Tag: writers

Unusual Narrative Styles in Fiction

April 20, 2020 / Kyle A. Massa

Writer

Mark Twain once said, “I like a good story well told.”

We’re with you there, Mark. Whether that story comes in the form of a book, a news article, or over a drink with a friend after work, stories are pretty much universal. It’s the “well told” part of this statement that interests me most, though. What exactly does that mean? Regarding fiction, is there an optimal way to tell a story well? I think not.

Linear, cause-and-effect narratives are fine. Third-person omniscient narration is cool. And the Hero’s Journey works. But when you find a story told in a weird, out-there sort of way, it can really make things feel fresh.

What am I talking about here? I’m talking about present tense. I’m talking about all-dialogue. I’m talking about non-linear narratives. Let me give you a few examples.

The Shining Girls

I just got finished reading The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. It’s about a woman who survives a brutal attack by a time-traveling serial killer, and then devotes the rest of her life to stopping him. Not one for the kiddies.

It’s not the typical cut and dry, one-scene-into-the-next thriller. First thing: it’s written in the present tense, which is atypical for genre fiction. Present tense works perfectly with this story, though, because it gives everything a sense of immediacy. It’s as if the events of the novel are unfolding before us in real time, sort of like a news story (Beukes was a freelance reporter for a while, by the way).

Furthermore, present tense works best with quick sentences and short chapters, which we see much of in The Shining Girls. Beukes writes her chapters in quick hits, like jabs to the mouth. We zoom in on one character, end on a resounding note, then move on to the next. An economical yet powerful approach.

Could Beukes achieve the same effect using traditional narrative styles? Maybe, but I don’t think it would’ve been quite as effective. There’s no distance to the events with present tense—it’s happening instead of having already happened.

Your Fathers, Where Are They? And the Prophets, Do They Live Forever?

Another weird narrative comes in David Eggers’s Your Fathers, Where Are They? And the Prophets, Do They Live Forever? The plot: an unremarkable man kidnaps an astronaut in order to ask said astronaut many existential questions.

…That probably already sounds weird. It gets weirder.

Eggers’s book is written entirely as dialogue. It’s sort of like a stage play in that sense, only without even so much as stage direction. Like in The Shining Girls, this makes things move quickly. Though it’s a roughly 200-page book (which isn’t super long to begin with), it reads as though it’s half that length.

The best part about this all-dialogue style is the way it puts the characters’ voices right in your ear. After a while, you can imagine distinct accents and inflections for each of them. Furthermore, the dialogue takes on a special weight, because without a description to back it up, every line must do more to advance the story. In addition, the dialogue must also perform such mundane actions as orienting the reader in the space, a function usually performed by description.

Slaughterhouse-Five

The last weird narrative style I’d like to discuss is that of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five. Perhaps the weirdest of the three, Slaughterhouse centers on the life of Billy Pilgrim, a WWII veteran who’s trying to adjust to postwar life. Which is tough when you’ve become “unstuck in time” and subsequently cycle through different moments of your life.

Billy jumps from moment to moment, from the war to troubled times at home to an alien planet, all of them years apart. The narrative cuts between all these times and settings in an unpredictable pattern—definitely not the style of most books.

But the genius here is that we become disoriented, just like Billy. If the story was told in a normal, linear manner, we’d know exactly when we are in time, i.e. the events on page 100 are happening after those on page 50. As written, though, we’re just as unstuck in time as Billy. It’s an effect that couldn’t be achieved otherwise.

So What’s the Best?

So what makes a good story well told? Like any good question, there’s no single answer. It might be a classic structure, or it might be something unusual. Whatever the structure, it’s not just what happens that makes a story great—it’s the way in which it happens.

Kyle A. Massa is a speculative fiction author living somewhere in upstate New York with his wife and their two cats. He has written two books and numerous short stories, both published and yet-to-be published. He enjoys unusual narrative structures, multiple POVs, and stories about cats.

The Curious Case of Why Short Story Collections Don’t Sell

July 29, 2019 / Kyle A. Massa

“Short stories are loose change in the treasury of fiction.”

That’s what J.G. Ballard wrote in the introduction to his Complete Short Stories collection. Considering the dwindling attention spans of many readers, you’d think that short stories would be more popular than ever. But when’s the last time you saw someone reading a short story collection? Just like Ballard wrote, it seems short stories are the pennies, nickels, and dimes of literature.

So why don’t short stories sell?

