Tag: worldview

Categories
Fantasy-Sci-Fi

How to Write Tactful Fantasy and Science Fiction During COVID-19

Writing during a global pandemic is probably not something you thought you’d be tackling. Writing is hard enough by itself!

But handling history well, whether you’re living it or researching it, is part of being a writer. Recently I saw an article that stressed how one publisher is not particularly focused on dystopian writing because of the current state of the world.

They stressed the importance of finding hope through historical events. Fantasy and Science-fiction can be used to build that hope, if done rightly. Here are a few ways to use the current global crisis for the benefit of your readers:

Enforce your writing with historical moments.

Countless moments have shaped history, and therefore storytelling, as a whole. This is one of them. Going back often helps us move forward.

As you plan, draft, or edit your current work-in-progress, focus on historical moments that looked bleak but ended in a brighter future. Draw inspiration from these moments and allow them to influence your writing. Readers need hope, and you’re one of the best people to give it to them.

Use history to teach.

The Civil War brought tension between family members and friends. The Great Depression was a drastic life change for many. COVID-19 is a different circumstance bringing similar emotional responses. Research those who lived during historical moments, look up their stories, and choose different aspects of these very real people to influence your characters.

For your protagonist, consider drawing different character traits from figures who experienced global moments in different centuries. Combine some of these characteristics into a fictional character, add your own twist, and use your character to bring hope to your story. This will show readers what characteristics still bring hope today.

Look to the future.

History shows us how to interact with the future, what to do, and what not to do. Science-fiction in particular points to the future. As you craft your story, pour yourself into world-building and research that will make readers want to escape into your world. Layer in supporting characters and scenes that will inspire your readers to return to their own world wiser, and with more hope, in how to handle their present circumstances.

Writing is a powerful tool. While writing for entertainment may not be our primary focus right now, it can be used to teach, inspire, and bring hope. Now more than ever it’s important to write powerful stories and strong characters. Let’s be the writers who encourage readers in a dark time. Write on!

Sarah Rexford is a Marketing Content Creator and writer. She helps authors build their platform through branding and copywriting. With a BA in Strategic Communications, Sarah equips writers to learn how to communicate their message through personal branding. She writes fiction and nonfiction and offers writers behind-the-scenes tips on the publishing industry through her blog itssarahrexford.com. She is represented by the C.Y.L.E Young Agency.

Instagram: @sarahjrexford
Twitter: @sarahjrexford
Web: itssarahrexford.com

Categories
Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

How Dark Is Your World?

mystery suspense thriller

Most Mystery/Suspense/Thriller stories are set in the real world, but the realities of that world cover a wide spectrum from light, cozy and optimistic to dark, gritty and despairing. On the light end of the spectrum are cozy mysteries, where crime is an unexpected event that mars an otherwise pleasant world. On the other extreme are hard-boiled detective stories, where crime is rampant and the tough, cynical P. I. or cop sees the world as a harsh place.

Is your story world closer to the light or to the dark side?

The dark side is characterized by:

  • A story world that is a broken place with little hope for improvement, where crime and violence are a normal part of life. This is a tough world that requires tough characters.
  • An underlying assumption that society is basically flawed and there isn’t much hope things will get better.
  • An atmosphere that is dark, gritty, edgy, pessimistic, bleak, or cynical.
  • A flawed main character who fights a losing battle against crime but keeps striving to stave off total darkness.
  • Violence, harsh language, and gritty realism
  •  Murders and victims described in brutal detail rather than being glossed over

In contrast, the light side is characterized by:

  • A story world filled with compassion, forgiveness and hope, where crime and violence are the exception rather than the rule.
  • An underlying assumption that there is hope for redemption in every person
  • An atmosphere that is cozy, soft, gentle, humorous, or optimistic
  • A main character who hopes to solve the crime and restore order to her world. She believes order can and should be restored.
  • Little or no violence
  • Little or no swearing
  • A murder that often happens off the page
  • Limited details regarding the brutal realities of the murder

Obviously, most stories fall somewhere between these two extremes.

