Monday, May 24, 2010
Write Like a Pro! How to "Show, Don't Tell" http://ezinearticles.com/?Write-Like-a-Pro!-How-to-Show,-Dont-Tell&id=4337506
Free eBook: The Non-Celebrity’s Guide to Getting a Children’s Book Published - The CBI Clubhouse - a Community for Children's Book Writers http://cbiclubhouse.com/2009/03/free-ebook-the-non-celebritys-guide-to-getting-a-childrens-book-published/
Sunday, May 23, 2010
YouTube - 3 Steps to Finding a Children's Book Publisher for Your Manuscript http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV2HeZLX3JM
Friday, May 21, 2010
Writing Fiction: Understanding the Essential Archetypes of Storytelling
A wise owl. A trickster fox. An innocent heroine who needs a brave warrior knight to save her. How many stories can you name that have versions of these characters?
Throughout the ages, writers from William Shakespeare to George Lucas have drawn from archetypes, or prototypical characters, to populate their stories. Certain character types have always fit into the literature that's been passed down over time. Psychiatrist Carl Jung said archetypes are part of our collective unconsciousness. And scholars such as Joseph Campbell point to archetypal characters in mythology and folklore to explain universal story structures such as the hero's journey.
Author Christopher Vogler gives writers a handy guide in his book The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers and Screenwriters. Vogler describes seven character archetypes:
Hero: This is the classic protagonist with whom the reader identifies. The Hero ultimately embodies our most cherished values, though may have to go through a period of learning or transition to get there. Heroes can be willing or unwilling, deliberate or accidental.
Mentor: The Mentor assists the Hero in some way, giving him advice or teaching him skills. Mentors can appear at crucial moments, or be present in large chunks of the story. Mentors symbolize wisdom, knowledge and experience.
Threshold Guardian: This is a character who shows up to pose an obstacle to the hero at a transitional point in the story (a gatekeeper would be a classic Threshold Guardian). In classic myths, the guardian often required the Hero to answer a riddle, give a gift, or even fight the guardian before proceeding on his journey. When the Hero passes the Guardian and crosses the threshold, he's achieved a significant point of growth.
Herald: The Herald provides the information that triggers the Hero into action. The Herald can be a person, a letter, a phone call, a newspaper article; anything that sets the Hero's story in motion.
Shapeshifter: The Shapeshifter represents uncertainty and change. He may be a character who keeps changing sides or whose allegiance is uncertain. Shapeshifters can combine with other characters (such as the Trickster or Mentor) to keep the Hero on his toes.
Shadow: The Shadow creates the tension in the story. The Shadow is often opposes the hero and is typically the main antagonist. They may also be people who provide obstacles along the way, although not as a guardian. The shadow also represents the darker side of our own nature.
Trickster: The Trickster provides entertainment in the story. Tricksters can be silly, clever or even wise. They often keep the Hero a bit off balance.
These are not the only archetypes recognized in literature. In her book The Hero Within: Six Archetypes We Live By, Carol Pearson identifies the Innocent, Orphan, Wanderer, Warrior, Martyr, and Magician. She expanded on these ideas in Awakening the Heroes Within: Twelve Archetypes to Help Us Find Ourselves and Transform Our World. Type the keyword "archetypes" in Amazon.com, and you'll pull up dozens of other listings. It's easy to get lost in academic studies of archetypes and what they mean to our shared human history. But the bottom line is this: certain characters have always struck a chord with storytellers because they represent different aspects of our own nature. This is especially true with science fiction and fantasy, where stories contain many symbolic elements (think of The Wizard of Oz and Star Wars). If we throw these often-competing aspects into the same pot and stir it up, we get some interesting results.
A word of caution: Don't rely on standard archetypes exclusively when developing your characters, or you'll quickly devolve into stereotypes. We all know these characters inside and out because we've seen them so often. So while it's useful to have a general understanding of archetypes and how they react to one another, use them as inspiration but take them in unexpected directions. As a starting point, try combining two archetypes into one character: a Martyr/Shapeshifter (a jealous boyfriend who pretends to support a girl's dream of being an actress, but really sabotages it); a Shadow/Trixter (an antagonist who uses humor to work against the Hero); a Wanderer/Hero who craves independence and autonomy but must learn to work with others to get what he wants.
If you see your characters reflected closely in the definitions of literary archetypes, you haven't worked hard enough to make them unique. Use these definitions as a tool: learn what purpose each character serves in the story, understand how the characters react to each other, see what happens to the plot when a new archetype enters the scene. Then trust that an intuitive knowledge of archetypes is part of your storyteller's DNA, and just write.
Throughout the ages, writers from William Shakespeare to George Lucas have drawn from archetypes, or prototypical characters, to populate their stories. Certain character types have always fit into the literature that's been passed down over time. Psychiatrist Carl Jung said archetypes are part of our collective unconsciousness. And scholars such as Joseph Campbell point to archetypal characters in mythology and folklore to explain universal story structures such as the hero's journey.
Author Christopher Vogler gives writers a handy guide in his book The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers and Screenwriters. Vogler describes seven character archetypes:
Hero: This is the classic protagonist with whom the reader identifies. The Hero ultimately embodies our most cherished values, though may have to go through a period of learning or transition to get there. Heroes can be willing or unwilling, deliberate or accidental.
Mentor: The Mentor assists the Hero in some way, giving him advice or teaching him skills. Mentors can appear at crucial moments, or be present in large chunks of the story. Mentors symbolize wisdom, knowledge and experience.