First, I think it’s about the characters. Take a series like A Song of Ice and Fire, for example. Fantasy fans and non-fantasy fans alike revere that series in large part because of the characters. They’re dense, they’re layered, and they evolve over the course of many volumes. In short stories, however, you don’t have hundreds of pages to devote to character development. That’s not to say that short stories don’t have good characters—it’s just that, with such limited space, writers must focus on a few key characteristics rather than many.

Furthermore, I think agents and publishers are less likely to go for collections because they don’t have the potential for a series. This one’s a no brainer: once readers get attached to the first book in a series, you’ve got them locked in to buy the rest. The Harry Potter series, for instance, only got more and more popular with each new release. And once the series ends, publishers can package the whole thing into a box set for even more sales. All told, that’s a heck of a lot of money.

And another thing: authors often use short story collections to explore different styles and genres, which is the opposite of what they do with novels. Another truism of the publishing industry states that once an author makes it big with one book, she/he should pretty much rewrite that story, only make it a little different this time. For readers, this is a good thing; you can pick up a novel by an author you know, and you’ll probably end up liking it.

Short stories don’t necessarily follow that rule, though. Things like second person narrative and interview style, which rarely work in long-form narratives, suddenly spring to life in a short story. Authors also tend to explore subjects they stray away from in their longer fiction. Roald Dahl is a great example. Sure, you know him as the guy who wrote James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But have you ever read his short fiction? Just to get a taste (sorry for the pun), try Lamb to the Slaughter. It’s a clever short that includes murder, adultery, deception, and dinner.

Or, in other words, good fun.

Will short stories ever sell like novels do? Maybe not. Historically, the novel has always been far more popular, and, for the reasons listed above, I can see that trend continuing for a long, long time.

But don’t let that stop you from trying short fiction, if you haven’t already. There’s an elegance to a good short story, a brevity and directness that many novels are missing. Some of the greatest short stories I’ve ever read say much more with far less.

So, for J.G. Ballard’s sake and the sake of short story writers everywhere, always hold on to that loose change.

Kyle A. Massa is a speculative fiction author living somewhere in upstate New York with his wife and their two cats. His stories have appeared in numerous online magazines, including Allegory, Chantwood, and Dark Fire Fiction.

Patreon, Crowdfunding, and the Future of Writers’ Revenue

February 11, 2019 / Kyle A. Massa

“Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.”

That’s a line from Pink Floyd’s “Money.” A great song, but certainly not the only one to address its titular subject. In fact, there are tons of songs about money.

It’s an understandable fixation. For songwriters, authors, or any artist, money is a big deal. Most don’t expect to get rich from their work, but many strive to make their art their living. (I know I do!)

As an author, I consider cash in terms of writing. Book sales, advances, and signings have been around for years. But are there newer ways for authors to make money from their work?

Absolutely! The one we’ll discuss today is Patreon. In today’s post, we’ll learn what it is, how it works, and how it can help us start and sustain a writing career. Let’s get to it!

What is Patreon?

Patreon is a website where fans give back to creators they love. Patrons sign up to contribute any amount they’d like, either in onetime or monthly donations. In return, creators usually offer fans exclusive content depending on how much they’ve donated. One dollar each month might not sound like much, but with enough patrons, the revenue adds up.

When most people hear about Patreon, their first reaction is usually something like this: Really? Yes, really! If people like what you create, they’ll donate so you can create more. Plus, giving them extra for their contributions can’t hurt.

Why Should You Try It?

Think of all your favorite services: Netflix, Hulu, HBO, The New York Times. They’re all based on subscriptions. You pay a little each month to access something you love.

Patreon operates on the same principle. Patrons are essentially subscribing to your monthly rewards, contributing as much as they feel comfortable with. That’s the nice thing about the service—you can pay anything, even just a dollar a month.

Imagery and Headline

Start with the headline.

Patreon 1

Every profile has a name, then the phrase “is creating” or “are creating” (your choice), followed by whatever it is you’re creating. This is usually just one or two words. I was originally going to write “Stories” for mine, but I wrote “Outlandish Stories” because I thought it would stand out more. Also, I like the word “Outlandish.”

You’ll also want a picture. If you’ve read my book, the above image will look familiar. Try to find one where you’re smiling. And don’t use a blurry Facebook profile pic, please.

You’ll also need a cover image, which might be a bit trickier. Many Patreon authors create cover images out of their book covers, but if you’re like me and you’ve only published one book so far, that might not be an option. I used a free sharing photo website called Unsplash for mine.