Where does your world fit into the spectrum? Do you know why you chose your setting worldview? Is it simply a reflection of your own worldview or did you intentionally choose it to fit your story?

Some considerations when choosing how dark to make your story world:

  • Does it fit the subgenre? Readers who prefer cozies don’t want gritty realism and readers of noir don’t want sugar-coated optimism. Know the norms of your subgenre before defining your world.
  • Does it appeal to your target audience?
  • What are the underlying assumptions of the characters regarding the world you have defined for them? What do they take for granted and how does that affect their choices and attitudes?
  • How does your world augment or conflict with the worldview of your main characters?
  • How easy will it be to show redemption at work?

Choosing the right degree of darkness will enhance your story and attract the right readers, so consider your choice carefully.  

Happy world-crafting.

Lisa E. Betz believes that everyone has a story to tell the world. She loves to encourage fellow writers to be intentional about their craft and courageous in sharing their words with others. Lisa shares her words through dramas, Bible studies, historical mysteries, and her blog about intentional living. You can find her on Facebook  LisaEBetzWriter Twitter @LisaEBetz and Pinterest Lisa E Betz.

Categories
Writer Encouragement

Filters. Ever wonder why they’re important?

Basically, every filter I can think of has a main purpose: Keeping junk out.

Recently my husband and I experienced an “interesting” event with his coffee press. The system involves a cup with an attachment full of holes that screws on the bottom. You place the coffee grounds in the bottom of the cup, fill with hot water, then push down with a plunger so the rich brew pours through into a coffee cup. Sounds easy enough, right?

The only problem was, my husband forgot to place a paper filter in the attachment before he added the coffee. So instead of delicious brewed coffee, we had grounds and water pouring out everywhere. All because, the filter was not in place.

This early morning incident got me thinking about filters of all sorts. We change our furnace filter to keep dust and pet hair from clogging up the airflow to the heater and cooler. Our vacuum has a filter that, if left to turn black (don’t ask me how I know this …) provides an odor-rich aroma throughout the home.

Our cars have air filters that keep junk out of the engine that clogs the air flow and makes our auto run less efficiently. Photographers use transparent materials such as colored glass to change colors in their finished products. These are called color filters. Parents use filters on their computers to block access to certain websites.

Life is filled with filters of many kinds.

As writers, we are constantly using mental filters to weed out the junk and leave the good. We self-edit and search for the wrong choice of words or bad grammar or inconsistent characterization. Like smelling a vacuum filter that’s not been changed, we want the stink out.

For the Christian writer, there’s another filter less discussed yet perhaps more important; Filtering out scenarios that support sin.

Does that mean no one ever sins in my books? All anyone has to do is read my novels and it will become clear that is not the case. But what does a Christian writer do with situations involving sin, especially when committed by believers? It all depends on the aftermath. Were there consequences in the character’s lives? Or was the premarital sex treated as normal and OK? Was the murder never discovered? Did the adulterers go on with life as normal? Did everyone just live “happily ever after?” Was it just all part of “Romance?”

This is the difference between a secular story versus a Christian novel. You really can’t leave the commandments out of the plot in Christian fiction. You don’t need to become a preacher of fire and brimstone in your chapters, but be creative. Even King David in the Bible had terrible consequences to his sin with Bathsheba. (Read 2 Samuel 12: 7-17)

Back now to filters. The greatest filter to use in your writing is a simple one: The Bible. If you’re writing Christian books, sift and winnow out the stuff craved by the world. The Old and New Testaments are as old as time with untold value to guide us. Don’t stink up your story with “progressive” plots and characters. Go back to the Source. 

Carry on.

