Editing - An Author's Nightmare Part 2

When I first started writing, I thought I had to include everything. If the character was going to walk out a door, I had to include him walking to the door, turning the knob and pulling it open. In addition to all that business, he had to walk through and close it behind him. Is it any wonder that Indian Summer was 98,266 words before I edited it back?

Admittedly, I've gotten pretty good at editing. Probably, because my first books need a lot of help. I've been working on The Maker, book 3 of my sci-fi series. It started at almost 400 pages. I don't even remember the word count, probably close to 180,000. It is now whittled back to just under 300 pages and a word count of 120,000. My question for myself and my editor, is that still too much? Book cost is based on page count. I don't want to price myself out of the market, but there's a lot that has to happen in this novel. It's pivotal and introduces new characters who are integral to the plot later. It also introduces and ties up some sub-plots.

I've done the hacking and slashing part – that's where I medically remove all the deadwood. I print out the manuscript and read through it, being brutal. Do I need this scene? No. Should I cut this one? Yes. I sometimes refer to this process as the Slash and Burn Phase. One thing I've learned over the years – save everything. Well, if it's a word or two here or there, I don't, but the big, hulking bits I remove, all go into a file and I hang onto them. I never know if I'll need that information after all, or will use it in something else. There have been a couple times that I have done that.

Looking through my book files, I can tell which books are the oldest, because I have dozens of permutations of the file. I have some that are so old, they go back to the days when I was using Word Perfect as my word processing program.

I have discs full of files dating back to the early 2000s when I first started writing full time. These are the books that require the most heavy editing. I have learned a lot over the years. When I go back and read some of my earliest books, like my sci-fi series, I wonder how I could ever have written like that. However, there are some scenes that really came out well and I'm still very proud of them.

One of the best scenes in the book (in my opinion) is where the four main characters are in the depths of the planet, pursuing an escaped prisoner. The inside of the planet is riddled with tunnels and conduits. They get chased by a group of angry, dark skinned men and head into one of the metal conduits. The floor gives out and the heroine falls into a bottomless pit. Her husband reaches for her, but isn't quick enough to save her. All he can do is watch her fall.

Not knowing if she's alive or dead, he returns to their ship, nearly helpless with grief. He can't believe she's dead and wants to form a rescue party and go after her, but he's unable to formulate a plan. For a seasoned warrior, who's survived more campaigns and planned more missions than ten other men, it's horrific to find that he can't even think clearly.

I read through that scene a couple nights ago and had myself in tears. I got the emotions just right, I found the words to express how bereft he felt. I described the hollowness in his soul without her. I sat there, mentally patting myself on the back, saying, “Yeah, you nailed it.”

Editing may be a pain in the neck, but when the book is done and finally published, I can look at it and say to myself, “Yeah, you nailed it.”

© 2016 Dellani Oakes

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Dellani Oakes is the author of 12 published novels and over 100 more which haven't been published yet. She's a Blog Talk Radio host on the Red River Radio Network. She's also former A.P. English teacher and journalist.

Editing - An Author's Nightmare Part 1

So, you’ve finished that four hundred and sixty page novel. You sit proudly and pat the cover page tenderly, smoothing the white surface when much to your horror, you see a mistake! Cold sweat breaks out on your brow, fingers tremble, mouth suddenly goes dry. As your eye wanders down the page, more and more errors jump out at you! Fear grips your heart as you stumble from the desk, desperate for a calming cool drink. It’s a nightmare, but you can’t wake up. It’s real. Your brainchild, the fruit of your creative efforts, is flawed and it’s up to you to fix it.

This is a scenario each of us faces. Sometimes it’s as minor as a misplaced comma or a dangling modifier. Other times an entire scene, or even half the novel is so bad it has to be scrapped and retooled. I started an historical novel about ten years ago, set it aside since it wasn’t going anywhere, picked it up a few years later and realized the reason it hadn’t gone anywhere was that it was garbage! No other word for it. After careful review, I threw away all but ten handwritten pages. Of those ten pages, perhaps parts of seven survive in the retooled version.

Several things were problematic that I didn’t realize until much later. First, and most important, the point of view and style were all wrong. Set in St. Augustine in the Florida territory in the late 1700s, it was told in first person by a young Spanish woman. I had chosen to do it like a diary (not really sure why) and it was far too limiting to my story.

Second, after doing some more research, I found that the time period would have to be moved from the 1780s to 1739 or I could not incorporate certain facets of the novel. It would have been grossly inaccurate.

Third, and most difficult, the man I had intended to be the bad guy simply wasn’t working. No matter what I did, even in the retooled version, he wouldn’t be villainous. The heroine refused to fall in love with anyone else. Even the good guy couldn’t be relied upon to behave. He became the villain, the villain became the hero, the heroine didn’t succumb to another man’s charms, and they all lived happily ever after. (Except for the villain, because he, of course, was dead.)

