Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Book Two
Book One is complete and off to the publisher, and you are looking at the notes for Books Two and Three. Well, the ideas you wrote off to the side as Book One metastasized into a full manuscript over the last year. If the publisher who asked to see the first three chapters really, really likes the book and requests a sequel, you want to be ready (thank goodness you attended that convention and got her business card).
But how?
Jenny Bravo ran into the sequel question after completing her first book, These are the Moments. Unlike you, she was even more behind the eight ball because she never even considered doing a second book until the fans of the first book asked for more. She shares “Ten Crazy Realities About Writing a Sequel” from her experience.
As an editor I highly recommend following the advice under #3.
“3. You have to remember things that you don’t.
Details, my friend, Details are the clincher.”
After taking a break, reread your original book. Look for the hooks and hints of what to expect in future books you gave yourself without knowing you had done so. That gift the werewolf ex-boyfriend had sent which bounced out of the trash can never did get picked up. The bartender who carefully listened to the main character’s sob story wasn’t what she seemed; the question is friend or foe? A throw-away line in backstory becomes the plotline for Book Two.
Other advice about how your options are both amazingly broad and equally restrictive, needing to respect the readers, and enjoying working in an already created world can be found here: http://jennybravobooks.com/blog/writing-a-sequel.
WRITING EXERCISE: Look over one of your completed works (flash, short, or novel) and find a throw-away line or action which can create a primary or secondary plot line in another story. Would the same main character be used or is a different point-of-view (POV) character needed? Write five sentences fleshing out the basics of the plot line.
READING EXERCISE: Pull from your completed reading pile (you know, the shorter pile beside the to-be-read pile) a Book One and Book Two. Review Book One to see how it fed into Book Two. What are the hints and hooks placed in the first book? Think about each one: did the writer set the hook deliberately or was it organic?
Or FanFic as most of the writing community calls it, is often sneered at by established writers who conveniently forget the origins of their writing development. Yes, some of the early work between age three and fifteen had originality, but much of it sprung from books read, television watched, and movies experienced. I know I had lots of stories dance in my head based on the Wizard of Oz, and even more from the Marvelous land of Oz which introduced Ozma of Oz. As a teen, Star Trek, the Next Generation, was my go-to for inserting myself into a narrative.
Why FanFic? Because worldbuilding is hard, and these worlds have been created. A reader falls in love with them, and what else is one going to do when the author stopped writing stories for the world. I love inserting myself into these wonderful layered worlds to live a little longer after the book is done and the show is over.
Side-note: Self-Inserts are great for expanding on writing skills initially, but they are not ones to share on FanFic writing forums in general. FixFic (correcting an error in the story, at least in the writer’s opinion, or making a better ending), Shipping (two characters who are not together in a relationship in the story but are for the FanFic), and Crossover (two or more fan universe mashup) are more widely accepted than Self-Inserts. This goes back to the developing writing skills (a writer knows who they are and therefore doesn’t need to work as hard for character development) and the point of FanFic (spending more time in the universe and its characters). Feel free to write Self-Inserts but keep those to close to the chest. Other expansions in all their glorious subgenres can be shared on the appropriate FanFic sites.
FanFic has been around for a long, long time. How many versions of Camelot exist? People loved the mythos for over a thousand years and have been adding to it all the time. Every movie made from a book or existing story is a FanFic by the director.
Now the question is: do establish writers attempt FanFic? All the time. Some of it even is contracted such as getting a novel published in the Doctor Who, Star Wars, or Star Trek universes. Also joint sandboxes are everywhere for playtime like Eric Flint’s Ring of Fire Series and John Hartness, Monster Hunter Universe. People make a living translating screenplays to novels.
The takeaway I want you, dear writers, to have is: FanFic skills are valuable. They can make money writing screenplays or novelizing them. They let you explore worldbuilding in an existing world: what pieces are needed to create world robust enough to hold up to expansion and how can a world be layered enough for other people to want to live there.
WRITING EXERCISE: Write a FanFic flash – more than 100 words but don’t kill yourself. What made this world robust enough to support your FanFic? What made you want to expand the mythos?
READING/VIEWING EXERCISE: What is the most recent story you daydreamed about in a FanFic sort of way? Why?
***
In Men-in-Black 2, Agent J needs Agent K’s skills, so Will Smith’s character pulls Tommy Lee Jones’ character back into the business and restores his memory. At the end of the first movie, Agent K became Kevin Brown again and is reunited with his love, and they marry. The second movie has him willingly accepting being back to monitoring aliens because he wasn’t able to cut it in the real world and the woman who had waited decades for him, divorced his psychotic ass.
Dang, I loved that scene in the original film. It added so much to his character, to the world. Things flow out and in from 45-second scene.
And the screenwriters of the sequel WRECKED IT!
My FixFic starts in the same place as the sequel. Kevin Brown (Agent K without memories) working in the post office, the love of his life no longer in the picture.
