Fighting the POV Monster

 

Last week has been one of the roughest writing weeks for me – EVER! 

I had a great friend of mine do a critique of the first chapter of my novel and one issue she pointed out to me related to POV (Point of View).  Up until a certain point and even after a certain point, my story was being told in Third Person Limited, or, through my main character’s eyes only.  I thought it would help maintain a level of suspense in my story as well as have my reader go along and discover my world with my main character.

However, as I was going along, I realized that I was doing some head hopping, or revealing what a supporting character felt, quite often.  So my first method of attack was to just eliminate all of that head-hopping all together.  What I was left with was a dull, shell of a story.

The POV monster totally kicked my ass.

After a day of doing some serious (yet unnecessary) panicking and (figuratively) beating my head up against the wall, I did some reasearch into POV and I realized that for my story and consequently my epic, I needed to expand my point of view.  Instead of my book being told through one point of view, I would tell it through a few of the main characters points of view.

I got that POV monster dazed a bit with that punch.

To not have my reader confused, I only changed POV with a new chapter, with my main character having a few more chapters in her POV than the others.  So I basically had to break my novel down, start some major rewrites of my chapters, and give my supporting characters a lot more depth and a lot more story to them while keeping the focus around the main character.

The POV monster is about to fall.

It took me all of last week plus all day Sunday to get through three chapters.  But, I’m seeing my story take on more life and have more depth because through other actors I was able to reveal a lot more about by world and how my main character was perceived by others that I wasn’t able to do before.  Is it a lot of work rewriting some of my chapters from another POV?  Hell yeah, but it was all worth it!

The POV monster is down for the count.  I totally kicked it’s ass!

Have you had any serious issues with POV?  How did you overcome your POV monster?

An Example of Too Much CGI: Spartacus Blood and Sand

As a fan of the original, I was very anxious to check out Starz version of this classic story.  In case you aren’t familiar with the story, Spartacus was a soldier who was betrayed by the Romans and sold into slavery as a Gladiator.  This series takes a look at his struggle to win his freedom and save the woman he loves.  

I just finished watching the first four episodes of Season 1 and I thought the storyline so far is awesome! Each episode had me wanting to watch the next, watching Spartacus develop from a hot head to a legendary gladiator.  I loved the fact that his character is flawed and took many hard lumps (to put it mildly) as a result.  The cast of actors is another aspect of this series I like so much.   My girl Lucy Lawless is back in full effect, playing a character I would never imagine her playing.  John Hannah (your remember him as the funny uncle in the Mummy) is also out of the acting element that I’m used to seeing him in, even though the  good nature I remember shines through every now again.

With that said, the storyline is the only thing that keeps me watching this series.  The use of CGI was such overkill, especially in the first two episodes.  I understand the gladiator games were bloody, but I don’t need the extra emphasis on the blood.  Another major annoyance of the series so far was the use of the theatrical “slow down”.  Slowing down one or two parts for emphasis is fine.  But when it happens three or four times in a short fight scene, it’s a bit much and totally unnecessary.  A third thing that the series can skimp back on is the sex scenes.  I’m not a prude and having some sex scenes can enhance a movie.  However, there were just some in here that were totally unnecessary and not essential to advancing the story.

I still plan to continue watching Season 1 with the hopes that some of these mistakes are corrected in later episodes.  If it wasn’t for the gripping storyline, I would be completely turned off.

Have you seen this series yet?  What do you think?

A Book That Definitely Deserves the Movie: I Am Number Four by Pitticus Lore

I learned of this book after seeing this movie trailer a month or so back.  From what I know so far, it’s due to come out in February and the trailer alone looked so good, I had to get my hands on the book.

Favorite Parts of the Book:

I won’t go into too much detail because I don’t want to give it too much away, but my favorite part of the book was the big battle scene at the end.  It was what I was waiting for through the entire book and didn’t disappoint!

Favorite Character:

Though book for me didn’t have too much in the way of character development because the action was just nonstop, I did have two favorite characters: Sarah and Sam.  I liked Sam because he was a total nerd/conspiracy theorist that made him such a colorful character. His new-found loyalty to the main character John towards the end was also very admirable.  I also liked Sarah, John’s love interest and a mean-girl turned good turn girl who loves photography and really loves John, even when she finds out what’s really going on.  Gotta love a girl for that!