It got terribly out of hand. After lots of time and effort reading and re-reading, honing, changing, and fine tuning, it is a really solid piece of literature that I am proud to put my name on. When I started re-writing it, I wouldn’t have given ten cents for it. It was the catalyst that started me writing in earnest and made me realize I had stories inside me to tell. Few of the others are historical in nature, many are sci-fi, because with that novel, I learned something else important. You can’t do too much research if you want to be historically accurate. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’d rather spend my time bleeding profusely from multiple wounds that tracking down that evasive, all important fact. It took me years to track down the necessary information for Indian Summer, and its sequel, Savage Heart.

Sci-fi is far easier for me to write. Once I have a believable setting, the rest is simple. Don’t ignore the laws of science, throw in some really good fight scenes, add a few interesting aliens and voila! Creating my own world is far more fun than working within the confines of someone elses.

Writing is the ultimate escapism. For that short span of time, things work out; the hero and heroine fall in love and live happily ever after. The bad guy gets his just desserts, the good guy wins, and there is always a happy ending. It’s far more interesting than washing the dirty dishes, cooking dinner or sorting laundry.

But I digress. Despite the thrill of putting words on paper, the hard part is making sure that everything is right. We can live with the small stuff like ending a sentence with a preposition. Frankly, it sounds odd if it’s correct. However, misplaced modifiers, sentence fragments and subject – verb agreement are very important. Even if a writer can’t name the errors, wrong is wrong!

One solution is to read and re-read your own work, honing and perfecting it. It’s easy to miss simple errors that way. Sometimes running off a hard copy helps, but it’s still hard to catch it all. Better yet, get people who are gifted in grammar to help you. They might not be able to name the error, but they can spot one and may be able to offer suggestions on how to correct it. If you can afford it, have an editor review it. Few of us can, so it’s up to us to read and re-read our own work until it is smooth and as error free as it can possibly be.

For goodness sake, don’t rely on the grammar check in Word! I don’t care if it’s the primary word processing program used world wide, the grammar check is often wrong. I don't use Word for many reasons, that's one of them. It keeps trying to correct me and I know that I'm right.

Spell check, on the other hand, is a Godsend, but won’t help you if you simply type in the wrong word. I once finished typing out a test for my 11^th grade class only to find that I had one very important little word wrong and the spell check hadn’t caught it. Instead of saying, “What is the theme of this story?” I had, “Shat is the theme of this story?” (For those of you who don’t know, that’s the past tense of the verb ‘to shit’. — 11^th graders knew that though!)

There is no easy way to get through the editing process. It is tedious and time consuming, but if it makes the difference between selling a book and having it gather dust, it’s well worth it.

© 2016 Dellani Oakes

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Dellani Oakes is the author of 10 published novels and over 100 more which haven't been published yet. She's a Blog Talk Radio host on the Red River Radio Network. She's also former A.P. English teacher and journalist.

Creating Believable Aliens

Aliens don't have to be little green men from Mars. There's no need to make them freakish constructs with tentacles and brains on the outside. Aliens need not be evil, warlike beings intent upon conquering the Earth. They can be as like humans as we wish, or as different.

My alien beings vary throughout my sci-fi series. For the most part, they are animals who took a different evolutionary path. The Fellicians, for example, are giant cats who pursued a warrior's life. At peace now, they are still warlike, so many of them became warriors for hire.

Another alien species are called Vandarans. These people are descended from the moose. They've shed their antlers, but retain retractable hooves. A very religious people, they have built their society around their god Wthra and his many aspects.

Probably the most diverse race are the Kindred. There are several groups, all serving different functions. First are the shapers. These people live on the desolate, dangerous surface of Iyundo. They have honed their telekinetic and telepathic skills. Unable to speak, they can communicate telepathically for a great distance.

Kindred are bipedal and covered with fur. Their bodies have little demarkation between torso and head. They range in height from 3-4 feet, with the exception of the ship dwellers and techs, who are often over five feet tall. Their fur is glossy and soft, their eyes large and expressive. They are a silicon based life form, rather than carbon based.

These are the craftsmen, healers, artisans, telekinetic masters. They can use their powers to kill but mostly turn their strengths to healing and protection. Next, there are the ship dwellers. These Kindred devote their lives to caring for the vast sentient ships (another fascinating race). They are able to speak, but also have well honed telepathic powers in order to communicate with their ships.

There are technicians among the Kindred. An offshoot of the Shapers, they keep to themselves. They speak and are only moderately telepathic. They sometimes dwell on the ships, but are more often transported in cryo-sleep—by preference. They are friendly, though guarded, and have little to do with the other Kindred.