Elaine Marie Cooper has two historical fiction books that recently released: War’s Respite (Prequel novella) and Love’s Kindling. Love’s Kindling is available in both e-book and paperback. They are the first two books in the Dawn of America Series set in Revolutionary War Connecticut. Cooper is the award-winning author of Fields of the Fatherless and Bethany’s Calendar. Her 2016 release (Saratoga Letters) was finalist in Historical Romance in both the Selah Awards and Next Generation Indie Book Awards. She penned the three-book Deer Run Saga and has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies. You can visit her website/ blog at www.elainemariecooper.com

Categories
Polishing Your Message

Three Steps to Confident Feedback

Ever ask a friend’s, relative’s or colleague’s opinion on something you’ve written? You wait patiently, trying not to stare, interpreting each facial expression as a sign or clue. Finally a reply, “I like it,” or “It’s good,” is uttered with no additional words following.  You think to yourself, That’s it? That doesn’t help me.

Perhaps on occasion you have been the person responding above not knowing what to say.  You didn’t feel confident offering your thoughts. You’re not an expert or a published author. You still have trouble calling yourself a writer.

Well, “It’s good,” doesn’t say anything.  To a writer the phrase is too vague, too meaningless. He or she is seeking feedback more specific.

Whether asking for feedback or offering feedback, here are three steps to help readers share responses to a draft.

Before you start to read, let go of the pressure to catch every error or mistake. There is a difference between editing/proofreading and reader responses. Don’t be afraid. You are qualified to respond. You are an experienced reader, and writers need to know how their message is being received or interpreted. You are qualified to offer your reaction and thoughts to something you read.

Next, keep it simple. Keep it nice, and remember three things by ReadWriteThink.org:

PQP: Praise-Question-Polish.

Step 1: PRAISE.   Always find something positive to say about the piece you have been asked to read. Perhaps you like a particular phrase or word choice that lingers in your mind after reading, or you like how the writer describes a scene which easily forms in your mind’s eye. Always find something big or small to praise within the work.

question mark

Step 2: QUESTION.  As you read make notes of any questions that enter your mind. Maybe you wonder why the author doesn’t mention something you would expect to be included on the topic, or where the baby was in the scene when the mother went to the store. Any questions while reading can offer insight the author may need to improve or revise the current draft or work.

Step 3: POLISH.   Finally, offer specific ways you think the writer could polish the piece. These comments cannot be too vague. When you offer an idea to polish, the writer cannot be wondering what you mean. He or she needs a starting point or direction to act on your comment. Read-Write-Think suggests three types of comments: vague, general/useful, and specific. Below are examples of each:

Vague:  “Revise the second paragraph.” or “It’s good.”

Useful/general: “shiny engiveI don’t see enough background information or support for your idea.” or “Can you describe the kitchen scene better?”

Specific:  “I like how you give the points to remember, but can you add an example to help readers better understand what you mean?” or “The title doesn’t seem to convey the topic.”

If grammar and mechanics are your strengths, by all means offer comments and corrections. If you think something doesn’t look right, but you are not sure, you may suggest the writer double check a concern. The main thing about “Polish” is to give the writer a starting point or direction to consider changes.

Writers know what they intend to say in the message, but the receiver of the message does not always hear it as intended. If you are asked to offer quick feedback on a draft, just remember PQP. You can always find something positive to say, did you have any questions, and offer a specific comment the writer may consider to polish the piece.

You don’t have to be an expert or published author to provide helpful feedback to a writer. And as a writer, what you do with the feedback is entirely up to you. Some suggestions will spur new ideas, and some will lead to a dead end and remain left behind.  Nonetheless, diverse readers, diverse backgrounds, and diverse worldviews will encourage your message to be received differently. Stay focused on your message and meaning, use feedback to clarify and polish, then send your message out trusting the Holy Spirit to handle the rest.

[bctt tweet=”provide helpful feedback to a writer #writers #readers #polishing”]

[bctt tweet=”asking for feedback #writer #reader #drafts”]

Source acknowledged:  www.readwritethink.org,

ReadWriteThink.org is a nonprofit website maintained by the International Literacy Association and the National Council of Teachers of English, with support from the Verizon Foundation.”

Image Credits: Colin Harris, Dave Wilson   https://www.flickr.com/photos/