My stack of books is perhaps not the most striking thing in the world, but it’s a professional image that clearly shows what I’m creating. That’s the cover image’s only job: show people what you’re creating at a glance. If you’re an author and your cover image is, say, a field of cows, you might confuse your patrons.

The Overview

This is the pitch. Introduce yourself, discuss your rewards, and encourage patrons to contribute to your cause.

Most authors I’ve seen use headings to break up their text, because these Overviews can (and probably should) get pretty lengthy. For many authors who already have huge established fan bases, kicking off with a simple “This is me” statement works just fine. For example, here’s the first line of author Tobias Buckell’s Patreon page:

Or author Saladin Ahmed:

Patreon 3

Or author N.K. Jemisin:

Patreon 4

(Note: Jemisin’s Patreon page is now closed, so please look to the part after the italics.)

Though my cats might think I’m famous, I’m not. Therefore, I opted for an intro about my stories instead of one about myself.

Patreon 5

Write something that will convince prospective patrons to keep reading. Fair warning: That can be harder than it sounds. And it can be even harder if you haven’t written the whole overview yet. So feel free to start elsewhere. Flesh out your ideas. Once you have the entire thing written, revisit that first paragraph.

Next, tell your fans why you chose Patreon. Almost every creator on the site does it. “Because I want money” is not enough. Everybody wants money!

For me (and for most other writers), Patreon is a step toward a full-time writing income. Even if you write a book a year, those spurts of income likely aren’t enough to last you all 12 months. Patreon presents a unique opportunity for writers because you can build a consistent income each month. For some, that’s all we need.

Now that patrons know who you are and why you need their help, tell them about your work. What have you written and what are you writing? Again, if you’re like me and you don’t yet have much published work, elaborate on all the writing you will do with enough donations.

Throughout the Overview, include your personality. I tried to do that in numerous places. For example, I mentioned authors whose work has influenced my own. I also threw in a picture of my cats. I think people are more likely to contribute to you if you seem like a likeable person. And I bet you are a likeable person. Show it!

Finally, our moms taught us the value of saying “thank you.” I believe that goes double on Patreon. Patrons make our writing possible, so we really can’t say thanks enough.

The Tiers

This is, in my opinion, the hardest part of the whole process. Creating rewards and adequately charging for them is challenging. Hell, some companies hire other companies just to do their pricing for them. It’s a pain!

Look to other authors’ Patreon pages and see how they do it. My donation tiers are very similar to those of the authors I mentioned above. If it works for them, why change it?

Patreon 6

Almost all writers offer a huge range of donation. Always start at $1 and provide good value there. Most writers give their patrons a new short story each month for that price. Then scale up to a massive tier—one you wouldn’t believe anyone would ever contribute to. Doing so makes your work appear valuable while also making your lower-priced tiers appear affordable. And there’s always the chance a patron will like you enough to join that tier. You never know!

Setting a Goal

This is a fun section where all your patrons can work together. The creator sets a goal of total patrons or total revenue. If the goal is met by a certain date, all patrons get a sweet prize.

I’ve set a goal of getting 50 patrons by the end of 2019. If we reach it, every patron receives a terrible short story I wrote a long time ago. So bad it’s good. Or at least I think so…

Try Patreon!

I hope this post was helpful. If you’ve always wanted to make a living from your writing, consider using Patreon. And if you become one of my first patrons, I’ll be eternally grateful.

Grab that cash and make your stash, authors. Use it to write more. The world needs your work!

3 Signs You’re Starting Your Story in the Wrong Place

September 10, 2018 / Kyle A. Massa

Story Beginning

Beginnings. They’re a pain.

Starting your story might be the most challenging part of any short story, book, script, or whatever. It’s difficult to pinpoint that exact moment when the festivities should commence, and when it’s most appropriate for readers to enter your world.

In fact, your story might start in the wrong place without you even knowing it. Here are three signs that’s the case (and some suggestions on fixing it):

1. Readers Think Your Intro Needs Work

Last time I submitted a book to my writer’s group, many members were iffy on my first chapter. To put it simply, they found it boring. When I cut the chapter, I found the piece worked much better. You might find a similar solution in your work.

Why does this happen? It’s often because we’re still getting to know our characters. We might not even have a firm grasp on what our book is about, let alone our characters’ personalities. We have to explore through writing, and most of the time that exploration is done in beginning chapters. These chapters prove useful for writers, though not especially interesting for readers. Write them, learn from them, then cut them.

2. You’re Not Excited By Your Beginning Chapters

This is a telltale sign of a story starting in the wrong place. If you can’t get excited about your writing, why should anyone else?