Finally, we have the Klash. There are the Kindred warriors who are born and trained for battle. They speak and are strong telepaths as well as having telekinetic powers rivaling the Shapers. They are dangerous and keep to themselves by choice, only venturing out when needed.

The sentient ships are an old race—older than Vandarans, Kindred or Fellicians. They can trace their beginnings to a race of Cloud Dwellers in an area of space that was destroyed by the Kahlea, countless centuries ago. They have never told me the name of their race, so that remains a secret.

Selectively bred by the Timokuan people, they eventually grew larger and more aware. Some, like Hammer and Anvil, are the size of a moon. Others, like Styx are built for speed and maneuverability. In their resting state, they are teardrop shaped, but can alter their shape at will. They come in a variety of colors, covering the entire spectrum, though red ones are extremely rare.

These ships can do anything for their passengers, including the synthesizing of food, furniture, various atmospheres and secret rooms found only by those who want them.

The Kindred have cared for them for millennia, until the day when the Timokuan people return. Once more enlisted into service, they prove the saviors of the Shakazhan forces.

Aliens don't all speak English, as they so conveniently did in the old Star Trek series. My aliens have their native languages, but most of them also speak Galactix—the common tongue of the galaxy. Those who don't generally have translation devices. If I make this believable, readers won't question. Generally, I have my characters at least passing conversant in Galactix.

Not all aliens are humanoid, as I've discussed. Some, like the Nav Guild, look like gargantuan slugs. Others are pulled from fantasy creatures. When creating aliens, have fun with them. Use your imagination. Flip through a few books on mythical creatures. Evil or good, chaotic or order seeking, the main thing is to make them believable.

© 2016 Dellani Oakes

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Dellani Oakes is the author of 10 published novels and over 100 more which haven't been published yet. She's a Blog Talk Radio host on the Red River Radio Network. She's also former A.P. English teacher and journalist.

Creating a Believable Setting

Creating a believable setting isn't as easy as you might think. Using a place you know as a backdrop, as I did in The Ninja Tattoo and Under the Western Sky is easier, but what if your action can't all be done at real locations? Time to get inventive.

By inventive, I don't mean digging out road maps to some city that fits your needs, why not make something up?

For Undercover Lover, among others, I wanted a big city, but didn't want to use NYC, Chicago or other metropolis. Why? Because I'm basically lazy and don't fancy the research. Also, if I get my facts wrong. Someone will call me on it. As I don't much like the idea of engaging internet trolls, I chose to make my own city.

This city has no name. I couldn't come up with a name that sounded credible. I hate the hokey names they give cities in soap operas (and Sunnydale was taken) I didn't want more trolls crawling out of the woodwork telling me their city has that name and X was wrong with my tale. Therefore, it is a mysterious city somewhere near Canada and west of NYC, but east of Chicago.

I created some landmarks—a magnificent art deco hotel, a newspaper, a coffee shop, mall, art gallery, museums, aquarium and other sights to see. There is no map except the one in my mind, traffic is as busy or not as I choose. Some characters live in a ritzy development near the lake, others in less pricey and prestigious areas of the city.

An architectural firm does remodels of old, historic buildings—making exclusive condos from an old department store, for example.

There are spies, thieves, billionaires, wealthy old families, nouveau riche, doctors, lawyers and rock stars.

There are upscale suburbs, low class urban areas, sleepy small towns a few miles away from the craziness of the city—idyllic, quiet, crime free, there is a lake nearby and mountains. In short, any environment I want, is available. I have all flexibility I want with none of the real life hassles.

To keep it believable, I have traffic jams, crimes,emergencies, accidents—all the things we have in real life. They aren't the focus of my story, but the bustle of the city is always there.

My sci-fi settings are even more fun. Nothing takes place on Earth. I don't use our solar system at all. Readers will not find comforting old standards like green men from Mars. Instead, meet the moose-like Vandarans, giant feline Fellicians, the stately insectoids that resemble praying mantises, sentient rock formations the size of small asteroids, and the occasional amorphous creatures who fart to communicate.

Here, there are planet names like Aolani, Saltulle, Iyundo and Shakazhan. Everything in the known universe is run from an asteroid base called Committee Home Base. Here, each sentient race is represented, overseen by a Vandaran, Chairman Aisulov.

Later in the series, I introduce another planet. This planet is home to every mythical creature our legends speak of—and many more. Dwarves, nymphs and unicorns – I've got them, Zarboni, another cat race, I've got them too. Cloud Dwellers who look like airborne whales, anyone? But I digress. I think that aliens may be the focus of another article.

Each of these races needs a specific environment. You can't put ice people in a dessert, nor can you have cloud dwellers in a vacuum. I haven't fully explored these races and their habitats, but I can. Perhaps, one day, I will.

The important message here is setting can be as important as action. If your plot takes place in the wrong setting, the story is unbelievable. Give your characters the space to run and let them.