Title: Men-In-Black (FanFic)
After being deneuralized, Agent K walks away and keeps walking. Focused, determined. Much more his old self than the pale imitation Agent J had found at the post office. Agent J prances after his old mentor, asking questions about memory without a single reaction until he offers Kay a ride to wherever he is going when they pass a black sedan. Kay freezes, turns around, and demands, “Keys.”
“Still working on one word answers, huh?” Jay pats his pockets and pulls out the keys.
Kay grabs them and walks around the vehicle to the driver side, getting in. Protesting, Jay quickly climbs in and buckles up, closing the door as Kay pulls away from the curb. “Be careful, Zed upgraded the cars in the last four years. Do you even know how to drive? Did the deneuralizer fry you? Come on man, talk to me.”
Already on the highway and going way over the speed limit while weaving in and out, Kay looks over at Jay with disdain.
After one quick drift between cars, Jay screeches, “Watch the road. We can talk later. In the meantime, let me tell you why Zed had you recalled…”
At headquarters Agent Kay walks right by the guard in the vent room, Jay nearly running to keep up. But being Jay, he looks over at the guard and winks as they get on the elevator. “Heck yeah,” he nods at the guard who stood, looking flabbergasted. “Kay is back in business.”
The elevator door closes but doesn’t move.
Jay looks up, talking to the ceiling. “It’s okay. Agent Kay is being brought in just like Zed asked–“
“Override Candy-Delta-<shrill-click-click>-Hamburger.” Kay interrupts and the elevator moves down.
Striding through the terminal, Jay continues to jabber and run after his silent, steadily moving partner. Around them, a ripple of beings stop and stare. Most continue on their business, but moving slowly, their heads and eye stalks swiveling to follow the two agents.
Kay takes no notice. Stopping only when reaching the crow’s nest, where Zed is standing, opening his arms. “Welcome back, my frie–“
A right hook stops the Men-in-Black leader, lifts him off his feet for a second, and drops him to the floor. He looks up at the returning agent, who is rubbing his knuckles.
“You could have saved her.” The accusation grinds out of Kay’s soul.
Zed nods, rubbing his chin. “You know the rules.” He moved to stand up. “I leaked the information as quickly as I could when I found out, but too many changes, too many jumps in technology.” He shook his head; Zed’s pompous starchiness left him sagging against his desk. His eyes watered. “I wasn’t fast enough.” Zed dropped his eyes before Kay’s dead stare.
“Two months. We had only two months.”
“At least you had that much.” Zed whispered back.
(words 475; first published 2/28/2017)
(And back to the regularly scheduled movie already in progress.)
Same end situation – Kevin working in a dead-end job, not fitting in. Same loss of love. But we got to keep the emotional payoff of the first movie, and Kay comes back as not so much as helpless in the real world but broken.
This is the FicFix I want for the movie. Men-in-black is a wonderful mythos covering multiple comics, movies, and urban legends. I think this would make it better.
Image courtesy of imagerymajestic at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
One of the cool things about living in North Carolina is Baen Books headquarters is here, not New York. Yes, that Baen Books with David Weber, Margaret Ball, Eric Flint, Sharon Lee, etc. So a writing convention in these parts will have at least one Baen representative, maybe even the big lady herself, Toni Weisskopf. At one of the conventions I attended Ms. Weisskopf told us about a thing. Baen Books offers teachers’ guides FOR FREE to some of its young adult (YA) oriented materials – guides good for the classroom or homeschooling.
I know last month’s geeking science was on “The Sell”, and make no mistake Baen Books is not doing this exclusively out of their hearts. The teachers’ guides are free, the books themselves – sometimes – are not. On the other hand this particular sell dovetails well into their core business while also having beneficial results. The teachers’ guides not only support reading (and every publisher supports reading), but also encourages students to use the science fiction as a jumping point to learn history and science. Where someone might go “who care how prize money was awarded by England during the wars?”, reading about the prize money collected by the Manticore Navy in Basilisk Station by David Weber raises an interest – then the rabbit hole shows a student what money meant (economics), how money was divided (math), which wars had the most money given (history) and a dozen other interests. By the way, Basilisk Station is a free book just like the teachers’ guide.
Is this “The Sell” or a publishing company giving back to their customers? The creation of the teachers’ guides did cost money – proofing, adding to the website, etc. Having met Ms. Weisskopf and Mr. Weber and the other authors participating in this program, I know its a bunch of people geeking out about how to get people involved in education by using the carrot instead of the stick. These are people who pour over research to get the covers right – did that uniform in 1637 have four or five pockets? Information and words are their life!
And they want to pass on that passion.
The Young Adult list at Baen Books ( http://www.baen.com/bookdata/ya ) contains a vetted list by Ms. Weisskopf. The ones with little books beside them contain teachers’ guides. Over twenty are available.
This Rant is on WHEN things happen in a plot. I’m talking about Content Editing/Macro issues, instead of my normal Line Editing issues. Why do writers put inappropriate actions during a ticking clock scenario? I’ve run into this predicament multiple times in eroticas and romances.
