  It also gives a writer the chance to have some real fun and see what it would take to force John to go against his own beliefs, or what happens when he falls short of them.

4. John Au'Contraire

Talk about a contrasting backstory.  This guy was brought up on the wrong side of society.  He had enough evil crammed into his impressionable mind that he should be killing children in their sleep for kicks.  But instead, he's a simple, nice and mild-mannered guy who managed to make something of himself.

As details of his past come out, we can constantly surprise the reader, as it's so far from what we would expect.

NOTE OF CAUTION: Don't give into the temptation to give him a "unique set of skills" that are long dormant and waiting to awaken at the slightest provocation, effectively turning him into an elite spy.  Instead, use this contradiction to strengthen the firmness of his current standing, and how the way he is, quirks and all, are not incidental, but are each a victory.

5. John Mau'Contraire

Let's take things the other way.  This guy still has the perfect life.  His parents are ALIVE and well, prosperous, he had good opportunity, and still has support.  But he's become somewhat of an anti-hero.  While still generally well-meaning, he has allowed his ambitions to get a little out of hand and take him to places he would not have consciously chosen to go.  As he begins to lose things that used to matter to him, he only blocks them out and becomes harder.

When this guy gets drawn into conflict and simultaneously out of his rut, it can be a real eye-opener  and showcase his character progression nicely.

Conclusion

A backstory can strengthen a character by supporting or contrasting to his current beliefs, by giving him motivation or robbing him of it.  It serves its purpose as long as it takes its rightful place as part of the character, and as long as it never overshadows the actual story that is taking place.

Note: Now that I have two kids, I no longer have time for revising, so typos must be taken "as is."

Judging a Book by its Cover

My free spirit has spent a considerable amount of time lately, pondering whether I shouldn't, or can't judge a book by its cover. The latter, obviously, was easily eliminated--judging books by covers is a favorite pastime of our society these days. We even invent covers so that we can make snap-evaluations even more easily.

This leaves me with the inevitable conclusion that I shouldn't judge a book by its cover--to which my rational responds, "What are they trying to say, that books and covers don't match? Are they not one and the same, part of a whole?" This anecdote may have applied sometime near the turn of the previous millennium, when the average writer´s creative artistic ability was limited to a chunk of charcoal and a piece of wood, before the creation of modern auxiliary tools such as digital software, Photoshop, illustrators, and mass media--or in short, before everything that makes life worth living.

"Why this imprisonment?" free-minded writers cry in agony. "Why so much anguish???"  Their plight is, of course, understandable. After all, things have changed a lot in the last hundred years. Writing has become faster-paced, more sophisticated, and more intricate. Our ability to design covers using digital technology has shot through the roof and aided in enhancing a book's aesthetic ability to reach out and capture a reader's interest as well as to represent the books content more accurately.

I'm of course not saying that a book's cover makes all the difference, nor that it always represents a book all of that time.  Were that true, Twilight really would be the best book ever written. What I am saying, is that there is a connection between a book and its cover, and with any GOOD book, we should be able to judge, or feel, until a certain degree, the quality of the book. As with any product, our criticism can come from several different points of examination, with drastically different weight placed upon each one.

In a more pertinent example, I could explain this connection as a sea without fish, or a chicklet without feathers, a canvas without paint, peanut butter without jelly, or even a book without a cover.  While these examples are all well and good, they fail to attain the owed level of gravity. We could get by easily for a matter of days, were all the fish removed from the sea.  More difficult, but still possible, would be life without peanut butter and jelly.  Furthermore, authors generally aren´t that great at cooking anyway, so to them, this entire matter is trite. 

However, even to the most twistedly devout and eccentric, elements of a finely tuned book have a core based much deeper than cooking or wildlife conservation. In its purest form, we are almost talking about religion. So let us now examine, if you will, the spirit and the body of a book, which, when combined, form its soul.

Now we've grasped the proper connection between a book and it´s cover, with a superbly chosen example. NOTE: This example is flawless unless we apply it to real humans, as their outer covers generally have nothing to do with their inner content.

Enough of the theory.  Now down to the practical--methods of evaluation.

1) Size of author name--an easy way to judge the author's fan base. A small author name means "unknown." Medium-sized to the size of the book title's font means he is possibly very popular and established. And finally, author's name that dwarfs the book's title...well, obviously means he's unknown, unprofessional, and unsavvy.

2) Cover-art styles, such as realistic or fantasy styles. Fantasy art can indicate that the author's focus is on capturing imagination. On the other hand, books with realistic cover art and life-like descriptions of its characters generally tend to be more logically conceived, and thoroughly written (meaning they're much longer.)