© 2016 Dellani Oakes

To Buy Dellani's Books

For More About Dellani

Dellani Oakes is the author of 10 published novels and over 100 more which haven't been published yet. She's a Blog Talk Radio host on the Red River Radio Network. She's also former A.P. English teacher and journalist.

I'm a Contraction Junky!

I'm a contraction junky. There, I've said it! It's in the open and I can deal with it. Inherently lazy, I like contractions.

I know as an English teacher, contractions are supposed to be frowned upon. Avoiding contractions in formal writing is important. Avoiding them in informal writing makes the work sound forced and stilted.

What's the difference between informal and formal writing?

Informal writing: novels, poems, friendly letters, texts to friends, blog posts.

Formal writing: term papers, newspaper articles, speeches, textbooks. In short, anything that isn't a novel, poem, friendly letter, text or blog post.

What's the big deal with using contractions in formal writing?

The big deal is IT'S FORMAL. Think of it like the difference between dressing for prom or dressing for a casual party. You're not going to wear ratty jeans and a T-shirt to prom. Nor are you going to wear a tux to a casual party. (At least I hope not!)

In formal writing, the author does not directly address his/ her audience. There is a degree of separation not found in informal writing. One avoids the use of I in formal writing, as well as avoidance of the pronoun you. It is impersonal and usually non-fiction.

Informal writing is more about engaging the reader, involving him/ her in the story, poem, letter or text. It's a very personal involvement, using I and you freely. There is no degree of separation as the goal is to bring the reader into the writing/ reading experience.

Contractions bring in a casual sense that formal writing cannot abide. They are anathema, forbidden, to be avoided. However, people rarely speak without contractions. We generally don't say, “I am going to the store with Mona. We will not be long. We will be driving straight there and back.” Shorten that puppy as much as possible. “I'm going to the store with Mona. We won't be long. We'll be driving straight there and back.”

If I have a character who speaks without contractions, it sounds bizarre and we wonder if they're foreign or speaking in another language. People are informal creatures unless they're in a formal situation where they're trying to make a good impression. I choose to make my work approachable, easy to read and as informal as can be. It's chock full of contractions, because they rock!

Don't be afraid of contractions. They aren't spooky, nor are they wrong. They're simply there to serve their purpose and move on. Embrace contractions. You won't be sorry.

© 2016 Dellani Oakes

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A Novel Approach to Writing Novels

No one can dictate to you how to write your book. The way the story presents itself to the author is all important. How-To authors will tell you what you must avoid, shouldn't do, how you have to approach something. The fact is, they don't know any more than anyone else, they just sat down and wrote a book about it. Don't let them bully you and dictate to you how you write. Chances are good that they have broken their own edicts at one time or another.

The best advice I have ever heard came from actor, director, author, screenwriter and producer, Ken Farmer. “Just write the damn story.”

I couldn't have said it better. There is no set in stone way to approach your story. Anyone who says differently is lying to you. I read an article many years ago, when I was a mere novice. I had one book, Indian Summer, under my belt. I was beginning my Lone Wolf sci-fi series. I came across this article by a famous sci-fi author, whose name I can't remember now. He said that an author must outline everything carefully before beginning to write. An author must know the ending before beginning to write. An author must spend more time on the outlining and planning stage than on the writing itself. It was, in this author's opinion, essential to follow a carefully crafted plan.

That one article spun me into a panic of momentous proportions. I don't do any of that. I tried writing an outline once, only to find myself writing the story instead. I scrapped the outline and wrote. I don't plot and plan before I begin. I never know the ending. I hop in and hope for the best. I dispense with the long, drawn out planning stage and go for the fun part—writing.

For certain styles of writing, outlining is important. For instance, if you're writing a biography, non-fiction or a how-to book, you should probably know where you're going. I've always been more of the opinion that the outline is something you write after they paper is done, but then I never have had a conventional approach to anything.

I have been a Blog Talk Radio host since 2009. In that time, I have talked with dozens of authors and I ask them the same question every show, “Are you a plotter/ planner or do you jump in and start writing?” Surprisingly, the plotter/ planners are in the minority, though how-to authors would have us believe that theirs is the only correct and perfect way to approach the story. This offers food for thought. Which approach is the correct one?

The answer is simple, no one can tell you that. What works for me doesn't necessarily work for anyone else. I'll describe my method (such as it is) and tell you some variations I've come across.

I get a starting idea—usually an opening sentence. Once in awhile, it's dialogue. Whatever is the case, it nags at me until I write it down. If I don't, it's gone and I may never get that story back. Frustrating but true.

Once I start to write, the words flow and I type as fast as I can in order to get them down. Sometimes, a story presents itself through pen and paper. I don't argue, I just write. These are rare, but do happen. I've learned to live with it.