Copywriting guru Joseph Sugarman said the purpose of the first sentence of copy is to get the reader to read the second sentence. Similarly, the purpose of a story’s beginning is to get readers to read the rest. So trust your intuition. If you feel your writing isn’t grabbing readers, it probably isn’t.

In this case, try starting elsewhere. Try a different scene, or focus on another character, or cut your previous intro entirely. When you find the right fit, you’ll feel it.

3. You Constantly Reference Events Preceding the First Chapter

Flashbacks are one thing. Constantly referencing events from before is quite another. If your first chapter is entirely backward-facing, it might be because you’ve started your story not too early, but too late. It’s uncommon, but it happens.

This is tricky. Some stories might have many flashbacks, even with a proper beginning. Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake, for instance, is about both the present and the past. There are two parallel timelines, so numerous flashbacks are essential to the plot itself.

If you’re unsure, consider leaning on the first two signs for reference. They could point you in the right direction.

In Conclusion

Beginnings are a pain, but they don’t have to be. Regroup. Restart. Trim where necessary. Begin your story with a flourish.

Kyle A. Massa is a speculative fiction author living somewhere in upstate New York with his fiancee and their two cats. His stories have appeared in numerous online magazines, including Allegory, Chantwood, and Dark Fire Fiction.

Setting Writing Resolutions for 2018

January 2, 2018 / Kyle A. Massa

Writing

It’s tough getting anywhere without first setting a destination. And with 2018 on the horizon, now’s a great time for us writers to think about where we want to go in the new year. Here are some goal-setting tips that have worked for me. Hope they do the same for you!

Identify the Steps to Your Destination

Define everything between your current location and your ultimate destination. For example, my goal for this year is to publish my first novel. I’ve outlined my steps as follows:

Complete a first draft.
Delude myself into thinking I got everything right on the first try.
Get realistic and re-read the draft. Make tons of edits.
Share the draft with beta readers.
Make more edits.
Repeat step five.
Repeat step five again.
Publish.

I’m on step four with my current manuscript, which is farther than I’ve got with anything. There’s still lots to go, but I’m more confident in my process now that I’ve broken things down.

Try doing the same. No one jumps from step one to step eight without accomplishing everything in between.

Be Realistic With Your Goals

To paraphrase Freddie Mercury, sometimes we want it all, and we want it now. This mentality tends to produce unrealistic goals, which can be damaging to our fragile egos.

For example, let’s say my goal for 2018 is to publish not one novel, but three. I haven’t published any, so what makes me think I can do three in twelve months? Seems unrealistic.

Bottom line: Don’t set goals for yourself that you can’t achieve. This leads to frustration and a false notion that you aren’t doing enough. Set your goals high, but don’t commit to the impossible.

Don’t Get Competitive

Confession: Magic: The Gathering has made me competitive. So when the talented people in my writer’s group do something awesome, I secretly want to do the same.

When setting your writing goals for 2018, be introspective. Commit to your goals based on what you can do, not what others around you are doing. Just because Stephen King publishes two novels a year doesn’t mean you need to do the same. Your writing is about you, and no one else.

I hope these thoughts will help develop your writing goals for 2018. Enjoy your year!

Kyle A. Massa is a speculative fiction author living in New York (upstate, not the city). His stories have appeared in numerous online magazines, including Allegory, Five on the Fifth, and Dark Fire Fiction. To read more of Kyle’s work, subscribe to his monthly email newsletter. He promises not to spam you.

Why You Should Try National Novel Writing Month

October 23, 2017 / Kyle A. Massa

Image courtesy of National Novel Writing Month.

National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo, as the cool kids say) is a fun time of the year. It’s a time when people come together to create their own versions of one of the greatest forms of art there is: the novel!

Have you tried it before? Are you thinking of trying it? Here are some reasons you’ll want to join National Novel Writing Month yourself.

NaNoWriMo Gives You a Hard Deadline

I explored this idea in an earlier blog post from this month, but it’s still relevant, no matter what. In my opinion, most writers need deadlines.

This might sound harsh. Still, I know a ton of talented people who could generate a ton of great work, if only they hadn’t been working on the same project for three years. I’m not trying to put anyone down for doing so; writing is your time, and you should work on whatever projects you’d like. But hey. Sometimes you’ve got to move on to the next project.

I know I need deadlines. I often review my stories numerous times, making cosmetic (and ultimately low-impact) edits. For example: shuffling commas around. This is probably not a great use of my time, and it’s why I like deadlines. At some point, I can say, “This is as good as it’s going to be.” And then move on.

