Fantasy Stories: The Perfect Venue for Moral Questions

I recently read a quote by Paul S. Kemp, the New York Times bestselling novelist and creator of Erevis Cale:

Fantasy's ability to serve as a perfect venue for moral questions is (among a few other things) what gives the genre its enduring strength.

Some basic moral questions are at the heart of my Mall Demons Urban Fantasy Series.

In another bit of reading going back to 2001, I recall a foreword written by Anne Perry in "Writing the Breakout Novel," by Donald Maas:

Sometimes I am asked, "Is it true you should write what you know about?" I say, "No, write what you care about. If you don't know, you'll find out. But if you don't care, why should anyone else?"

The moral questions behind the Mall Demons Series are some I "care about." Questions, I dare say, I lose sleep over; questions I contemplate in the middle of the day, as well, leading me to stare into space for minutes at a time.

I begin the Prelude to Book One of the Mall Demons Series with a quote from "Paradise Lost."

Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth Unseen, both when we wake, and when we sleep.

I follow it with the line: "Your mind is your greatest enemy." And then with this: "WARNING: The spiritual battle is real."

The questions I ask all my characters (and possibly ones my readers may ask as they spend time with my stories) are these: Which side are you on? Who do you serve?

Mall Demons Series Returning

As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, I have been on a writing sabbatical over the last few months. That kept the Mall Demons series on hold.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be working on the series again. Beginning Tuesday I'll republish the previous chapters in preparation for the release of new chapters in the coming weeks.

The plan had been to publish "The Chosen..." in January 2012. Although I don't have a firm date for it, I'm now looking at publishing late this fall or winter. The biggest hurdle is finding the right cover art. 

More on that later.

You can still find the prelude to "The Chosen..." as a Kindle e-book on Amazon.com 

Unexpected Sabbatical Is Over

So, I'm watching "Die Hard" right now. I think about it now... I realized this blog will not die without a hard fight. I feel old. This was when Bruce Willis had hair. Lol.

OK... So, let's get it all out in the open. I'm so glad to say that I'm able to write consistently again. Over the last few weeks I have gone through some illnesses that are finally running their course. 

Much to do. I've released my prelude to the Mall Demons Series. Now, it's time to release the first novel in the series. Lot's of editing to do. I feel inspired. The kind of inspired that requires only 3 hours sleep after a full day of work. Time to rock.

Free Urban Fantasy E-Book

There's still one free gift copy of 'Death Speaks Loudest To Those Who Flee', the extended Kindle version. For a chance to win the free Kindle e-book, simply enter your comment below. Then I can message you back if you're the winner. The Kindle version differs considerably from the flash fiction story I published on Wattpad.com during the summer of 2011.

The Kindle version serves as a prelude to my upcoming Mall Demons fantasy novels. I am currently editing the first novel in the series, 'The Chosen Must Fall.'

The free gift copy of 'Death Speaks...' includes a teaser chapter from 'The Chosen Must Fall.' This has been fun to write. It is amazing how stories begin to tell themselves, and how characters beg to come to life. In writing this tale of good vs evil, I have been introduced to a strong, heroic warrior angel named Evangeline. 

She is joined by a tortured character who despite all the trials he has been through is able to see the good in life. Watcher definitely is one of those characters that surprised me. He demanded to be born, and quickly started living his own life in the stories.

I believe I will be writing about Evangeline and Watcher for quite some time in 2012.
Pedro Ramirez's Amazon.com Author Page
Pedro Ramirez on Goodreads.com

Survived The Holidays: Time To Write That Urban Fantasy Novel

Christmas is over for another year. The kids are still home for the holidays, which means the homestead is quite chaotic. I've taken a break from blogging and tweeting the last few days. It felt great to unplug. I have been reading and spending time with the kids, but I am feeling the pull to get back to business.

Last night I proofed one of my works in progress. I also learned a few tricks using Microsoft Word that helped me with my manuscript. I'll talk more about that later. Still waiting for a response from the Amazon folk regarding my request to designate my e-book, "Death Speaks Loudest To Those Who Flee," as a Kindle Single. Supposed to take up to two weeks to get a response. Figure the holidays will lengthen the process a bit.

If you have a Kindle or have the Kindle App for your computer, smartphone, etc., please check out "Death Speaks.." It's only 99 cents.