My stories, for the most part, come at me chronologically. I begin at the beginning and write until I reach the end. I rarely use flashbacks, though I do have them from time to time. I rarely skip from one scene to another. For me, that's a lot more work. The only time I do that is if I get a scene that's really compelling and wants to be written now. Then I pick up and continue where I left off, bringing the story to that place.

Once in awhile, I can't remember exactly where I left off. If I'm away from home and intend to write while I'm gone, I'll take a notebook with me. I might pick up a scene a bit further in the future and write it instead, then go back and bridge the gap.

I listen to music when I write. What I have playing varies, but usually it's something that provides a background and doesn't intrude. A lot of my author friends say they can't have music with words, but that doesn't usually bother me. I hear the melodies and am only marginally aware of the lyrics.

I continue typing until I finish the book, or the muse clams up. Since she's a pesky wench, she does that fairly often—hence the fact that I have nearly as many unfinished novels as I do finished ones. If she closes her mouth on one, she often opens it on another. I write on that for awhile until she clams up again.

This is my method, if it can be called such.

There are variations, the most common of which are below. I am presenting these in First Person, though they are the ways and means of other authors:

I write each scene separately, whatever interests me the most. I write notes of each on a note card and lay them out on the floor, moving them around until I get the right sequence, then I string them together.

I write chronologically, but I write different scenes, the ones that speak to me the loudest, then I weave them together.

I have to have absolute quiet when I work. I can't have music, TV, radio or any other distractions. If I do, I lose track of where I'm going with the story.

I don't like music playing, but I have the TV on while I write. I don't pay attention to it, I just like the background noise.

I listen to the radio when I write. It helps me block out other noise and concentrate on my writing.

I work on only one book at a time. If the words stop flowing, I give myself a break and do something else. When I feel the story again, I go back to it and keep writing. I can't keep track of more than one plot at a time.

These variations are endless. I have only listed the ones that I've heard more than once from other authors. I'm surprised to find that there are a few of us who constantly juggle multiple projects. I don't know if it speaks to our level of Attention Deficit or some other personality quirk. Most people I speak to work on one project at a time. There are some of us who are, apparently, gluttons for punishment and torture ourselves with more.

Write the way that feels comfortable. Allow your chaotic process to be productive and don't worry about it. Accept that the first draft will probably be terrible and live with this fact. It takes years to write an acceptable first, second or hundredth draft. Don't feel as if you need to control it all, because the fact is, you control nothing. The story chose you, not the other way around. It will control how you write, what you write and how it ends. Accept this and move on. It's much more fun when you allow yourself to relax.

© 2016 Dellani Oakes

To Buy Dellani's Books

For More About Dellani

Dellani Oakes is the author of 10 published novels and over 100 more which haven't been published yet. She's a Blog Talk Radio host on the Red River Radio Network. She's also former A.P. English teacher and journalist.

Motivation or Hurrah for Life's Little Choices

Motivation

Motivation, it's not just for novels anymore. Actually, it never was just for novels, it was for any work of fiction. What we often forget is that Motivation is a part of life. We are all motivated (or not) to do certain things. It's integral to the human psyche and can't be ignored in our characterizations. We are all motivated to make certain decisions, beginning with the time we wake up. What to wear? Shower before or after breakfast? Toast or a bagel.... The small decisions we make from minute to minute get us through the day, and we probably don't even recognize we're making them.

Characters must have this same clear cut Motivation. This doesn't mean that an author has to walk them through every small decision they make, or each action. It does mean that big decisions should have a clear Motive behind them, whether it's a snap judgment or something carefully thought out, a decision must be Motivated by something. A character won't leap into a pit of vipers unless there's a good reason for it. Nor, will he or she suddenly decide to commit an act completely out of the blue. At least they shouldn't. That's not to say that people don't do that from time to time, but it's rare. Something inside made us make a decision we might not normally make and we act.

With a character, those moments shouldn't happen. It's one thing to take the readers by surprise, it's quite another to make such an abrupt 180º turn that readers are left breathless and twisting in the wind. That's a very uncomfortable place for a reader to be. They don't like it and it's often enough to make them put a book aside and quit reading. This doesn't mean you can't have a plot twist and take readers by surprise. It means that the Motivation must be clear. If my character is going to jump into a pit of vipers, it's because someone they love needs rescuing. Or the all important item they've risked their lives to obtain, is at the bottom of that pit. Or they're suddenly tripping on acid and the vipers are all in their heads.

Readers don't have to be in on the thought process. They don't have to listen to the inner dialogue that brings this decision about, but there must be a moment where that aspect of the character is revealed. This doesn't just influence great danger. This is any major choice the character makes. In a romance, this might be the moment that the couple decide to consummate their relationship with a hot, spicy love scene. In a mystery, the point where the victim makes the wrong turn on their fateful path to death.

