June, 2010

What’s the Big Deal?

Question for you all:

Is it more important to be respected for your work, though you may not live to see that respect, or to be published and lauded now, though perhaps not later?

I saw this quandary posted somewhere else (and done much better, by the way) and some of the answers surprised me.

To me, there’s no contest. I crave respect and would never want to give it up – even posthumously. My husband tends to chuckle at one of my Grandfather’s favorite authors. The man’s name escapes me right now, but his stories were well known and popular for awhile. They’re banal by today’s standards. I’d rather be remembered as a nice woman who rarely published, but liked to write, than as an awful writer.

This question will continue to come up due to the self-publishing craze, of course. Not everything that’s self-published is bad. Obviously, not everything that’s published by big houses is good. What’s your take?

Deconstruction

You know that thing they tell you to do that no one wants to do? I did it.

I cropped the first six chapters, approximately 8,000 words, out of my novel. Granted, about two thousand went back in. You do need SOME backstory. I have no idea if it still flows and if so, how well. I started the task in February, had a meltdown of brain and flashdrive cells and had to restart that and several other projects. (Have you run a backup recently?) I think it’s been for the better. When I launched into the restructuring two weeks ago, I had a new vision for how to do it and well, what do ya know? It worked. I think. Give me a few months of not staring at the blasted thing to get it out of my head – or a new beta reader – and I’ll be able to give you a better idea. At any rate, I hope to receive some sort of guidance from the writers conference and the agent that’s had my original opening. If she tells me I should never have cut a thing, fine.

My one concern has been how flummoxed everyone was by the number of characters and their names. (Be grateful I did not include the original novel’s massive cast.) Those readers who got confused pleaded with me to start the book slowly and give them time to acclimate. The problem with that is, no agent and/or editor wants to see a book start slow. Since publication has always been a goal, I elected to kill more darlings. There were already little bodies all over the floor anyway, what’s a few more?

Who Are You Reading?

My friend, Sangu has a great post today and I think it’s so important as a writer to do the sort of exercise she suggests, that I want to recommend you visit her.
She takes apart Daphne Du Maurier’s “Frenchman’s Creek” and discovers what moves her in the book and how she can use what she’s learned. I’ve done this many times in the past. I’m sure many of us have and all of us should. My “go to” book is sometimes “Tigana,” by Guy Gavriel Kay, sometimes “Pride and Prejudice” by the immortal Jane Austen. I’ve also done it with Pearl S. Buck’s “Dragon Seed” and “The Good Earth.”

What novels do you study after you’ve devoured them?

International Exhibit Showcasing the Three Kingdoms Era

“The Three Kingdoms era can fairly be said to have been one of the most dramatic periods in Chinese history. The Battle of the Red Cliff, 1,800 years ago, marked the commencement of a new era, in which China was divided into three kingdoms. Stories of the Three Kingdoms are still told today….

The more than 100 artifacts shown in this exhibition…depict a comprehensive picture of the history and culture of the Three Kingdoms era. The artifacts include bronzes, decorated tiles, paintings and calligraphy, seals, ceramics, lacquerware, gold and copper vessels, wood-carvings, and modern handicrafts with the Three Kingdoms theme. The earliest pieces date from the Eastern Han dynasty, the most recent from the twentieth century; they thus cover a time span of nearly two millennia. The exhibition focuses on three main themes: the official histories of the era, the period as depicted in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and the continuing influence of the Three Kingdoms era in modern times. It is anticipated that, by presenting the era from different angles and on different levels, and by adopting wide-ranging approaches, it should be possible to present a comprehensive picture of military affairs, technology, the economy, daily life, art, religion, etc. in the Three Kingdoms era, as well as the influence that the history of the Three Kingdoms has exerted on later generations. In studying the ebb and flow of the power struggle among the Three Kingdoms hegemonies, and the planning that the generals and strategists undertook in their effort to secure control over the whole of China, we can see how each battle and each stratagem influenced the course of political events. The ups and downs of this conflict, with all its fascinating details, are deeply imprinted on our consciousness. The countless [non-fiction] books that have been written about the Three Kingdoms era, as well as the many movies, computer games, etc. of recent times, have succeeded in maintaining a high level of interest in this period, not only among people in Taiwan and China, and ethnic Chinese in other parts of the world, but also among our neighbors in Japan. When the Great Romance of the Three Kingdoms exhibition toured Japan in 2008, it attracted more than one million visitors, setting a new record for the largest number of visitors ever to a China-themed exhibition in Japan.”

Yeah, and that’s just Japan. Think of all the Asians who live throughout the world (not to mention those ROTK fans who aren’t Asian), and I’d say my novel has good reader base. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is the Ming Dynasty novel upon which my historical fantasy is based. Oh, how I wish I could see this exhibit! For pictures and the complete article, please go to the Taiwanese National Museum of History special exhibition, Legends of Heroes: The Heritage of the Three Kingdoms Era, or select this link.

Back to revamping the opening. Again.

The Latest From Nathan

Yup, Nathan Bransford’s done it again. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you obviously haven’t read his site today. There’s a new contest up and you have until tomorrow afternoon at four to enter.

Sigh. It’s allergy season. Medicine has failed. Again. I want to go poke holes in my head and not think about this right now. LOL

Addendum: I’m so sorry! The deadline is THURSDAY June 3rd.