Threshold Guardian: This is a character who shows up to pose an obstacle to the hero at a transitional point in the story (a gatekeeper would be a classic Threshold Guardian). In classic myths, the guardian often required the Hero to answer a riddle, give a gift, or even fight the guardian before proceeding on his journey. When the Hero passes the Guardian and crosses the threshold, he's achieved a significant point of growth.
Herald: The Herald provides the information that triggers the Hero into action. The Herald can be a person, a letter, a phone call, a newspaper article; anything that sets the Hero's story in motion.
Shapeshifter: The Shapeshifter represents uncertainty and change. He may be a character who keeps changing sides or whose allegiance is uncertain. Shapeshifters can combine with other characters (such as the Trickster or Mentor) to keep the Hero on his toes.
Shadow: The Shadow creates the tension in the story. The Shadow is often opposes the hero and is typically the main antagonist. They may also be people who provide obstacles along the way, although not as a guardian. The shadow also represents the darker side of our own nature.
Trickster: The Trickster provides entertainment in the story. Tricksters can be silly, clever or even wise. They often keep the Hero a bit off balance.
These are not the only archetypes recognized in literature. In her book The Hero Within: Six Archetypes We Live By, Carol Pearson identifies the Innocent, Orphan, Wanderer, Warrior, Martyr, and Magician. She expanded on these ideas in Awakening the Heroes Within: Twelve Archetypes to Help Us Find Ourselves and Transform Our World. Type the keyword "archetypes" in Amazon.com, and you'll pull up dozens of other listings. It's easy to get lost in academic studies of archetypes and what they mean to our shared human history. But the bottom line is this: certain characters have always struck a chord with storytellers because they represent different aspects of our own nature. This is especially true with science fiction and fantasy, where stories contain many symbolic elements (think of The Wizard of Oz and Star Wars). If we throw these often-competing aspects into the same pot and stir it up, we get some interesting results.
A word of caution: Don't rely on standard archetypes exclusively when developing your characters, or you'll quickly devolve into stereotypes. We all know these characters inside and out because we've seen them so often. So while it's useful to have a general understanding of archetypes and how they react to one another, use them as inspiration but take them in unexpected directions. As a starting point, try combining two archetypes into one character: a Martyr/Shapeshifter (a jealous boyfriend who pretends to support a girl's dream of being an actress, but really sabotages it); a Shadow/Trixter (an antagonist who uses humor to work against the Hero); a Wanderer/Hero who craves independence and autonomy but must learn to work with others to get what he wants.
If you see your characters reflected closely in the definitions of literary archetypes, you haven't worked hard enough to make them unique. Use these definitions as a tool: learn what purpose each character serves in the story, understand how the characters react to each other, see what happens to the plot when a new archetype enters the scene. Then trust that an intuitive knowledge of archetypes is part of your storyteller's DNA, and just write.
Interested in learning how to write a book and send it to children's book publishers? Come on over to The CBI Clubhouse for audios, videos, insider writing tips and much, much more!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Will Publishing & The Music Industry Share a Similar Fate?
Thirty years ago, the music industry was largely controlled by a handful of major labels: Atlantic, Warner Brothers, MCA and the like. Power was centralized and access to creating a record that anyone would hear was extremely difficult to come by. It was a tough slog for aspiring artists but, on the positive side, this meant that quality was more consistent and, if an artist did manage to score a contract, the chances of being heard -- and potentially making a fair sum of money -- was pretty decent.
Fast forward through decades of revolution -- the compact disc, the rise of indie and DIY labels and ultimately, digital downloading -- and the music world is a vastly different place. On the one hand, almost anyone can record and release music, sharing it with listeners around the world with little or no expense. The catch? With millions of people creating and releasing music, it's nearly impossible to cut through the clutter, especially when the once monolithic music market has become so wildly segmented. Thirty years ago, a band that sold 50,000 albums would be considered an abject failure. Today, they're stars.
So what does this have to do with publishing? A great deal if history repeats. At issue: what if the rise of eBooks has the same impact on publishing as the compact disc and the MP3 had on music?
The Good:
* Content will become easier and cheaper to create and distribute, opening publishing doors for anyone with an idea and the desire to create a book.
* Niche (and even micro-niche) audiences will be well served with a wide variety of content options.
* Digital technology will allow creativity to soar, as eBook readers incorporate sound, touch and (before too long) smell into a formerly 2D medium.
The Bad:
* Without traditional gatekeepers (i.e. editors) in place, the signal to noise ratio is likely to get out of hand. Don't believe me? Try bouncing around Myspace and listening to new pop music artists. What's the batting average when seeking true talent amidst the dross?
* Content will lose its value. Stripped of the packaging and context of traditional albums, music became another overly abundant commodity. If it's paid for at all, it's for a measly sum. Ebooks could suffer the same ultimate fate.
So It's All Bad News?
Nope. Some music artists have figured it out, and they're clearing a path for authors to study. Consider Derek Vincent Smith a.k.a. Pretty Lights, a hip-hop/techno artist who has released three CDs -- and has never sold a single copy. That's because he gives them away, in exchange for the fan loyalty and exposure they bring. The result? He scores huge appearance fees to perform live, sells lots of merchandise and, generally, does a whole lot better than his contemporaries going the traditional route.
This isn't to say that authors should prepare to give their work away (although they may consider it at some point) but to point out that income earned from live appearances, merchandise, licensing, blog advertising and other sources is every bit the legal tender that royalties are. The successful writers, musicians and artists of tomorrow are those who understand that their overall brand is what will provide a good living, not simply one or two pieces of content.
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