Whatever the choice, the decision must be clearly available. This does not mean that the author needs to do a soliloquy, a la Shakespeare, though that technique certainly outlined the thoughts of his characters well. It can be something simple, such as: Her mind made up, she knew she had to rescue her lover from the bottom of the pit. Terrified, but resolute, she put the first foot into the midst of the vipers—and prayed.

We didn't hear every minute of the thought process, but we have a clear decision on the character's part. She's made her choice, now she's acting on it. Sure, she can be conflicted, but the motivation is clear.

Having trouble finding the motivation for a character? Ask yourself (or them) a series of questions to determine it. I'll list a few below, but you can generate your own list of questions that applies to your specific character and their situation.

Suggested Questions:

What do you most want?

What do you most need?

Will this decision get you closer to your goal?

Will this choice take you further away from your goal?

Is your choice selfish or unselfish?

Is this going to get you killed, injured, put in jail?

If yes, are the consequences worth it?

How will this affect the future?

Will you be a better person after this, or a worse one?

Obviously, these are not the only questions to ask, but they will get you started. Once you've been able to answer these questions to your satisfaction (and the character's) you can clearly delineate the motivation for your readers. It doesn't matter what the choice is—good or bad, right or wrong, just make sure the motivation is clearly expressed.

© 2016 Dellani Oakes

To  Buy Dellani's Books 

For More About Dellani

Dellani Oakes is the author of 10 published novels and over 100 more which haven't been published yet. She's a Blog Talk Radio host on the Red River Radio Network. She's also former A.P. English teacher and journalist.

So, You Want to Name That Character by Dellani Oakes

Finally sitting down to write that novel? Let's assume you've chosen your genre, point of view, narrative style and all those other things that you have to decide before setting pen to paper. (Or fingers to keys). Now comes the fun part—maybe. Naming the characters. There are different methods of approach here, and excuse me if I leave some of them out. I use a variety of methods, but I know I haven't discovered them all.

First, you can make the name tell something about the character. For example Young Goodman Brown, by Nathaniel Hawthorne gives us a fair description of the main character before we turn the first page. However, you might not want to get that concrete in your description.

Another way to name is to pick names of people you know who sort of seem to fit. The only problem with this is, they may read the book and not like the character. You've just lost a fan. Probably not the best method. I've known people who randomly chose names from the phone book and used them. Also, perhaps not the best method, unless you mix and match.

I've used a lot of baby name books or web sites. These are incredibly useful. You can search for meanings of names, names from certain nationalities, starting with a particular letter, number of letters, the list of search filters is practically endless. Do a random web search for baby names and you will come up with a wide variety of sites.

When writing sci-fi, quite often I find myself needing an alien sounding name. Nothing Earthly works, so I'm stuck with making something up. While this might sound easy, it really isn't. I like names that sound vaguely alien in nature, but aren't so incredibly complicated to pronounce that my readers eyes will boil. It drives me crazy reading a book with complicated names. The worst faults are those who add a lot of unnecessary punctuation. Do you think we need Ban'Kay-at-ah'wan? What am I supposed to do on those dashes and apostrophes, swallow my tongue? Think too, when you are typing that all important name, how many times you will have to type it before the novel ends. I don't think I could face it. It's easy to fall into this pattern, but it is far better to make easily pronounceable names.

How do you find the ideal alien name, preferably one that isn't unpronounceable and jaw breaking? Fantasy name generators are great for this. Again, a random web search can be invaluable. I have also used mundane things, rearranged the letters a tad and come up with some amazingly interesting names. After wracking my brain for an important alien, a glance at a shop window solved the problem. I used part of the business name in reverse, and came up with the amazing moniker, Aisulov. Another name was provided by rearranging the letters in the maker of my van, Telorvech.

I got the name of a planet from a telemarketer. English was not her primary language, and it took several minutes to determine that she wasn't calling on behalf of some obscure third world country. She was, in fact, calling from Bank One. However, it sounded like Ban-qwan, which later became Bankaywan.

Once names have been decided upon, write them down and arrange them alphabetically with a brief description of each character. This is quite helpful keeping track, especially of minor characters. How often have I gone back to a minor flunky only to say to myself, "Was his name Fred, Fritz or Frank?" And how frustrating to realize that I've named not one but two minor flunkies with the same name. Of course it's entirely possible to have two men in opposite ends of the galaxy both named Frank, but why do it to yourself or your readers?

I once discovered I'd named two characters in the same book, Mickey. Not so weird, but they were brothers! One eventually became Nick instead.

I try to keep names short, or give nicknames to characters whose names I will be typing a lot. I just named a character Adrianna. I really wish I'd chosen something a tad shorter, but somehow the name Adrianna Hasselhoff seemed to fit. It's her name now, and she won't give it up, so I'm stuck with it. My main character in my sci-fi series is named Wilhelm VanLipsig. His name was immediately shortened to Wil and there it's stayed.