The Good News:

This book is nonstop action from beginning to end!  With my hectic schedule, I devoured this book in two days which says a whole lot for me.  The book was constantly moving, even during the down time where I about the new alien race, the significance of the numbers, and why they were here on Earth.  I loved the fact that main character’s powers developed through the book, building up to his awesomeness instead of laying it all out in the first chapter.   The fight scenes were vivid and the use of flashbacks was just right.  I didn’t feel like the information was just dumped in one section of the book.  The ending was a cliffhanger, just the way I liked them and I am definitely waiting on the next installment in this series.

Now for the bad news:

I haven’t read YA fiction in a really long time, so with that said, I thought the writing itself was just a little too simple for me.  I know the book was written in first person, however, I just thought some sentences were way too short and abrupt, especially during the downtime of the novel.  I also thought there were some spots I thought were written out of convenience.

Five Classic Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books that Changed My Life

I’ve finally fallen back into reading for pleasure again and with all these new books I plan on reading and writing about, (such as this one I reviewed last week) I can’t forget about those books that made me fall in love with the sci-fi and fantasy genres in the first place!  When I was kid through high school, I read a lot!  I took a lot of english literature courses and had such awesome teachers who taught me how to truly appreciate the classics.  I learned from reading those books how plot structure worked and what it meant to have fully developed and relatable characters.  The stories are timeless and whenever I sit down to write, it’s always my goal to have my work be just that.

So here is an ode to my five favorite science fiction and fantasy books that always hold a special place in my heart!

*all summaries are courtesy of Goodreads.com!

 

amazon.com

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle:

Meg’s father mysteriously disappears after experimenting with the fifth dimension of time travel. Determined to rescue him, Meg and her friends must outwit the forces of evil on a heart-stopping journey through space and time. A commemorative edition with an Introduction by the author. A Newbery Medal winner.

 

I identified with Meg so much and I’ve read this book twice already.  I also have the other two book in the trilogy in an awesome box set.  Though the concept of time travel was a little hard to grasp the first time around, I appreciated the second time!  This book never gets old and I will probably pick the book back up and read it again!

 

 

 

 

 

amazon.com

Beowulf

 

Composed toward the end of the first millennium of our era, Beowulf is the elegiac narrative of the adventures of Beowulf, a Scandinavian hero who saves the Danes from the seemingly invincible monster Grendel and, later, from Grendel’s mother. He then returns to his own country and dies in old age in a vivid fight against a dragon. The poem is about encountering the monstrous, defeating it, and then having to live on in the exhausted aftermath. In the contours of this story, at once remote and uncannily familiar at the end of the twentieth century, Seamus Heaney finds a resonance that summons power to the poetry from deep beneath its surface.” “Drawn to what he has called the “four-squareness of the utterance” in Beowulf and its immense emotional credibility, Heaney gives these epic qualities new and convincing reality for the contemporary reader.

 

I read this book in high school in the Middle English version.  That alone was a challenge but once I got through it, I totally loved the story.  It is a classic epic story with Grendel as the menacing monster, his mother a wicked and conniving temptress, and a hero who seeks nothing but glory.  It doesn’t get more fantasy than that!

 

 

sfgate.com

1984 by George Orwell

 

Portrays a terrifying vision of life in the future when a totalitarian government, considered a “Negative Utopia,” watches over all citizens and directs all activities, becoming more powerful as time goes by.

 

The scariest version of reality TV with Big Brother always watching and people waging a war they know nothing about.  I did my first literary analysis on this book my senior year of high school devling into the underlying concepts, meanings, and uses of symbolism, I truly appreciated this work that I would have otherwise found rather daunting to read.  I may revisit this book again.  I mean its 2010 and the concepts this book explores aren’t that far away from real life!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

 

The epic battle between man and monster reaches its greatest pitch in the famous story of Frankenstein. In trying to create life, the young student Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings Victor himself to the very brink. How he tries to destroy his creation, as it destroys everything Victor loves, is a powerful story of love, friendship …and horror.

Forget the commercialized version of Frankenstein because this one was downright scary!  I can still remember the scenes of Victor gathering dead body parts!  This story sent chills up my spine, taking me on Victor’s journey to absolute madness!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Animal Farm by George Orwell

 

A farm is taken over by its overworked, mistreated animals. With flaming idealism and stirring slogans, they set out to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality. Thus the stage is set for one of the most telling satiric fables ever penned–a razor-edged fairy tale for grown-ups that records the evolution from revolution against tyranny to a totalitarianism just as terrible.

