Writing 101: Committing Murder

At some point, every author has to face the possibility of committing murder by killing off one of their characters. When it's done well, you can bring an audience to tears. When it's handled incorrectly, you can receive death threats on Twitter. Committing murder is serious business, even if you're only doing it on the page.

Death by Fiction

You don't have to write mysteries to contemplate murder when you're writing a book. Ask J. K. Rowling. She writes fantastical children's books, but she's definitely guilty of fictioncide. Where there is life, there is also death. Instead of ignoring this universal truth, some authors embrace it and use it as a plot device. In some stories, death has to happen to get a certain point across or make something important happen. 

But it's not something you can introduce without advance preparation, and even then you have to walk a pretty careful line. Death is very emotional, even when it's the death of a fictional character.

1,000 Ways to Kill

Before you kill, think. There are lots of different considerations you're going to have to make before you delete someone from the pages of your book for ever.

• Do I know this character? Don't kill for killing's sake. Kill a character that's already been introduced in the book or else it's just empty. If the character doesn't matter, fine, but in most cases you're going to want to create an emotional reaction. You can't do that unless I already know this character, and have preexisting feelings for them. 
• How did they die? The death scene is often pivotal in any book. Make sure you do it justice. If the reader is going to witness the death through the eyes of one or more characters, don't make it too gruesome. It's okay for parts of a book to be difficult to read because of heightened emotions, but don't make it impossible to read. You don't want readers closing your book and never picking it up again because the death scene is too brutal. If the characters are experiencing the death second-hand, because they're learning about it from another source, you may have to work harder to establish the emotion of the scene. Here's something to remember: if you don't cry when you're writing it, I'm not likely to cry when I'm reading it.
• Why does it matter? There should be some consequences from the death. If a character dies, every other character can't carry on with business as usual like it doesn't matter. There has to be some ripple effect, something has to happen as a result, or else the death really has no place being in the book. 

It's never an easy decision to kill a character, but sometimes it is necessary for the story. Make sure you do it right. If it's too traumatic to readers, they may hate you and your book. Soften the effects of the death, and make it clear that something good has come out of this death, in order to balance out the trauma of the event. If the character being killed is an evil and hated one, try to introduce some humanity and sadness into the death. You don't want readers celebrating death in a bloodthirsty fashion. Even when villains die, it should feel a little bit sad.

Books on Film: Psycho

Halloween is almost here...but not yet. There's still time for one more horror-themed book on film, and for the last novel in the series I've picked the best of the best: Psycho. As far as villains go, the one in this story is the one I've always found to be the most terrifying.

The Book

That's right: Psycho was actually a book before it became possibly the most well-known slasher film of all time. It was written in 1959 by Robert Bloch, and it revolves around a man named Norman Bates. 

He runs a small motel just outside of Fairvale, and lives with his dominating mother. The state, unnamed, has moved the highway and the motel has been struggling ever since. They are arguing angrily about the general state of things when the young, lovely Mary Crane arrives at the motel to rent a room. 

She should've stuck to the highway. She's avoiding it because she's a fugitive. After deciding on a whim to take $40,000 from the real estate company where she works, Mary had to make a run for it. The money is for her boyfriend, who has a ton of debt, and it's going to help them get married. But the plan is looking less and less practical by the time she arrives, tired and hungry, at the motel. When Norman invites her to dinner, she accepts. 

This enrages Mrs. Bates, who seems to hate everyone, and Mary overhears the old woman screaming "I'll kill the bitch!" Still, Mary doesn't back down from her dinner date and she gently tries to draw Norman Bates out over the meal. She asks him about himself, and suggests that he might be happier if his mother was off somewhere receiving the proper kind of care she so clearly needs. Norman insists there's nothing really wrong with his mother, and observes that "we all go a little crazy sometimes."

By the time she goes to her room for the night, Mary has decided to return the money because she fears she may end up just like Norman. She steps into the shower to clean up before bed. It's the last thing she ever does. Minutes later, a figure that looks like an old woman savagely attacks her with a butcher knife. Mary winds up beheaded on the floor of the shower.