I've noticed a trend as I write this article. Reviewing my character names, I find that the men often have shorter names than the women. For the men: Wil, Ben, Marc, Frank, Kael, Stan, Brock, Brodie.

For the women: Matilda, Adrianna, Escascia, Ariella, Tselanna, Ysilvalov, Ssylvenia, Savannah.

I wonder why I do that. It certainly makes more work for me than if I named them things like Meg, Tina or Penny.

Avoid naming your main characters with similar sounding names. It is terribly confusing for readers. I have a series of fantasy books I enjoy reading, but at least three main characters have names beginning with K, three have names beginning with S and the hero's wife, a queen, has a name so similar to that of her country, it gets mind boggling quickly. I know how difficult it can be to keep everyone straight, particularly when a novel begins to develop sub-plots.

The more I write, the more I find myself adhering to the "KISS" rule. (Keep It Simple, Sweetie). The more complicated I make it for myself now, the more exhausted I will be when I finish the book.

© 2016 Dellani Oakes

To Buy Dellani's Books

For More About Dellani

Dellani Oakes is the author of 10 published novels and over 100 more which haven't been published yet. She's a Blog Talk Radio host on the Red River Radio Network. She's also former A.P. English teacher and journalist.

Beating the Writer's Block by Dellani Oakes

Writer's Block—these ominous words send shivers down the spine of any writer. Insidious, it strikes with no warning, clogging the brain, paralyzing fingers, bringing grown writers to their knees. There are many types of writer's block, each with its own pernicious characteristics. Below, I have listed those which plague me the most often.

1) Mid-Line Crisis: This is less destructive than its brothers, but still annoying. This is the unfinished sentence, incomplete thought or dialogue left hanging. The tortured. . . .of the soul. Though frustrating, it is not insurmountable. Usually a little brainstorming, trial and error and copious use of the delete button get me past this tiresome creature.

2) Ex Thesaurus: Also known as What Word? This usually runs with mid-line crisis and is fairly easy to circumvent. A visit to Thesaurus.com or a quick flip through the desk copy of Roget's can pull a writer past this hurdle.

3) Post Climactic Stress: Or Where Do I Go From Here? The hero has saved the day, villains vanquished, lovers unite, children dance around May Poles—celebration time! All right, where does the story go now? It's not over, but it needs to be soon. However, these pesky little loose ends suddenly electrify, screaming "Solve Me!" What to do?

Falling action after the climax isn't always easy. The one question a writer fails to answer is the one readers will point to and say, "Hey! What about this?" To avoid the lynch mob, sometimes it's better to eliminate a secondary thread unless it's absolutely necessary to the plot. Otherwise, it's a trip to blockage category # 4.

4) The Never Ending Story: As much as we might want our book never to end, it must. Sometimes though, we can't seem to find a stopping place. The book goes on forever until we get fed up and stop writing, or force an ending.

I have one book that is 873 double spaced, typed pages. Not only can I not find an end point, I can't even read all the way through it without getting lost. The problem is too many sub-plots. (Hearken back to Post Climactic Stress.) Everything needs resolution, making the book go on forever. It will require a might re-write or splitting into multiple books.

None of these minor blocks are as frustrating as the fifth category. It really needs no introduction because even the most prolific writers have, at one time or another, suffered from it.

5) The Full Monty: Like its name implies, this is full blown, frontal exposure writer's block. Insurmountable, uncompromising, frustrating, infuriating, aggravating, annoying, constipating…. There are no words at our disposal formidable enough to fully describe this condition.

Any writer who has never experienced Full Monty Writer's Block obviously hasn't written long enough. Suddenly, out of nowhere, completely by surprise it strikes! I equate it with being hit by a Volvo station wagon at 90 mph. (Hm, can a Volvo go 90? Maybe an Escalade?)

In any case, WHAM! In the face, hard core, heavy metal writer's block. There's no way to avoid it. Once in awhile the Muse takes a coffee break and so must we. As frustrating as they are, embrace these blocks. They force us to leave the security and sanctity of our homes and participate in life for awhile.

Instead of fighting the block, which only ends in tears, take a break from writing. I read a good book, watch a few movies, participate in mindless video games and otherwise do things to distract myself.

Next, after an unspecified period, ranging from hours to days, I sit down and try to write something. ANYTHING! It doesn't have to be connected with the book, usually it's better if it's not. Long or short, good or bad, I write. Sometimes just embarking on the composition process is enough to break the block.

Doing short writing exercises can help. When I taught high school English, one thing I had the students do as a class writing project, was write thank you notes for ridiculous gifts. Each student chose a gift at random drawing a slip from jar.