 

Orwell makes this list again because behind this seemingly children’s story are underlying themes, ideas, and concepts that are utterly fantastic. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your turn!  What are you favorite classic books?

Meet an Author Monday #1

This is a weekly meme that I discovered on Confessions of a California Cheer Mom where published and unpublished authors can meet and greet.  I think this is an awesome idea so I’m giving it a try!

A little about me to those who stop by here on the hop:

I’m working on my first Epic Fantasy series called the Children of Epsilon.  I’m publishing through an awesome publishing company, called Visual Adjectives (of which I also work for).  I’m currently in the editing phases, up to my 2nd draft.  I’m hopping to have it done and on the market by Fall of next year, so my fingers are crossed! 🙂

Feel free to tell me about yourself and what you’re working on in comments! 🙂

Yes, Writers are Superheroes

You probably read the title and are like, “What is she talking about? Superheroes?  Seriously?”

Sure, we can’t leap tall buildings, pick up cars with one hand, or even turn an object to dust just by looking at it.  We don’t wear capes or crazy uncomfortable jumpsuits or even our own TV shows and comics.  Our pens don’t have magical powers and our laptops can’t transport us into the future.

But we are superheroes and here’s why:

Writer’s see things non-writers don’t

I got this idea from this post I read on What I saw about seeing something extradordinary that others my find just plain ordinary.  Writer’s have this special power because what may seem like a lowly picket fence for instance, can be the fence to a girl who watched her father get arrested from that picket fence.  (See what I mean!)  We can’t help it because anything and everything can be story. 

We have skin of steel

When I think of this superpower we have, I think of JK Rowling, whose manuscript for Harry Potter was turned down so many times it would make the ordinary man shrivel up in a corner and drown in pity.  Not her.  She got right back up and kept pushing (and I don’t have to tell you how huge she is now).  That’s why writers have skin of steel.  We can survive the snares of agent rejections, the knockout blows of publisher’s negative responses, and when editors tear our work to shreds.  Fame may elude us and money may seem like a treasure never to be found, but you know what?  We write anyway, getting back up after every fall and many times getting stronger everyday! 

We have multiple identities

Clark Kent has nothing on a writer!  He only had to manage one secret identity.  Many writers, on the other hand, have multiple secret identities – editor, mom, office assistant, college student, freelancer, marketer, promoter, social media mavens – I could go on.  Even as a professional, full time writer, you still have to play the role of a marketer and social media expert regardless of what publishing route you take.  I’m an administrative assistant by day, a writer by night, and a blogger/social media maven/businesswoman/wife on weekends.  Is it tough task managing all of those roles?  Sure.  But that’s what make writer’s superheroes – because we can handle it!

Writers unite!  What are some superpowers that you think writers have?

Follow Friday #5: Favorite Authors

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Happy Happy Friday!

This week was a very productive one for me. I finished up a great book earlier this week (the one in the sidebar) and picked up some awesome ones!  I’m also in deep into my rewrites for my novel Damaris as well as getting the Visual Adjectives Blog off the ground!  Yes, it was a good week!

If you’re new to Follow Friday, this is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee’s View.  Make sure to check it out if you want to participate!

This week’s question:

Who are your favorite authors?

 

Some of my favorite authors include VC Andrews, John Saul, George Orwell, Madeline L’Engle, R. L Stine and Pittacus Lore.  I’m sure this list will continue to grow as I continue reading and discovering new authors!

 

What are some of your favorite authors?

Another Movie to Add to My Collection: Robin Hood starring Russell Crowe

I have to admit that I was a little leery of this movie when I first saw the previews.  Though the trailer looked wicked awesome, I have high expectations when it comes to movies about Robin Hood.  I’ve seen the original with Errol Flynn, the remake with Kevin Costner, as well as the comedic version directed by Mel Brooks.  So for me, I thought I’ve seen it all when it comes to telling the story and didn’t think this movie could give me a new unique spin the classic story.

Boy was I wrong!

Instead of starting the story when Robin Hood is already an outlaw, it takes you to the days when he fought in the crusades with King Richard.  King Richard wasn’t the noble and glorious king portrayed in earlier movies.  Robin Hood wasn’t all noble and valiant either.  Even the Lady Marian was more bad ass than in the Costner remake.  I also love the fact that King John was even more annoying and immature, while the infamous Sheriff of Nottingham took a back seat.   The storyline also went deeper than just King John being a greedy king and taking advantage of the peasants.  It involved stolen identities, traitors,  and a French invasion.