It's Norman's fate to discover her there. He toys with the idea of turning his mother in, or otherwise letting her pay for her crime, but ultimately finds he can't do it. He gets rid of the body, and everything at the motel goes back to business as usual.

But pretty young women and $40,000 don't disappear without somebody noticing. Mary has a sister named Lila, and she's not about to give her up so easily. She meets up with Mary's boyfriend Sam to track her down. A private detective named Arbogast, hired to trace the missing money, joins them because there's always power in numbers. Arbogast becomes suspicious when he questions Norman Bates, who says that Mary stayed the night at the motel and left, when Norman won't allow his mother to be questioned. 

Arbogast goes to the house, next to the motel, to question the old woman himself. The old woman ends up killing him, too, this time with a razor.

It's at this point that the twist ending is slowly, painstakingly revealed to end with a chilling scene at the police station. If by some miracle you don't know the plot of the story, I'll not to completely ruin it for you.

Two sequels were written, but neither had a great deal of success. The book did gain some notoriety when Alfred Hitchcock adapted it in 1960, but this is one book that has been outshined by its film version. When you put an amazing horror story in the hands of the greatest horror director, this is to be expected.

Film

Hitchcock made a lot of strange decisions when he turned Psycho into a movie in 1960. He didn't allow advance screenings for critics, and decreed that no one would be admitted to theaters once the film began. He also decided to make it in black and white, though color was available and more popular at the time. 

It didn't matter. Psycho is still one of the best scary movies ever made, and if you haven't seen it then I implore you to do whatever you need to do to start watching it as soon as you're done with this post. Hitchcock's version has since been adapted and several sequels have followed, but the original is the best. How good is this movie? Janet Leigh, who was in the film for only the first forty minutes and appeared in a handful of scenes, won an Academy Award for her turn as Marion Crane (changed from Mary for the film). She became widely associated with the film and became one of the first "scream queens" on the big screen. She's also well-known for being Jamie Lee Curtis's mother.

Anthony Perkins chillingly plays Norman Bates, so well that he was typecast for the remainder of his career. The reviews were mixed, the box office numbers phenomenal. Psycho changed the face of horror movies, and the AFI lists it as number one for the best horror flick ever made.

They're probably right. The film is a very faithful adaptation of the book. It even lifts dialogue straight from the page to bring it to the screen. The shower scene where Janet Leigh dies is now the stuff of film legend. It spans more than 3 minutes and puts the viewer right in the killer's point of view, a technique Hitch was famous for using. The scene contains over 50 film cuts and maddening extreme close-ups that are designed to heighten the terror.

Hitch himself said that his film "came entirely" from the book. That's only mostly true. Read the book, watch the movie, and you will find some small differences.

What Got Adapted?

The book takes readers even deeper into the mind of Norman Bates, who doesn't look much at all like Anthony Perkins. On the page, he's a paunchy middle-aged man who wears glasses, a big difference from the slim, younger, passably attractive Perkins. It makes the character much scarier on film, I think, but it's much more clear in the novel that Norman is terrifyingly introverted and lonely. 

More of Mary Crane's thoughts are also revealed in the book, as are the secondary characters who enter the story a little later. Norman also drinks excessively in the book and maintains a collection of pornography, character traits that are erased on the big screen.

The murder scenes are actually more detailed in the film than the book, a surprising reversal. The author doesn't exactly skip over the murders, but he doesn't exactly depict them in clear, gory detail, either. There is more violence in the book. On film, Marion Crane's head is never severed. No way would the studio have let Hitch shoot a scene like that. So he cut the scene to pieces instead with quick edits, and rumor has it that he used chocolate sauce to create the blood. The sauce had the perfect consistency, and since the film was being shot in black and white anyway it didn't really matter if it was red or brown.

Fiction Fashion Icon: Scarlett

Gone With the Wind was published 70 years after the Civil War ended, and introduced countless new generations to this bloody conflict in the United states. It was written in 1936 and became the biggest film ever made just three short years later. And even though it was written about a woman who lived way, way back in the 1860s, it helped to shape 1940s fashion and created one of the most famous fiction style icons of all time: Scarlett O'Hara. 

