A Love Note To the Bloggers (and Readers) Out There

"The most important blog post . . . It is on the most important blog. Yours. Even if no one but you reads it. The blog you write each day is the blog you need the most. It’s a compass and a mirror, a chance to put a stake in the ground and refine your thoughts. And the most important post? The one you’ll write tomorrow."

-Seth Godin-

This space *is* my compass and my mirror, and even if there are those who claim that blogging has gone stale (at best) or is completely dead (at worst), I love having this record of these years--a place to call my own. 

So here's to you, writers of blogs--to everyone who shows up with and shares their ideas. Thank you.

And thank you, blog reader, for hanging with me as I refine these (weekly) thoughts on reading, writing, and all things creative.

You keep this space alive.

Photo by Monstera from Pexels

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

On Grounding Your Reader

You're grounded!

No, I'm kidding. I'm not even talking about that kind of grounding. No one is in trouble.

The "grounded" I'm referring to here is actually a good thing.

The idea of "grounding" oneself has, in the last few years, entered conversations surrounding one's mental health, most commonly with those who experience panic attacks.

"Grounding" is a strategy one can use to bring themselves back to the present. The technique, quite literally, "grounds" one in the current moment.

One of the most common grounding exercises involves locating and naming the following:

5 things you can see.

4 things you can touch.

3 things you can hear.

2 things you can smell.  

1 thing you can taste.

But this exercise isn't only beneficial for anxiety attacks.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

Grounding is actually a great tool for writers, especially those who struggle with description.  

Writing is observation, after all, and what is this list if not observation? The fact that it's observation using five of our senses (also a hallmark of good writers)? That's just a bonus. 

Try it. . . . 

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

What do you see in this picture?

What can you touch? (What's the texture?)

What do you hear? (Is it loud or soft?)

What can you smell? (Is it strong or faint? Sweet or acrid?)

What can you taste?

Bonus question: What do your characters think or feel about all of this?

While we're at it, why stop at three things you can hear? Brainstorm ten. Trust me: once you move past the obvious (conversation, traffic, etc.) you're bound to come up with something unexpected--something that will surprise you and the reader.

Now . . . how can you incorporate your list of items--5-4-3-2-1 (or more)--into a scene you'd write about this pictured moment?

You wouldn't want to cram the items together, of course. They should be introduced gradually or spread out over the course of several paragraphs. You might not even want to use all of the items you managed to brainstorm, but if you want to ground your reader in the scene you're writing as it unfolds, I can't think of a better strategy.

And don't limit this to just your writing: try it in your daily life. Practice grounding yourself when you're at the supermarket or on that walk, or when you're working or shopping or even cleaning the house. 

Because the more you notice, the more you notice.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

Storytelling Laws vs Emotional Impact

A massive debate ensued on our ride to dinner last night. 

It involved a movie my husband and I both watched (at different times) and why he liked it and I didn't. 

The argument centered around the fact that he would rather a story make him feel something than be well-plotted.

My counterpoint was that a story is more relatable and more likely to make us feel something when it follows the laws of storytelling.

There are exceptions, of course, to each of these arguments.

But the timing of this debate is interesting because I'm wrapping up a book on plotting and one of the messages is that just because a story follows a formula doesn't mean it's formulaic. Structure doesn't quell creativity. In fact, storytelling structure helps us wrangle the creativity and put our ideas in the places that they're meant to go to have the most profound effect on the reader.

So my problem with the movie was 1) the believability of the setup, 2) the hero's character arc, and 3) a death used solely as a plot device (it made the guy a better person, but to what end?). 

The movie just didn't "scratch that itch" for me (and that's okay--Rotten Tomatoes reviews are split evenly down the middle (49%), so it's just as likely for a viewer to like it as to dislike it.

And this is where my husband comes in. He thought the plotline mimicked real life and because he felt for the main character thought it was a good/successful story.

My argument is that life doesn't make sense, and that even if an author is writing about the "real world," if he cares about the reader at all, he or she is going to structure that story so that it has the best chance to appeal to the intended audience. 

Ironically enough, I feel like the movie's intended audience was ME, not my husband, which adds another layer to this debate. I don't really buy in to postmodern stream of consciousness, so if a story mimics "real life"--which is often stranger than fiction, anyway--there's very little rhyme or reason for what goes on (unlike within a story world, which, to some degree, needs to make sense in order to be appreciated).

If you have thoughts about this or want to add something to the debate, hit me up on Twitter or comment on the Facebook post. If you can think of exceptions--where storytelling rules were broken and the story was still a success--I'd love to hear them.

I do see his point, but I also feel like a story without a clear and recognizable structure is more likely to flounder than win over an audience.