The rules for this exercise are as follows:

1. Must be sincere.

2. Mention the gift in the first paragraph.

3. Site at least two uses for the gift (or plans of where to put it if it's decorative).

4. Must be at least three paragraphs of two or more sentences each.

Suggested gifts:

Umbrella holder made from an elephant's leg.

Bookends decorated with miniature loaves of bread & shocks of wheat. (I got a set like this for a wedding present)

An incredibly fuzzy pair of house slippers.

A really ugly sweater.

Something impossible to identify.

A painting with dogs playing poker. (I know, some people think this is cute.)

Clothing that is too small (too large, hideous color, wrong gender, etc.)

Music CD that is of a type you abhor.

A movie you hated and never wanted to think of again.

(The list can go on forever. Don't only use my list, make your own. Sometimes just generating a list helps get past that pesky creative blockage.)

Sample note Thanks for the ?:

Dear Aunt Fanny,

Thank you so much for the really interesting gift you sent! I can't imagine what I've done without it all these years. It will add a great deal to my decor. I can't wait to find a place for it in the living room.

I showed your gift to my friends and they were speechless. What an unusual present! They wanted to know where on earth you found it, several of them would like one for themselves.

Again, thank you so much for your incredibly amazing gift! I shall treasure it always and remember you every time I look at it.

Your Loving Niece

There is no set cure for writer's block. Sometimes the creative well simply runs dry. The key is to accept it and try to move on. Fighting yourself, screaming and carrying on like a cry baby are pointless, unproductive and unprofessional. Instead, be proactive. Face your block and find your way past it.

© 2016 Dellani Oakes

ToBuy Dellani's Books

ForMore About Dellani

Dellani Oakes is the author of 10 published novels and over 100 more which haven't been published yet. She's a Blog Talk Radio host on the Red River Radio Network. She's also former A.P. English teacher and journalist.

What's the Backstory, Morning Glory? by Dellani Oakes

As the name suggests, this is the story behind the story. This can contain important information that's necessary for understanding of the novel or short story. Backstory isn't always necessary to write about, so a smattering of it is all that's really needed in a book. This is the story the author has in mind to give depth and motivation to the characters.

Try not to do an information dump early on in the book. Many of us do that, but it isn't wise. Readers don't like it. They want to get into the story and let it carry them away. Sure, there are things they need to know, but they don't have to know all of it ahead of time. It can be revealed gradually, peppered throughout the story, spicing it up.

Having too much backstory is a mistake even experienced writers make. It's particularly true of rookie writers. I know, because I did made it in my novel, Indian Summer. I had almost a full chapter of backstory. After it was accepted for publication, I realized I had some work to do on it. I cut the first chapter almost entirely and began just before the point of attack. (Which will be discussed in another article) The result was a tighter, more enjoyable book that I am still very proud of.

While I have your attention, something that goes hand in hand with backstory, is research. At some point, whether it be history, theoretical physics, astronomy, music theory or what night the full moon was in October of 1713 (which I looked up a few days ago), we all have to do some research. Please pay attention to what I say next, because it will save you grief down the line.

Readers don't want to know all that stuff you spent hours looking up. If they want a lecture on how to prepare hominy grits, for random example, they'll read a book about that. They don't need to know how many miles to Babylon, unless that's pertinent to the action of the story. So leave that out. Why? Because: (say it with me) Readers don't want to know! (Let 'em hear ya outside) Readers don't want to know!

Add what tidbits make the story unique and true. Don't bore your audience with inconsequential facts. I read a book several years ago where the author made this mistake in a big way. He'd obviously done his research and was so excited by it, he felt compelled to share it with the readers for eight pages. Eight pages where the characters did nothing, he just yammered on about whatever it was. Not only that, but when he went back to the characters, they discussed it! Talk about overkill.

Readers don't want to know!

Though we can look at the great literary works of yore, and say “Well, Charles Dickens did lots of back story. Look at A Tale of Two Cities. It begins with one of the most quoted words of all time!” That may be true, but we aren't Dickens and our audiences aren't going to sit still for:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”

(Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. 1859.)

To be perfectly honest, when I read that in school, I got bored very quickly. When I heard it a few years later at my high school graduation, I was really tired of it.

Look closely at the above paragraph and you'll notice it's all one sentence. Talk about a run-on!!! While this worked for Dickens, it won't work for us. I'm not saying that writers must adopt Hemingway's abrupt, choppy style. That's nearly as annoying as the long, flowery speeches. My opinion, for what it's worth, is not to do either except for the occasional, special effect.

Avoid excessive Backstory and your readers will thank you by buying more books. Isn't that, after all, what it's all about?

© 2016 Dellani Oakes

ToBuy Dellani's Books

ForMore About Dellani

Dellani Oakes is the author of 10 published novels and over 100 more which haven't been published yet. She's a Blog Talk Radio host on the Red River Radio Network. She's also former A.P. English teacher and journalist.