Belle in a Bell Skirt

Long-time readers of the blog know that Gone With the Wind is my favorite book and my favorite film, and if you've read and seen it then you probably know why. Many, many people cite the novel and the film as their favorites, and many women admire the central heroine (or anti-heroine, depending on your view): Scarlett O'Hara. 

Fashion plays a big part in the book. It's about living through a war, which is no easy time. In the south during the 1860s, it was particularly rough. There are many passages describing Scarlett's attire. She goes from wearing sprigged muslin and gowns with carefully-sewn pearls adorning them to being without a proper bonnet or even a petticoat under her dress. She lives without stockings and hoops and all those many mysterious items that were so essential in those days when skirts had to be several feet wide and brush the floor or you just weren't decent. 

But the fashion of the book didn't come alive until it hit the silver screen in full, glorious Technicolor. Vivien Leigh, playing Scarlett, was bedecked with yards of fabric, acres of jewelry and a wire hoop cage that was (blessedly) much lighter than the real deal would have been back in the day. And though she was already an aged heroine by contemporary 1940s film-goers, Scarlett's fashion leapt from the screen and into the closets of women all over America. 

After it was brought to the big screen in 1939, Gone With the Wind immediately became the most popular film of the day and of all time. It is still the highest-grossing movie ever made, if you factor in ticket price differences between then and now. Clothiers of all types took notice. 

The most popular pattern of the early 1940s mirrored the green and white dress Scarlett wears to the barbeque at Twelve Oaks. Many women also flocked to the dress shop to get a pattern for a white, ruffled gown with the long skirt, an item that mirrored the red-belted dress Scarlett wears in the opening scene of the flick. And the slim, cut silk wedding gowns of the 30s quickly fell out of favor as brides rushed to wear dresses made with puffy sleeves and organza fabric, more like the gown Scarlett wore when she married Charles Hamilton. Organza is still a popular wedding fabric today, though puffy sleeves are a bit less common.

Hats were everywhere in the summer of 1940. Big-brimmed styles were all the rage because of Scarlett's big hats, and some designers even created bonnet-like headpieces resembling some of the more casual headwear shown in the film. Women also rushed out to buy themselves hair netting and fabric bags, and began fashioning their locks with snoods like those worn by Scarlett.

Scarlett's fashion helped inspire women everywhere, and her story continues to delight book readers and movie watchers to this day. Her strong, fearless character has drawn the admiration of many, and that's why so many have tried to copy her style. So the next time you feel like ripping down the curtains to make a new dress, go with it. That's what Scarlett would want.

Writing 101: If You Can't Take the Criticism...

 As a self-published author, you have to go out and actively seek reviews if you want to get them. It takes a lot of work, maybe a little bit of deal-making, some letter-polishing and plenty of time. And if you can't take the criticism, you might as well not waste it...not yours, or mine. 

You Asked For It 

Before you actually ask someone to review your work, make sure you're prepared to hear it. Some authors absolutely want to get reviews for their books...provided those reviews are filled with praise. Others react quite poorly upon getting any sort of less positive feedback, and don't at all want to absorb criticism in any way. 

There are a whole lot of reasons why you simply can't have this attitude. Even if you didn't ask the reviewer for a review specifically, even if it's just a random Amazon reviewer whom you can't track, you have to be prepared to absorb their comments in a healthy and productive way. The very second that you put your work out there for others to read, you're opening the door to criticism whether you go out and seek it or not. So whatever they say, you owe it to yourself to pay attention...no matter how painful it might be. 

Time to Get Tough

If you haven't already had the sensitivity beaten out of you by the time you've decided to self-publish, I'm sorry. You're about to have some pretty ego-pounding experiences. Many indie authors have already been rejected, at least to their way of thinking, by the traditional publishing world. Agents and publishing houses are cold, impersonal, and their repeated rejections can hurt. More in-depth reviews are often even more painful, but at least those who have weathered rejection in the past have become a little more desensitized. 