But if it makes us feel something. . . .

Be Brilliant!

-Katie~

On Style

What is Style?

What is it about Katie Klein writing that makes it "Katie Klein"?

First, I should warn you that a writer's style is constantly evolving. My style today isn't quite the same as it was when I first published The Guardian and Cross My Heart. Those books relied more on dialogue and action to move the pages. My most recent YA (All I Never Needed) was much more introspective. The snappy dialogue and intense moments are still there, but there's a lot of exposition, too--the thoughts and reflection--between the conversations and action.

When I first started publishing, the writing was more fragmented and fast-paced. Today, I use more commas and coordinating conjunctions. And you *know* how much I love an em dash. ;)

I credit these shifts to moving out of reading predominantly YA lit and seeking out more women's fiction.

Still, whether I'm writing for YA or Adults, you can be certain that my stories are going to include some angst and tears, a bit of danger/suspense, and a strong love story element that ends in a happily ever after. The path I take to tell that story is what makes my writing, well, my writing.

But, again, my writing has evolved over the years, and it's still evolving.

So when "style" comes up in the conversation in my classroom, I tend to shut it down. 

"You are still students of literature and writing," I tell them. "You do not have a style, yet. You don't need a style, yet. What you need is words on the paper."

"Ack! But Mrs. Klein! We need our own style if we're going to be great writers!" they say.

"This is true," I reply. "But first, read one hundred novels in your genre. Then put one million words onto the page. If each book you write is one hundred thousand words, that's ten novels. So . . . write ten novels. Then--and only then--will you begin to see a style emerging."

It's likely your first stories and novels will mimic your favorite writers' voices and styles, anyway. It's not until after a million words or so that you will be closer to making your style something that's unique to you.

So the moral of the story is this: don't stress about style. Don't worry about style. Don't think about style until you are well into your writing career.

Until then. . . .

Just focus on getting the words of a variety of stories onto the page, read as much as you can, and always: 

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~ 

The Half-Scene

Because summary can be incredibly important in presenting information that does not need its own scene (for instance, if the action came long before the scene taking place), but because it can also slow down the action and pacing (possibly encouraging the reader to skip it entirely), it can be helpful to integrate a "half-scene" into the summary within the main scene:

After my last fight with Sean—the morning of the day he died—I headed downstairs, putting as much physical distance between us as quickly as possible. I remember passing family portraits on my way down, a visual progression of the years growing between us. My lighter hair and glasses—until I got contacts. Sean’s darker features and broad shoulders—strong and confident. That stupid grin that got him whatever he wanted, even Claire.

Especially Claire.

“It’ll never work out!” he’d called after me. “You’re not her type!”

I ignored him, jogged into the kitchen, my new tennis shoes squeaking against the wood floors. My mom was at the counter, scrolling through something on her phone. The Keurig was hissing, the dishwasher running—whirring and clicking its way through the cycle.

It’s crazy the details I remember about that day.

I remember thinking, for instance, that the only way the dishwasher would be running in the morning was if Sean had forgotten to start it the night before—that it was so like him to be completely undependable. Not that anyone seemed to notice.

“What’s going on?” Mom asked.

“Nothing.” I grabbed two cherry breakfast bars from the pantry and a bottled water from the fridge.

In a few short hours, I would puke those bars up on the hospital lawn. After that, I would never eat one again. I wouldn’t even be able to look at them without feeling nauseous. 

This scene is a flashback that pulls us out of present day, but it doesn't only summarize the past--it mixes dialogue and action to add more drama. It is a scene within a scene. 

So if you're working on backstory and feel the paragraphs are getting too bogged down with simple summary, try to add some elements of scene: dialogue, descriptive action, etc. Paint a few of those specific images you're discussing for the reader.

Just remember to keep the point of view and tense consistent. The above example remains in Jesse's POV because I'm in his head at that moment in the story, but with this snippet of action I've pulled the narration from present tense (he says) to past (he said).

A few nice "action moments" can break up the monotony when information needs to be summarized, making the passage more memorable.

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

So You Want To Write Poetry

Even if you don't (want to write poetry, that is)--even if you're the staunchest writer of romance or science fiction or children's books--it might be worth considering incorporating a poetry practice into your writing routine.

Nearly every post on this blog is writing or motivation-related, meant to inspire and encourage writers in some way (or give them something new to try or think about). I'm fairly good at passing along things I've learned about writing over the years, but I'm not always that great about discussing the craft-related books that inspire me. 

(That should change, obviously, so I'm keeping these recommendations in mind for future posts.)