3) Does the cover seem to pertain directly to the books content, or is it just a catchy abstract creation? Books that receive enough attention to get signature art for their cover are more likely to have received attention in the other important areas of publication, such as editing, revising, publicizing, etc.

4) Does the cover reach out and grab you? Does it have a seemly order to its intricate details that captures your imagination and indicates a masterful touch of a top-selling artist/graphic designer/marketing specialist? If it does, don't pay any attention to it.  It's probably just you. No one can make a cover that grabs everyone.  And besides, a lot of the time an at-first pointless cover may develop deeper meaning as you read along, the sign of a truly inspired book. You'll never know until you read it. Think of all the amazing books you could be missing because you don't know enough about the book at the start to appreciate its exquisiteness!

But above all, don't worry and don't stress yourself.  This whole "reading the cover" thing is largely subjective anyway. So just go out, find something interesting, and read it.

You get what I'm trying to say.

Vengeance Excerpt on Goodreads.com

Goodreads.com is possibly the coolest sight I have discovered lately. I know have a Goodreads author profile. I've already made half a dozen reviews and found the profiles of all my favorite authors to see what they have to say.

Now for the exciting news! I know all of you have heard so much about Vengeance. For the first time, I am publishing an excerpt for everyone to read!!! The excerpt will be placed in other locations, but for now, it is only available here on Goodreads.

For anyone who is interested, I thought I'd include the goodreads description that I included on their site.

Goodreads Description

Manuscript Status: Third draft, 75%; 140,000 words.

The story currently follows three main characters, two siblings from a border tribe, and a powerful, disillusioned warrior seeking for revenge. Worldbuilding is very complete. The Kingdom of Men is alight with dissension and wars. Inevitably, the characters are drawn into the conflicts, both physical and political, but they soon began to fight a greater foe, one that men only think they've beaten.

The Essence, their magic, is of course unique to this series. It is generally believed to have been completely corrupted and...moreManuscript Status: Third draft, 75%; 140,000 words.

The story currently follows three main characters, two siblings from a border tribe, and a powerful, disillusioned warrior seeking for revenge. Worldbuilding is very complete. The Kingdom of Men is alight with dissension and wars. Inevitably, the characters are drawn into the conflicts, both physical and political, but they soon began to fight a greater foe, one that men only think they've beaten.

The Essence, their magic, is of course unique to this series. It is generally believed to have been completely corrupted and deluded. A special few know the truth--it was only corrupted. And only one inexperienced girl believes the impossible--the magic was misunderstood.

I am currently worldbuilding and planning the storyline for the remaining two books in the series. The manuscript only needs a few basic changes near its end. As you'll see from the excerpt, the flow, characters, and storyline are all in excellent condition for a third draft.

Project Devastation - Manuscript Update

The manuscript has about a month's hard labor put into it--that means about 110,000 words. The only problem: I am just getting into the story line. (In the future, I may consider planning multiiple novels from any vague plot drafts that exceeds 50,000 words itself.)

The final draft, will of course, be highly revised and altered from its current state, but on that note, I think it is going well.  So far, the creation process has been comnpletely inverted from my expectations.  You'd think I would be used to it by now.  The worries I had prior to comencing the novel have so far resolved themselves, and several of the points I was most excited about have given me unexpected trouble. For example, I was most excited about the method in which the plot built and developed.  It has been doing that fine, but I´ve already surpassed The Viper Project's completed length and I estimate that I am about half done. The second source of excitement, was of course, the Known Galaxy and all the worldbuilding I put into it. I have already deleted PAGES (literally) of explanations and details into their culture and technology. After writing several pages of explanations and only scratching the surface, I decided I would have to take a different approach, and not try to explain anything. The book is consisent enough that the readers will eventually catch on--probably a lot faster than I would.

As soon as I realized how lengthy the projected plot would become, I began trying to simplify and merge events together.  I've done this with five scenes so far, but I'm starting to realize it needs to happen on a MUCH larger scale.  Life is hard.

What's in a name.

Choosing Names

I have recently been asked how on earth I choose names for all of my characters.  I don't think the person who asked that question realized how complicated the ensuing answer would be.  (Partly because most of my names are not on Earth anyway.)   The common perception is that choosing names for characters is something akin to parents choosing names for their children; they deliberate over it for months, lose sleep, toss and turn, repeat them aloud in the mirror, or even get downright fanatical.  In actuality, it has nothing to do with any of that.

Good writers like to pick original names for their characters.  Better writers recognize that there are different classes, or sounds, in names, and maintain this distinction amongst their characters to perpetuate a real and complex feel to the world they have created.  (All the characters from Country A have soft, flowing names, while all the characters from Country B have harsh names you can’t say without spitting.)