Example one: Family member has been injected with (a silver) poison and has less than a day left. The shape-shifting couple doesn’t even know where the person who has the antidote lives. What happens next? You would think internet searches, contacting friends, getting the police involved, taking the family member to the hospital? Nope, sex which results in an argument and the couple, after a physical battle since werewolf’s emotions often result in physical battles, end up in totally different parts of town after she throws him through the window and runs off. Half a day later they make up and THEN they start looking for the person who has the antidote.
Acquired from the Internet Hive Mind
Example two: Trained military personnel, crossing jungle terrain to attack a compound, get separated from the main group during an ambush. While catching up with the others, the couple gets overwhelmed with thinking this may be “the last time” and stop to have sex. During a military operation, after they have fallen behind their group, on a rescue of civilians, with a ticking clock of sunset. Best of the best military, hand-picked for their professionalism and abilities.
Acquired from the Internet Hive Mind
Example three: A superhero story (the one I am dealing with now). Repeat and rise – Ugh! One does not stop to have sex delaying rescue of loved ones WHO ARE BEING TORTURED TO DEATH and you know because the supervillain is broadcasting the pain via ESPer abilities. Maybe if the sex scene was moved directly in front of the discovery of family members needing rescue, but not after … even if the main character thinks this may be the last chance with the hottest babe/bod in existence. Anyone who is that selfish is not someone I can identify with or want to be around. I am guessing other readers might feel the same way as me, but how do I, as a line editor, tell the author this? I don’t. I can’t. It’s too late to change anything on the content level when it hits my desk.
Acquired from the Internet Hive Mind
Yes, eroticas and romances are about when couples get together and get it on, but they are also about how the couple stays apart. Romantic tension can go hand-in-hand with Thriller tension. It’s a personal favorite genre mix of mine; in fact, I love it more than the typical romantic tension builder of a spat between lovers driving them apart. Circumstance within the thriller can provide double duty of the ticking clock tension and “cock-blocking” tension. If a wedge needs to be driven between the couple to cool the sexual action while building the emotional connection, the action-ride of the thriller works wonders.
I think eroticas and romances are the worse offenders of killing a ticking clock with inappropriate actions, but I have seen other examples in mysteries and horror.
WRITING EXERCISE: Come up with a ticking clock scenario (hostages, parent dying in hospital, dinner burning in oven, etc.) for a character, then put him/her in a situation where they will be highly tempted to go off-track. Why or why don’t they act on the temptation? If they go off-track, should the ticking clock explode?
READING EXERCISE: Think of a book which ignores a ticking clock situation to have an inappropriate action. Did it bother you? Why or why not?
Scenery, especially personal spaces, can give a great deal of insight to a character. While easiest to see in movies, like the mural in Uncle Ben’s house in Star Wars and Andy’s bedroom in Toy Story, what a person surrounds themselves with at home, in a garden, in a car, or on vacation can fill in the blanks on how a person may be feeling or her history, even when the person is not the focus of a first-person or close third-person narrative.
Many writers focus on physical and clothing descriptions, but stop describing a room beyond, say, the paint on the walls. These descriptions combine with dialogue, inner thoughts, and landscape description, sweeping the story through strong and hard without ever letting us know who the people other than the main character truly are.
In Home Cooking Part 1, Troy studies Mrs. Carter’s apartment to learn a bit about her. The spoken dialogue reveals only what she presents to the world and who she was before illness took her: a strong-willed woman, older, southern. The worn out apartment tells of a life without money, no husband as support even though she uses “Mrs.”, a throw hiding the worst of the damage to a sofa, and, most damning, the one button on her remote control completely worn out – not on/off, or a preprogrammed channel, but search. She is locked in, unhappy, and has no options. A far cry from being ONLY a kindly but firm grandmother offering something to eat to her daughter’s new boyfriend.
Further, we gain insight into Troy, because he notices these things. Not the focus character in Honestly, I revealed very little about Troy, taking a significant portion of the story before divulging his disability in all its details. We don’t know much about his military service other than he got shot once. The only real inner feelings disclosed, other than his infatuation of Kassandra, is his (mild) jealousy of Dewayne, which the Home Cooking flash indicates is alive and well.
What he noticed in the scene first, the ability to walk through it, exposes his ongoing life struggle with footing. The rest of it, well, his ability to pull apart a room for a personality profile indicates something other than standard grunt-level training.
READING EXERCISE: Choose one scene in your present book and figure out what information you learn about the characters from the scene and what from the dialogue. If only the dialogue was provided, how would what you know about the characters be different?
WRITING EXERCISE: For a character from your present work in-progress (WIP), write a scene description of their favorite living space where they had control of the decoration – bedroom, desk at work, work room in basement, etc. from the viewpoint of a person entering the space to learn more about them, a spy, a date, their mother. Do not directly describe history or feelings of the WIP character, only what the person entering the space can see and infer. For example, I never out-and-out go into why a remote control writing may have worn off, but a great deal of information can be inferred.