For lack of better words, this movie was more “real” and down to earth for me, taking a man who was basically a military deserter to a champion for the poor.  I loved the way Crowe’s character was morally challenged being thrown into a situation that truly put his conscience to the test.  Robin Hood was portrayed as imperfect, a real man with real flaws who was faced with tough choices in a situation so much bigger than him.

I may also add that I am a HUGE Russell Crowe fan and he gave the same stellar level of performance that he did in Gladiator. (And the fact that Ridley Scott directed this one helps too!)

Have any of you seen this movie?  What did you think?

Musical Inspiration & Novel Excerpt: The Night by Disturbed

Music is a huge inspiration to me when it came to writing this novel.  I literally have a playlist on my IPOD that’s filled with songs that evoke the words, feelings, and moods of my novel, depending on which part I’m writing.  The last one from the Prince of Persia went along perfectly with a romantic scene I wrote in Damaris. This time around, we’re going to take things up a notch with this video for the song Night by Disturbed.  I listened to this song a lot while writing this excerpt below because it takes about the mental changes my main character goes through.  Her connection to the Epsilian God Eros (the God of Fire, Lust, and Passion) manifests itself through her dreams.  This dream sequence is the last one she has before she realizes who she is and before the whole world of Epsilon is turned on it’s head!

Damaris.

She opened her eyes to find herself at the steps of Eros’s temple in the City.  At its entrance were two big golden urns, each one overflowing with flames.  Its smoke just added to the ominous fog that surrounded her.   Emerging from the temple entrance was the same figure in the red and gold cloak, its face still hidden.

Damaris.

It extended its arm out in front of it, exposing a dark, shadowing hand.

Damaris

She was slowly walking up the steps, the fog slowly turning to flames.

Damaris

She was just a few steps away from it now, its hand still a shadow.  The air was ablaze all around them but Damaris couldn’t feel its heat.

Damaris….it is time.

The voice was crystal clear now, it’s feminine voice strangely familiar. She took its hand and they both disappeared in the flames.

 

Not for the Faint of Heart: Punish the Sinners by John Saul

Photo courtesy of: fantasticfiction.co.uk

Summary Courtesy of Goodreads:

Italy 1252. Inquisition. Accusation. Fear.  Torture. The guilty and the innocent dying for sins real  and imagined in the flames of the burning stake.  Neilsville, 1978. Peter Balsam has come to this  sleepy desert town to teach its youth, and finds a  mystery of mounting horror. Something is happening  to the young girls of St. Francis Xavier High  School — something evil. In bloodlet and terror a suicide contagion has swept the two… while a dark  order of its holy men enacts a secret medieval  ritual. Is hysteria manipulating these innocent children  into violent self-destruction? Or has supernatural  force, a thirteenth-century madness, returned  to… Punish The Sinners.

Favorite Parts of the Book:

The prologue was definitely one of my favorite parts of the book.  The pacing of the scene was like that of a really good horror movie, leaving you on the edge of your seat.  And then right when the “ax falls”, the first words out of your mouth are “Holy ****”.  I was definitely left a little scared, especially reading this part at night while home alone!

My second favorite part of the book was the ending.  The novel finished just as strong as the beginning, with such a feeling of disbelief. It was a finish I didn’t see coming and when I put it down it left me wanting to know more about what happens next, which could make a very good sequel!

Favorite Character:

I must say I had a love/hate relationship with Peter Balsam.  There were times I was rooting for him when he stood up to the “man” aka the Monsignor.  There were other times I wish I could go into the book and knock him upside his head for making stupid choices.  Either way, I felt connected to him and the author did a great job with his character development.

Now for the bad news:

My only complaint with the novel was the very middle.  It started to get sluggish with the storyline making it a little difficult to get through.  I understand that a story has to have it slowdowns but it should keep me interested all the same.  I wanted to get to the climax already and by the time I got to the last section of the book, the action picked up and slammed me with a great ending.  I think if it wasn’t for the middle of the book, I would’ve finished the novel a whole lot sooner.

Overall Review:

It’s a great thriller book with a storyline that isn’t for the squeamish.  I’m not talking about blood and guts, but rather very controversial topics like suicide and taboo sex that may leave the faint of heart just a little uncomfortable, especially when the whole book relies on the concept of the Catholic religion.  If you can handle that, then this is a good read for you!