Guest Post by JD Savage: The Sequel – How Much from the Previous Book is Too Much?

Today’s post is a guest post by writer JD Savage, author of “The Seeds“.  His topic is one that I’m dealing with myself at the moment – how much information about the previous book should one include in the sequel?

JD’s post is part of the Literary + Blog Tour.  Literary+ is a writer based project brought together and lead by Shen Hart. It brings together passionate, quality self-published writers to help each other promote their work, bringing more readers to every member. It was sparked by the simple fact that there are many top quality self-published authors being over-looked because they do not have the time and resources to efficiently and effectively market and promote themselves. With ambition and passion, Literary+ will take its members to the heights they deserve through a tight-knit community of like-minded writers.

 

The Sequel 
- How Much from the Previous Book is Too Much?

I’m currently working on a sequel to my first novel. I had had an idea that was really about things that happened. As I really focused on writing it, I discovered the characters hiding within it, and the story evolved into things that happened to them, and how those events changed them.

So, I’m writing the sequel. Of course, I want the reader to be so intrigued with this book that they will turn around and pick up the first one as well. In order to do that, I plan to include just enough of the details from the first book to make it enticing.

But, how much is just enough?

Here’s a shocker… as a writer, I am plagued by doubts, (I know, it’s just me. You, on the other hand, are fully formed and confident in your abilities). When I feel the weight of such indecision, I turn to research. I tried the major search engine, (no, not the one Microsoft pays TV and movie actors to use… the other one), but I couldn’t find the magic answer to my question of ‘How Much is Too Much?’

Plenty on exposition, plenty on back story, but nothing really quoting research on this particular problem. So, I went to the source… people who love to read.

If there is one thing social media is good for, (besides snark and cute kittens), it’s getting people to share their opinions. I am lucky enough to be connected with some pretty smart people, people who are writers and, better still, voracious readers. I put the question to them, and got some pretty solid advice. Here is what I learned.

Different works require different levels of previous details. A novel that is more of a character study requires less back story in book two, with just enough so that the reader can see the progression of the characters. Books where the story is more focused on plot development may require a bit more, so the changes ahead can be fully appreciated.

Along those same lines, books that follow characters in different story lines, like crime drama or detective novels, need the barest explanations and then only if it’s relevant to the story at hand.

Book Two should be able to stand on its own and still be part of the series. The details from the first book should be woven into the narrative in a way that enriches the reader’s experience. Slowing them down or slamming on the brakes to explain what happened in Book One is a serious no-no.

For editors, this can be a particularly vexing problem. Editor extraordinaire Laurie Laliberte mentions the unique experience of getting a bit lost if there isn’t enough of the original in the story to have current developments make sense. The key is to make each book a good book. A reader who is intrigued enough to want to learn more is good. A reader who is confused is gone.

The most common response was simply that the reader wants just enough to know ‘why’. They don’t want large chunks of Book Two to be rehashed elements of the first book. If they’ve read the first one, they get bored right quick with all the explanations. If they haven’t, you will lose them when they read Book One and find that they know all of this already. As Shen Hart, leader of the Literary Plus group on Google Plus explains so succinctly, ”I don’t want to spend half of book two being reminded what happened in book one.”

The overarching advice here is simply, “Entertain me. Don’t bore me.”

I was humbled to have such great advice, freely given. I read each word many times and hope to do right by the reader. I will take this advice to heart, and I hope you will, too.

My friend Ellen summed it all up for me. “I have already read part one… I want more, not a refresher course.”
So get busy.

To find out more about JD Savage and his writing, here are some links:

• Where to buy: “The Seeds”
• Website: www.jdsavage.com
• Writer’s Blog: Tarol Nation
• G+ profile: JD Savage

Trying out My Artist’s Way Toolkit

For the past few weeks I’ve been participating in My Artist Way’s Toolkit. This is an online companion to Julia Cameron’s book The Artists Way.  It contains many of the tools from the book, ways to help you get around (or under, or through) obstacles to creativity.  It’s presented as a sort of online notebook.  You can click to view inspirational quotes, suggested activities and exercises:

Well, as you can see I signed the contract – here is a closer view:

I’m sorry to say I’ve not been very good about honouring the terms of this contract so far.  In particular, I’ve not been as good as I should be about writing the “Morning Pages” – you are supposed to do three pages of longhand freestyle writing every morning.  But reading all the “why I’m not doing the morning pages” comments on the blogher discussion about the Morning Pages  - has perversely enough made me once again feel motivated to try to stick to the routine!

So far the best thing I’ve gained from this process is to become more aware of what Julia Cameron calls the “internal censor”,  that little internal voice that is constantly belittling everything you do, telling you not to take risks, making you doubt your abilities. I’ll be writing soon again about this process of using the My Artist Way Toolkit – so watch this space…

Disclaimer: I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club review but all opinions expressed are my own.