Either way, you've got to get tough and you've got to be objective. Anyone who ever reviews your work is a great help to you, no matter how cruel or hurtful their comments may seem. It's always extremely valuable to know what even one reader thinks, and every review is a window right into their thoughts. Any tiny piece of information they give you can be used to make your work better...even when it feels like they're ripping out your heart. 

As a self-published author, you're exposing a part of yourself to the world and you're opening up a door right into your soul. That's the way it is. If you aren't tough enough to take all the slings and arrows that are coming, then please close the door. Don't let the criticism wear you down or diminish your love of writing. If you find that reviews are affecting you in a negative way, stop reading them. They can be a great help, but for some authors who are sensitive to it they can turn into a gigantic hindrance. You can still be a writer...just maybe a little bit more reclusive. And if you know you can't take it or you might be too sensitive to really process the criticism you receive, then stop asking for them. Any reviewer can get nasty if you manage to push the right button, and you never know when that might happen.

Whether you're reading the reviews or not, you have to be tough on yourself. Either be disciplined enough to ignore them, or be strong enough to really absorb them. For a self-published author, there really is no in-between.

Writing 101: The Politics of Being an Author

In case you've somehow been avoiding TV, social media and most public Internet sites over the past 10 months, it's an election year. Tensions are especially high during election season, when the news media is amped up on Red Bull and rhetoric, but some politician is always out there campaigning at all times. It's easy to get swept up in politics during any year, but you can't ever forget about the politics of being an author...particularly if you're a self-published author.

Politically Speaking

When you're a self-published author, you are your own PR agent. You're in charge of all your marketing and all your promotion, and it's a really hard job that takes up a whole lot of time. So don't screw yourself by actually being yourself in the middle of all that.

That's right. When your parents and your friends and your teachers were telling you to "just be yourself," they didn't count on you becoming a self-published author and your own best friend and biggest supporter. You can be yourself when you're at home, but you can't be yourself when you're in your author persona -- at least, not really. 

Politics are polarizing, and that's a real problem for you as an author. When you're presenting yourself to the world as a writer, the social media accounts you use to tout your books are no longer your own. That means you can't start screeching about politics in the middle of a bunch of tweets about your books. The minute you make your political or religious affiliation known, you're running the risk of turning off a large portion of your audience. 

I know it's true, because I'll hit my "block" button in less than 1 second if I see someone expressing a political opinion that's opposite my own...and I will not reveal on which side my bread is buttered, no matter how nicely you ask. Why? Because when you are a self-published author, like I am, you are neutral on any and all hot-button issues and political matters. Otherwise, you're going to be screwing yourself out of readers. Isn't it hard enough to get them already?

As a matter of fact, it's not even a good idea for you to have any sort of opinion except in a very specific set of circumstances.

Politically Correct

If you write about politics, then obviously you're going to end up tweeting about it, blogging about it, and what-have-you. If you write about politics, you're already targeting a specific group and that group is interested in politics. You're going to be using political opinions and rhetoric in your promotions, and it's totally appropriate to do so. But if you write about anything else, just stay neutral. Offensive subject matter creeps into books a lot, but your author persona should never be offensive or off-putting to anyone if you can help it.

Writing 101: Don’t Forget About You

 If you’re a writer, you have lots of different people living inside your head. You’re thinking about their lives, maybe killing them off (like me), maybe hearing them speak and watching them act. It’s not crazy – it’s what it’s like to be an author. But when you’re a writer, don’t forget about you while you’re thinking about all those other ideas in your head.

Truly, Madly, Deeply

There’s a scene in a movie I love. It’s about an author who’s having trouble finding her true writing voice. She’s writing about all sorts of fantastical things and inventing all sorts of passionate plots, until someone close to her tells her that she ought to write about things she’s actually experienced and people she knows. She doesn’t take to the idea at first at all, but later it becomes her inspiration. In the particular scene I’m thinking of, she sets herself right down at her desk and begins to write.