Self-Publishing Success Story Defies Conventional Thinking

I spent an hour this morning going through edits to my soon-to-be released commercial version of Death Speaks Loudest... It will serve as a prelude to my soon-to-be-released Urban Fantasy book, The Chosen Must Fall.

My wife who has some experience with book manuscript preparation was helping me. She is ruthless! This afternoon she showed me a news story on Yahoo! Finance about another writer finding "unconventional" success through self-publishing. "How I Became a Best-Selling Author" has all the usual plot points: writer in her spare time creates a novel; traditional publishers take a pass; the manuscript languishes inside a dusty desk drawer until the writer takes a chance on e-publishing; against the odds, the said-book becomes a bestseller online.

If you are an aspiring writer stuck in the conventional wisdom that says you need an agent or a traditional publisher to make your dreams of success a reality, then read the article. It confirms everything I have discovered in my research over the past four months: you can succeed as a self-published writer.

Now I'm not saying everyone who goes down the self-publishing road will succeed, or that the self-pub road is a downhill stroll on a lovely summer's day. It's more like an uphill hike during a blinding blizzard. I have yet to reach the summit of my hike, but I'm still on the road.

And that's all I'm encouraging. Don't settle for conventional wisdom. In fact, you'd be surprised how many great writers and poets began their "greatness" as self-published wannabes.


I don't know how my hike will end, but I'm still trudging forward one step at a time until I find out.

How I Caught Up With My NaNoWriMo Word Count 10 Minutes At A Time

That's right. 10 minutes. 10 is a powerful number. Yesterday it helped me write more than 6,500 words to catch up with my NaNoWriMo novel. Now I'm ahead.

If you're behind and want to make up for lost time, you should try this. But only try it if you also want to have a life in the process. You know, like take a walk around the neighborhood, go out for lunch, spend time with the kids, watch your favorite shows, take a nap, or go to a dinner party with friends. If you want to do all that and write 6,500 in a day, then keep reading.

So, that list of activities above... I did that on Friday, Nov. 18, 2011. I did that and, yes, wrote more than 6,500 words. It was a methodical effort on my part that started in the morning when I set a goal: I will catch up with my word count and write 6,500 words today.

My plan was simple. I numbered a piece of paper from 1-20. I also put that goal: 6,500 on the top of the page. Then I set my WriteMonkey timer to 10 minutes and typed words as fast as my fingers could fly. That first 10 minutes netted me only about 200 words. 

No biggie. I helped the kids get out the door, walked them to the bus stop, waved goodbye, then returned to my computer for Round 2. That second 10 minutes got me about 350 words. I paused, had a cup of coffee. I helped my wife make a batch of scones. Then Round 3. I was flying. I hit more than 600 words. Each time I wrote my word count on the paper next to the numbers 1, 2, 3.

After each 10-minute freewrite/speedwrite session, I took a break. I took a nap. Woke up for another session: 400 words. Read the newspaper; then 450 words. Ate lunch with my wife and watched an episode of Lie To Me; then, 400 more words.

Eventually, the kids came home. We watched some Military Channel show; then 390 words. We watched two episodes of Deadliest Warrior. After each episode, I squeezed in another 10-minute session: 425 words, 400 words.

I think you get the picture. By midnight, my last 10-minute session put me over the top. Ten minutes at a time, I wrote 6,751 words and still had fun with the family, attended a dinner party with friends, etc.

So, if you've never tried it, give it a shot. It worked for me. Let me know how it goes. Oh, an important rule. During those 10 minutes you write as fast as you can without editing, without stopping. Just write. Don't even worry if the right words don't come out. Just write.

Have fun!

NaNoWriMo Day One

I'm in the middle of Day One of National Novel Writing Month. Although I was struck with illness hours before the competition started, I have managed to burst out of the gate with 1,781 words. 

Not too shabby.

The goal is to write at least 1,667 words a day. Do that for 30 days and it's party time which will include not touching a keyboard for at least a few days.

Before today is over, I'm actually hoping to reach 3,500. Why you ask? Because if you get the chance to run ahead during the month, then do it. All the excitement of Week One will eventually give way to the apathy of Week Two once writing your novel begins to resemble hard work. Trust me. I know.

So get ahead to weather Week Two. We'll deal with Week Three later.

Tactic Tip: Have one of your characters walk around with a book that he/she quotes from or refers to periodically.