The Story Trap cover finally finished

I’ve finally finished the cover for my book “The Story Trap”.  I changed her eyebrows and ears, added more chains and leaves, and changed the background to the lettering as well as some changes to the colours used.  I’m done now.  What a process!

There is going to be a print edition this time so I had to do the spine and back cover as well

If you would like to be notified when this book is launched, you can join my “new release” mailing list at this link.

I will not share your information with anyone.  You won’t receive many mails from me – I only send a notification when a new book is launched, and you can unsubscribe whenever you like

A strangely comforting trauma

I’ve been very sick (flu!) and very busy, but at last have time for a quick review of a remarkable book:

The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers.

You just know that things are going to go bad from the moment when a very drunk Michael Crawford, on the night before his wedding, puts his wedding ring on the finger of an ancient female statue. In the middle of a stormy night. For safekeeping. He has reason to regret that decision very soon.

This book is not for the faint hearted. These vampires may sparkle at times, but they bite hard too.  And yet they are not just evil monsters. They fit into our world with Tim Powers’s convincing mixture of science, magic and poetry.
It also features real historical characters such as Byron, Keats, Shelly and Mary Shelly. In Tim Powers’s reality there is a close link between vampires and the poetic muse, and some poets are willing to put up with quite a lot of danger if it keeps them writing.

This is a cruel book. Fingers are shot or bitten off, throats are cut, eyes are gouged and many of these wounds are self inflicted. As with the other Powers’s books, you are taught very early on that the characters are not safe and wont be rescued at the last moment. This makes things a lot more tense and exciting, and in the end, also very moving. The hero and heroine are mauled and savaged and yet they survive. Despite being traumatised and permanently scarred, they remain true to some deep part of themselves, and to one another. I found that strangely comforting.

An interview with author Debora Geary

Something a little different for my blog, an author interview.  Debora Geary, author of  ”A Modern Witch” and “A Hidden Witch” was kind enough to answer some of my questions.

I’ve only read two of your books – “A Modern Witch” and “A Hidden Witch”.  In both of these I was struck by the importance of family and the bonds of friendship between the characters.  While some of them enjoy their personal space, in most cases they come to their rights when they are surrounded by friends and family. In fact, the strongest magic is created by several withes supporting one another’s skills. Why this emphasis on togetherness?

It’s where the books went.  I started off with three witches in three different parts of the world – doesn’t sound like a recipe for family and togetherness, does it?  But then, as I started to write Nell’s character, she needed a family.  So I gave her some kids, and a brother – and they rather insisted on taking over the story.  By book two, I knew what to expect, so Moira’s Nova Scotia clan wasn’t a surprise any more.

When I look back on the first two books, I can’t imagine them without that strong current of family and community.  But when I sat down to write A Modern Witch, I thought I was writing a book about witches and magic on the Internet.  The rest came from trying to learn a little more about the characters in my head.  It’s ironic – I’m actually quite a solitary person…

Quite a few of the characters are very young, and yet they play as important a role in the plot as the adult characters. In fact, the young witches are taken very seriously by the adults, and often given quite adult responsibilities. Does that reflect your own attitude?

The Wild Shore by Kim Stanley Robinson

It’s been a while since I’ve written a review, but The Wild Shore by Kim Stanley Robinson is one of the best books I’ve read in years. Fantastic story, compelling characters, interesting issues, vivid writing – I just loved it.

 

It is set in America “after the bombing”. The United States is no more. America has suffered a severe nuclear attack. Millions died in the initial attack, and millions more in the aftermath, struggling to survive in the new pre-industrial world. Getting food by growing and hunting it, avoiding the “scavengers” – the people who live from the looted ruins and hunt one another.

What is more, the outside world is actively preventing any kind of reconstruction, using their space age technology to destroy any attempts to build up an industrialised civilisation.

About sixty years after the bombing seventeen year old Henry is living in a coastal farming community. He has a rather strange view of history, learnt from old Tom, one of the only people who still remember the “old times” before the bombs. This is a combination of truth and tall tales, and in fact, this is a strong theme in the book – the importance of story telling and the need for “lies”.

Henry has to make some hard choices when he meets outsiders urging him to join the “resistance”, a group people who vow to fight the outside worlds attempts to “keep America down”. He learns about betrayal and regret, and what it means to be an adult in a harsh world.

The setting of this story is just awesome. Trees growing on the abandoned highways, crumbling sky-scrapers, flooded cities. Kim Stanley Robinson always loves to dwell on the detail, and its never just “description”. The landscape is as important to the plot as the action.

And apparently there are more – a whole series of “Orange County” books. Off to the library to find some more!

One step closer to publishing – the cover design:

I’m about to publish my collection of short stories as an ebook. It’s been a very interesting process so far, lots to learn. I’ve just completed the cover designs. The stories will be available as bundles of three or four stories each, or you can buy the full collection that  includes illustrations.