Mind you, this is a period piece we’re watching. When I say she sits down to write, I’m talking about there’s an oil lamp on the table and a feather in her hand. So this is real writing, here. The way the scene plays, she sits there and writes all night long. By morning’s light, she awakens from a brief nap (one assumes) and there is a gigantic pile of pages next to her.

She wrote the novel in one night. I love the movie...I hate that scene. It’s utterly ridiculous. I’ve staying up late into the night writing a chapter before, sure, but you’ve got to be part robot to write an entire novel in just one night.

It’s just not that easy. I might think about a book for weeks before I write a single scene, and no matter how well-planned I’ll still struggle over that scene – maybe for hours and hours. Then I’ve got to go back and read the darned thing, and take out all the inevitable errors I’ve made and words I’ve repeated too many times. Sometimes I might end up erasing the whole thing, because the plot changes or somehow the scene becomes unnecessary.

When it takes so much time, and blood, and sweat, and tears and sheer gut to write a novel (and it does, no matter what the movies say), you have to be the sort of person who has people living in your head just to live through it. You have to tune out the world and focus on your task, think and re-think your plot, really become those characters and step outside of yourself.

Just don’t get too far outside yourself.

Who…Are…You?

All good writers have to set their own limits. Otherwise, we’d never get up from behind our keyboards. I’ve forgotten to eat and missed major events because I got too caught up in a story, and didn’t even really realize that time was passing. How can time be passing when I’m not even here? I’m a hundred years in the past, so how could any time be going by?

But it does, and all authors are only human beings at the end of every day. It takes a lot of time and energy to write a book, but don’t start losing sleep over it. Don’t start skipping meals, or blowing off your family, or forgetting about your other responsibilities. Don’t stop doing all the things you used to do before you started writing the book. If you exercise or walk the dog, keep on doing that. If you play a game for an hour each night, don’t stop. When you’re writing a book, don’t forget about you.

The brain and the body has to have a certain amount of rest and a certain amount of nutrition in order to stay healthy and continue functioning at its peak. You can definitely get by with less sleep, fewer calories and a lot more stress, but your goal should never be to simply “get by.” Your book is going to be a lot better if you approach it with a clear mind, well-rested, with plenty of energy from food in your belly. Continue doing what you do to relieve stress, and continue staying in touch with friends and family.

Self-published authors have a way of putting a ton of pressure on themselves with self-set goals and deadlines, but this can be damaging. It’s good to be disciplined, but it can be taken to a dark place. You’ve got to give yourself downtime and rest, too. You cannot work all the time, or think about the book all the time. Some of the best ideas come when I’m not thinking about my stories, because that’s when my brain is actually free to be creative. You can’t go up to your brain, scream “be creative!” when you’re tired and stressed out and expect to get results. Whatever you write under such conditions will be less than your best. And why would you ever want to present less than your best to a reading audience?

Writing 101: Writing a Message

Not all stories are mere stories, something to entertain you. Some strive to teach some lesson, perhaps make some moral standpoint, maybe brighten up your day. When you're writing a message, you have to walk a delicate line and maintain a certain balance. Otherwise, I'm just going to get ticked off...me, and other readers too.

Getting the Point

There's nothing wrong with embedding a message into a story. In fact, lots of books have been extremely successful by doing this. People like learning a little something, and having their spirits lifted. But at the same time, they also want to be entertained. When you're writing a message, you can't over-write it.

What I'm saying is, don't hit me over the head with it. If you're continually spelling out your message, you're just being repetitive (and repetition is boring). The message has to be faint, subtle, so carefully placed that I'm not really sure if there was a message there. I read a book once where the author related inspirational stories in gigantic monologues, then went on to repeat and sum up the message I was supposed to get to end each chapter. Each message was a joyous and inspirational one, but each was getting pounded into my brain with each and every chapter. 

You can't force-feed your message to your readers, and you don't need to give it to them in multiple ways to make sure they're getting it. It has to be faint, slight, something that supports the story. The message shouldn't be the story.

Dying of Suspense

"The reader can't help to want to know more about what will happen." 

Death (Deck of Lies, #3) has been reviewed at Kritters Ramblings. See how it rated on the YA shoe scale when you visit the blog for the full review!