This is a sneaky way of padding your word count. Extra bonus points for you if you're able to make it relevant to your plot. My protagonist has already employed this technique in Chapter One. He's reading John Milton's "Paradise Lost." It works for me because I am using Milton's work as a reference for my own. If I go crazy and over-quote, I can always cut that stuff out later, but not until after Nov. 30.

It's win-win. I meet word count and conduct valuable research pertinent to my story.

That's Day One so far...

How's your first day going?

12 Things To Keep In Mind When Choosing The Setting Of Your Story

I am happy to introduce my first guest blogger on Pedro Is Writing. I met Joe Mynhardt online at My Writers Circle, a great community for writers, by the way. He is a South African writer with some great ideas. 
Today he is sharing about his method for planning setting in fiction. I appreciate Joe's thoughts on the subject and will be asking myself many of these questions as I continue working on my Mall Demons Urban Fantasy Serial. If you have comments or questions for Joe, please feel free to share them in the comments section below. Having said that, here's Joe....

I've been writing short stories, quite successfully, since the end of 2008 and recently started my first novel, which made me think about what questions I need to ask myself during the planning phase of my novel. I wanted to plan the novel just like I did my short stories, but even more structured. Being a busy person, I'd rather spend a bit more time on the drawing board than wasting time in unnecessary and time consuming rewrites.  

For the next few weeks I'll be posting a few things I've picked up from books, author interviews and personal experience. These techniques can of course be used in short stories, plays and screenplays as well. So answer these questions to get a better view of what your story has and needs. 

Today's questions will deal with setting:

• What is the main setting of your story? 
• Does the setting effectively influence the mood or atmosphere of the story? 
• Does the setting have enough of an influence on the story and the people within it? 
• Does the setting fit into your narrative tone? 
• Is your setting unique, exotic and interesting, or is it cliché and just plain boring? 
• Are there changes in scenery and do these scene changes represent something in your plot or perhaps a character? Example: turmoil within the character or his/her relationship with their significant other. 
• Is the setting influential enough so that the story could not take place anywhere else? 
• Are you using your setting effectively when it comes to the possibilities of irony, contrast, foreshadowing, symbolism and motif?  
• Does the setting present some kind of barrier to the main character, keeping him away from his goal? Example: conflict with nature? 
• Does your story eventually rise above the setting in a symbolic sense?  
• Does the setting perhaps represent a part of your character's personality? 
• Are you using every setting to its full potential? Think about this carefully. A brainstorm session on this can represent quite a few new ideas for your story. 

 I hope this gets you on your way to improving your story. Till next time.  


All the best,
Joe Mynhardt
 
Joe Mynhardt is a South African writer and teacher. While having dozens of short story publications, Joe also tends to a tome of story ideas scraping for a chance to be written. Read more about Joe and his creations at www.Joemynhardt.com or find him on Facebook at 'Joe Mynhardt's Short Stories'. 

Can You Write A Novel In 30 Days?

Repeat after me: "Yes, I can."


Yes, you can. All you have to do is sit down at the keyboard or at a table with pen and paper and write about 1,667 words a day. After 30 days you will have a 50,000-word manuscript.

For those of you who have never tried, November is the month to do it. Ever since 1999 would-be writers have been taking on this task from November 1 to 30.

To those of us who have participated in the competition before NaNoWriMo (our term of endearment for National Novel Writing Month) is a flurry of activity that is exciting, frightening and maddening all at the same time.

Oh, I did forget. At the end when you submit that last word count, and you see that you've reached the 50,000-word goal, NaNoWriMo is also gratifying.

Throughout the month of October I will be posting blog items related to NaNoWriMo as I prepare for this feverish month of novel writing. One lesson learned from trying the competition a few times and finally winning last year is that I needed a strategy. I needed preparation.

By the way, winning means meeting the 50,000-word goal. Of the 200,000 participants last year, according to NaNoWriMo officials, more than 30,000 finished and were counted as winners.

Check out the NaNoWriMo Web Site to learn more. Sign up to participate. You will learn a lot about yourself as a writer. Look for my profile on the site: Bevova is the name to search. We can be writing buddies!

K.M. Weiland, who writes historical and speculative fiction, notes that one of the habits of successful authors is to write every day.
There's nothing like a 30-day novel-writing competition to force you into the habit of writing every day.

Have you participated in NaNoWriMo before? What strategies helped you?