The other thing to take into account is appearance.  Since people will read the book, they will be looking at the name.  Especially when you’re making up names, it’s important that the name be aesthetically pleasing as well as pleasing to the ear.

Does that sound complicating?  If you answered yes, then you're probably not one of the lucky few who can perpetually generate original, striking, and endearing names.  Since that leaves the "like me" category, you might find some of the following methods useful. 

The language trick:

It has always been said that speaking another language has its advantages.  For example, Spanish speakers probably get a big kick out of calling people names in Spanish while on their vacation in Germany.  If you do know another language, or if you have access to Google Translator, then your life just became much simpler.  Think of a character, and then think of a word that fits him.  Find the translation of the word.  Maybe all of it, or a part of it will give you an idea or a sound.

The last step is to shake it up a little.  Once, when thinking of a name for a city built into a cliff, I got the Portuguese word pedra.  From this came the city Pedralia. 

The insert random letter into random spot trick:

This one was J.R.R. Tolken's favorite.  Contemplate, if you will, Sauron and Sarumon.  Or maybe Eowyn and Arwyn. Taking the liberty to "mess around" often proves that good names do come by happenstance.

The miss-spelling trick:

Sometimes you can get a classic name for a main character by preserving the sound of a common name, but by murdering the spelling.  It has often been said that good names should break at least three grammatical rules.  Cade could become Kaed.  Of the two, which would you put as the tuff guy? 

The mumble incoherently trick:

When all else fails, it is sometimes necessary to resort to muttering random variations of vowels and consonants under one’s breath.  Caution:  Do not do where other people can hear you.  This practice led many early writers to be burned at the stake for witchcraft when they weren't careful to isolate themselves.  One might say, "Orannor.  Thorannor.  Thoranic.  Oraneal.  Uranus…no, that's a planet.  Uriald.  Uru Ladron, the shopkeeper!  Excellent!"

The type unintelligibly trick:

This method consists of simply typing the biggest load of nonsense this side of Washington, DC.  (Make sure to use lots of vowels.)  Note:  This technique should only be used for heavy fantasy or sci-fi.

Slkkwidenelenaldidkneidnaleidkenidnelttaleentlshthantoraliegigneelddneedonien

Now, take it apart bit by bit.  The average person would see gibberish, but the open mind will see so much more of the same!

 Slkkwidenelenaldidkneidnaleidkenidnelttaleentlshthantoraliegigneeld

Skiden, Widen, Nelena, Denel, etc.

ldidkneidnaleidkenidnelttaleentlshthantoraliegigneelddneedoniendoeit

Aleen, Hthan, Shaleen, Leig, Donien, Toralie, etc.

The connotation trick:

The idea is to pick names that will remind people of similar words, this hotwiring their own emotions and personal associations.  Darth Vader, to me, reminds me of Dark, and Invader.  Luke Skywalker, on the other hand, makes me think of happy people dancing in the clouds.  Beyond that, it's just a cool sounding name!

The point of all this is that good characters need good names.  The right combination of the two will stick in people's minds and endear the characters to them throughout the ages; Harry Potter, Edward and Bella….

(Scratch the last two!  Harry Potter was good though.)  You know what I mean!

Dialogue Techniques - Issue One

"You don't know what the crap you're talking about!"
"Oh yeah? Well at least I can eat a meal without offending the emperor of a rival kingdom!"

Let's face it, dialogue is awesome. Simple interchanges can bespeak volumes into the story's history and its characters, their tension, progression, and shortcomings. It can develop a likable, memorable character, and transmit emotion perhaps better than any other single strand in the writer's loom.

But, how I you know when the dialogue is good? If it just lacks momentum what can be done to fix it and transform it into a fast-paced, character-building, envy-inspiring weapon of power? Don't get your hopes up. If I knew a surefire answer to that, it wouldn't be on this FREE blog.

However, there are definitely man roots branching off dialogue's tree. And, like a tree, it would be very tiring to try and dig up and examine all the roots at once. Today, let's look a classic pet peeve, tags. (i.e. "he said," "she said.") What are tags good for? They develop a consistent tone, and when done right, can avoid attention. Don't get me wrong, occasionally using a tag to describe a characters facial reaction, voice tone, or more importantly, sub-surface emotions, can be very effective. But, take the following example:

Example:  "I don't think anyone is coming through that door," John said.

Hmmm, you think, I want that to be a bit more humorous. Let's revise.

Humorous: "I don't think anyone is coming through that door," John laughed.

No, you say, I should have stuck with suspense!