At any rate, I just wrapped up The Portable MFA in Creative Writing, and while it contained a nice overview of what you might learn about fiction, essay writing, magazine writing, playwriting, and poetry in an actual MFA program, I have to say that the poetry section stood out the most, with advice for application that seemed super-practical.

This part of the book was written by Rita Gabis, and it contained an eight-week program full of poetry analysis, freewriting, and poem structuring.

"But Katie, I don't want to write poetry," you say. "I barely made it past the title of this post."

To this, I would reply: maybe you don't think you want to write poetry, and perhaps you don't want to write poetry for publication, but I can't think of any ways in which writing poetry won't help with your romance novel, children's book, or sci-fi thriller.

Poetry is writing, after all. But more than that: it's deep writing. Something about poetry pulls at our subconscious. It makes us more aware of images and rhythm and word choice. It heightens our thoughts about the underlying meanings and hidden messages in a simple phrase or sentence. 

A good poem is good writing, and I just can't see how being able to write a good poem could possibly hurt a fiction writer. In fact, I would argue that it could only make you better.

So, if you're in the market for a new writing craft book, The Portable MFA in Creative Writing is a solid pick. Each section is full of advice and conventional wisdom, but it's worth the price for the poetry section alone.

Sit down with it. Try Gabis's eight-week program.

As an aside, I've bookmarked it for myself for future application, as I would never tell you to try something I wouldn't--even if I already do write poetry on occasion. My problem is that I have one more craft book on my summer reading list as well as an eight-hour writing course to finish (as a student) before my classes (as a teacher) pick back up in July.

BUT . . . if YOU have some free time remaining this summer, just for curiosity's sake, see what spending 45 minutes to an hour every day for eight weeks with poetry can do for your writing.

And always: Be Brilliant!

~Katie~

On Language

I post quite a bit about character development and plot on this blog because these are critical factors in whether or not a book is believable, enjoyable, etc.

However, language--or how your story is told--is also v. important.

I'm reading a novel right now at the behest of my sister-in-law, who thrust the book at me last weekend and said: "This book is awful. Read it so we can discuss."

*sigh*

I know how hard writers work at their craft and how difficult it is to tell a story that resonates, so I was really hesitant to go into this book with the pre-conceived idea that it Just Doesn't Work. It did, after all, go through an agent and editors and was published by a reputable publisher. It can be grabbed from the shelves of any major retailer as of this writing, and a quick check of the reviews shows that it did, in fact, resonate with *some* people.

(Don't try to guess which book it is. It will not show up on my Goodreads list.) ;)

At any rate, there are, in fact, problems with plot, character development, and telling over showing (also: SO MANY coincidences), but one of the main problems is the language. 

This is a historical novel set near the turn of the 20th century. The main characters are European. For discussion's sake, let's pretend they're Italian (they aren't).

The issues with the language are numerous. 

First, the characters don't really sound Italian. Every so often the writer will toss in an italicized Italian word or phrase, or will insert some English-Italian slang; otherwise, the "voice" just isn't there. This means those words and phrases also tend to draw unnecessary attention to themselves. A few, in particular, are repeated ad nauseam. Every time I see one it's: "Oh, yeah. These characters are Italian." This is usually followed by: "Why do they say this word so much?"

The next problem is that these Italian speakers don't sound like they're from the turn of the 20th century. In one instance, a girl says "totally." Maybe they used this word back then--I don't know--but because it's so common today, it's a bit jarring to see it in a historical work. To some degree, I do expect a historical piece to have a more elevated and formal style of writing (which this story does, in fact, call for).

There are also trite/overused expressions and cliches that don't seem to fit the historical/Italian vibe, either.  

Every few pages I'm being pulled from the story. I can't fully immerse or lose myself in the narration because the language keeps calling attention to itself because it feels so unnatural. 

So, writer friends: 

How is your story's message communicated? 

Is it believable? Is it convincing?

Every language and culture has its own nuances, and the dialogue and prose need to sound *exactly* right for maximum believability. The voice of a regency romance should not mirror a contemporary one. A story set in the American South should not sound like a story set on the streets of London.

And we can go further: a story set in Georgia (American South) should not read exactly like a story set in Mississippi (also American South).

Plot and character development are important, but so is language: the dialogue, the word choice, the turns of phrasing.

What does this mean for writers?

It's important for us to do our research. Every word on the page should reflect the period, location, and genre in which we are writing.

Read, revise, read again, revise, read out loud, and, when the words stop making sense, enlist the help of a beta reader or two. They should be able to pinpoint any places where the tone, phrasing, conversation, etc. don't quite match their intention. 

And always. . . .

Be Brilliant!

~Katie~