Designing ebook covers has some specific challenges as they need to read clearly at thumbnail size and also in grayscale , to look good to potential buyers browsing for books on their Kindles.

Here is the cover for the first bundle:

I like the way they look as a set.  Here are the rest:

William Blake’s Inn by Nancy Williard

“William Blake’s Inn – Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travellers” written by Nancy Willliard and illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen is simply charming.  It is an homage to William Blake in words and images.  Nancy Williard’s poems remind me more of Ogden Nash than Blake, but they share Blake’s fantastical imagery.  The Inn is inhabited by dragons, angels, bears and the King of Cats, no less:

The tiger is a recurring motif, for obvious reasons.  Just look at this mischievous beast:

A Modern Witch by Deborah Geary

It’s been a while since I’ve done any book reviews, but I’ve been inspired to start again by my experiences in reading ebooks. My husband and myself were lucky enough to get a Kindle each as a birthday present from my sister in law. Thanks Moira!

I’ve been reading quite a few books on my Kindle, and here is one I thoroughly enjoyed: A Modern Witch by Deborah Geary.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

It’s a fresh take on the classic fantasy trope of somebody coming unexpectedly into their magical power. But unlike many others, this is dealt with a light and humorous touch – no endless pages of adolescent guilt and denial!

What I particularly enjoyed is the solid and convincing way the magic itself is portrayed. This is an area that is often glossed over in other books. Magic, how it works, its effects on people and their relationships with one another is the focus of this story. At times I wondered if the author herself is a witch, it was all dealt with in such a knowledgeable, no nonsense and practical way.

This is not the usual plot about taking-down-evil-threat-to-the-world-with-predictable-cliffhanger-ending. It’s all about relationships and people getting to know themselves and one another. I also appreciated the many strong female characters. This book certainly passes the Bechdel test!

The mice far from home: Lliane Roels

Here are some pictures from a book I’ve known since childhood – “Bij de dieren thuis: De Muizen”  which translates to roughly to “At home with the animals: The Mice”.  It’s a small book with a simple theme – some mice travel the world to find out how other mice live.

It starts off with our hero, a mouse called Lodewijk, who lives with his family in the ideal mouse home, inside a rocking horse in an attic.  Of course, Lodewijk is not satisfied with his happy life and goes off on an adventure.  First, he rescues Lili, a white mouse from a laboratory:

Liane Roel’s illustrations are enchanting: every detail is considered, every shape exact.
Lodewijk and Lili travel the world and find out how other mice live.  They find that the country mice have a beautiful home, but some frightening enemies:

Switch on the Night by Leo and Diane Dillon

It’s been a while since I’ve posted – (and no, I’m only halfway with colouring in the “Unexpected Tea Party drawing that I posted about last time!)

In any case, I wanted to share an illustrated children’s book I found in a second hand bookshop yesterday.  It is called “Switch on the Night”, is written by Ray Bradbury, and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon who I also wrote about in this post.

The story is about  a boy who is afraid of the dark.  He does his best to light up every room he is in:

Notice the Escher-like distortions of perspective.  Here is another image, showing his parents walking through the house, switching off the lights:

Zinzi and Sloth – Zoo City

I’ve just finished reading “Zoo City” by Lauren Beukes.  I really enjoyed it, and did some drawings of the characters.  Here is Zinzi December  and her Sloth:

I like her a lot.  She’s a tough girl.

I want to draw her lover, Benoît, but I dont have a clear idea what he looks like yet.

Finding “Fire upon the Deep”

This morning, we celebrated our return from flu-land by strolling down to a nearby second hand bookshop – where I found this:

A copy of Vernor Vinge’s amazing “Fire Upon the Deep”.  It’s what I think of as “proper” science fiction, with fascinating ideas as well as an excellent story.  Also, some of the most interesting aliens I’ve ever read about.
Just the right book to read on a sunny Saturday morning .

You can read a description of the book here.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

This is one of the saddest books I’ve read.  And yet, despite its subject matter, it is very gentle.  Only at the very end did the story flow away and leave me stranded with the pain of the narrator embedded in my own heart.

It is very difficult to write about “Never Let Me Go” without some spoilers.  I’m about to give away a plot point now because unlike many others whose reviews I’ve read, I don’t believe that this point is in fact, the core of the book, or the source of its sting.

But in case you are like me, and thoroughly allergic to any spoilers at all – I will now say goodbye .  If you dont mind, read the rest of the review…

…good.  You are still around. 

Miss Fanshaw – by Sue Scullard

Miss Fanshaw and the Great Dragon Adventure – written and illustrated by Sue Scullard -  is the opposite of a pop-up book – it’s a “pop through” book.

It satisfies on several levels.   An unusual heroine, sumptuously detailed drawings and clever “reveals” created by holes cut in the pages. These holes are part of the plot, as you shall see in the examples below.