Suspenseful: "I don't think anyone is coming through that door," John whispered, whitened knuckles gripping a crow-bar.

No, you say, I wasn't thinking radical enough! Romance!

Romantic: "I don't think anyone is coming through that door," John winked reassuringly.

If you want to go for a different tone in dialogue, try actually changing the DIALOGUE. You'll notice I varied the tag types. The “humorous” example indicates the way he said it, the “suspenseful” example indicates the manner he spoke as well as a follow up action to paint the scene more intricately, and the “romantic” example is a parallel verb—it doesn't have to do with the manner he spoke, but by the wink we are left to infer his tone of voice.

Did the mood change? It did. Did the scene it painted change? I believe it did.  But an entire book filled with unspecific dialogue and exciting, intricate tags can get burdensome. Give me another chance, and I'll try to redeem myself

Comedy: "How far do you think it'll throw him when he steps on the mat?" John asked.

Suspense: "Don't focus on just one point of entry," John said, "They won't use the doors."

Romance: ... (Yeah, I think I'll pass.)

Dialogue, in this manner, will not become as boring or as tedious. You'll notice I used nothing but the simplest tags. After writing dialogue that can stand for itself, feel free to spruce up the tags with taste and purpose.

Just for fun, I'll finish the first example.

“How far do you think it'll throw him when he steps on the mat?” John asked, grunting as he coiled the giant spring on his salesman-repelling device.

I'll just ask it: Who wouldn't like to meet John after that?

Creating Creativity

Creating Creativity

Perhaps one of the most frustrating elements of creative writing is creating creativity. If you’ve ever tried, you know what I’m talking about. More than one entire class has been devoted to nothing but helping the eager young minds spark or stimulate their creativity. These classes, of course, don’t work. There’s nothing that really stifles creativity worse than a classroom, after all. (But you will hear lots of the standardized methods such as, “Go to a thrift store and find a pair of shoes. Now, imagine the type of person who used those shoes.” Or, another jaw-dropper, “Make a little square with your fingers and look through it at something. Imagine what you’re seeing is a world…”)

The ironic part is, the stimulating part is easy! There are a wide variety of illegal hallucinogens that make the creation of twisted, abstract ideas more than second nature. (Don’t believe me? Just look where it got Edgar Allan Poe!) However, most of the writing world views this as cheating - something more offensive to the writing process than using cheat codes is to video gaming.

So that means you’ll have to rely on a very un-stimulated mind to create your creativity. When that doesn’t work well, it also means more un-stimulating classes will follow.

Over the vast expanse of history, nearly every possible form of creativity has been used to spark creativity. Early in the history of writing (I believe it was sometime back when cavemen ruled the caves) these methods were more primitive. Reading didn’t work (they didn’t yet have a written language), beating each other with clubs had the opposite effect, and putting poisonous spiders in the “girls” part of the cave proved too dangerous. Especially once the girls caught up with the creative individual.

For them, the world-altering, history-changing, mankind-evolving stroke came with the invention of fire. No doubt, they danced around it, worshiped it, and more than once, caught their hair on fire when trying to drink it. This strange, but ultimate breakthrough obviously is what so captured their imagination, and so inspired their minds, that they began to draw stick-figures dancing around fires on the walls of nearly every cave. (Let’s not contemplate about where we would be had they not undergone this evolutionary breakthrough.)

The point is, they had fire! They had something to obsess over. It caught every faculty of their imagination (all four of them) and encouraged them to express it through creation. And I doubt you can argue that since the cavemen, no one has been able to write on cave walls in the same manner.

So we can conclude that the creative feel of a story doesn’t come from the rarity of its use, as much it does from the fire burning inside the author. The point at which an idea truly becomes unique and authoritative, is when it penetrates so deeply into the author that it meshes with his feelings and messes with his perception of reality. At this point, the story will begin to take on its own, personal, or creative flavor. It will feel authentic, even if the setting or premise has been used before. (That said, if you go and write another book with Elves and Dwarves, I will seriously hunt you down!)

Write about what captivates you, write about the story, the characters; write whatever the fire inside you wants to express! It’s not hard, after writing a plot-draft of some hot new story-idea, to enhance the background (the idea, setting, or world behind the story), using a flaming imagination. It is hard, on the other hand, to try to create the unique idea without the story and without the fire. Logic never was inspiringly creative, although it can lay out a pretty dry set of twists and turns.

This sounds so amazing, so what could possibly be the bad news? Well, getting that deep into a story takes a real effort, one that has to be made whole-heartedly. If all of this proves too much for you, and you can’t stomach the thought of another class on creativity, there is still hope! You can always write another vampire novel!