NaNoWriMo Gives You a Sense of Community

Unless you dig the working in a coffee shop thing, writing might feel a little lonely. And even if you do work at Starbuck’s, baristas are unlikely to chat about your first chapter.

But during National Novel Writing Month, you’ll have an entire community to people to discuss your writing with. NaNoWriMo is one of the rare times when everyone writes crazily hard for an entire month. Yes, that’s write—ahem, sorry. That’s right.

If you’re feeling lonely, head over to the National Novel Writing Month homepage. You can register your novel there, update your progress, and chat with others who are doing the same. Writing novels is hard, so feel free to encourage your friends as they slog through theirs. They’ll do the same for you.

NaNoWriMo Helps You Improve

Being a writer is all about gradual improvement. The first novel you ever write is probably going to be hideous. That’s just how it is. The key is to improve, and continue improving.

NaNoWriMo helps you do that. It gives you an excuse to go ham on your long-form writing skills for a while. Plus, it gives you a short window to do it in. As stated above, it’s kind of like forced practice. And, it’s a better time than any to get those much-needed reps.

I’ve found that the more time I put into my writing, the better it gets. So if you try NaNoWriMo, that’s a whole month of excellent practice. Which will help you improve. Which will help you write something even better next year. Woo hoo!

Bonus: People Will Give You Mad Props

If you tell another human being that you’ve written a book, they’ll be super impressed, especially if they’re not a writer.

Give yourself a deadline. Join a community. Improve your writing. Earn street cred. National Novel Writing Month starts in a little over a week on Wednesday, November 1st. Try it out!

4 Books Writers Will Love

May 23, 2016 / Kyle A. Massa

For anyone who wants to become a great writer, becoming a great reader usually comes first. And if you’re going to be reading, why not read about writing?

Here are four books on writing that I think you’ll really dig.

#1: On Writing by Stephen King

Four books on writing? See what I did there? Anyway…

My girlfriend makes fun of me for talking about this book so much, but it really is brilliant. King discusses so much with relatively little space: his beginnings as a writer, his process, some of his greatest successes, some of his biggest mistakes. He even delves into personal territory, discussing the accident that nearly took his life and made him consider retiring from writing.

One of my favorite parts of this book is the honesty with which King approaches the subject. His recurring message is that not all writers are brilliant, innately gifted people. Many writers, like King himself, just work harder than everyone else. They love writing, they do it every day, and that’s what makes them special.

For writers, I think this is a great message. Essentially, King argues that hard work (with a sprinkling of luck) is going to beat raw talent, more often that not.

#2: Walking on Water by Derek Jensen

Derek Jensen is an interesting guy, and he has a lot to say about writing. Framed by his tenure as a college professor, this is a book not just about the technical aspects of writing—it’s about the purpose of writing, and what good writing should do.

However, this book is not just about writing. It’s about our education system, it’s about identity, it’s about independent thought. Walking on Water has a lot of depth to it, and for writers, I think it’s especially appealing. Unlike On Writing, it doesn’t necessarily offer specific ideas about the process. Rather, this book invites the reader to think critically about what one puts down on the page.

P.S. My favorite part is Jensen’s number one rule of writing, which is “Don’t bore the reader.” Seems like good advice.

#3: Creative Writer’s Handbook by Philip K. Jason and Allan B. Lefcowitz

Full disclosure: this book was assigned reading in college. Neither of these guys were my professors or anything, though, and this book has a lot to offer. Though maybe not as eminently readable as our previous two books, the Creative Writer’s Handbook is still a must-have.

The best part about this book is the detail. The authors go in-depth on a number of the more technical aspects of writing, including point of view, word choice, narrative, drama, mood, and dialogue. And it’s not just for fiction writers, either—there’s a section on poetry, another on creative non-fiction, and even a brief chapter on play writing.

As far as educational books for writers go, this is one of the best I’ve read.

#4: Writing 21st Century Fiction by Donald Maass

Full disclosure, again: I haven’t actually finished this one. But hey, even if the book ended where I am, I’d still recommend it.

Donald Maass is a literary agent in New York, so you know he knows his stuff. His insights into modern fiction are outstanding. In particular, I love the way he outlines the debate between literary fiction and genre fiction.

Essentially, Maass argues that the line between the two has been blurred, and that they both borrow characteristics from the other. Literary fiction sells the way genre fiction is supposed to, and genre fiction now emphasizes prose the way literary fiction does. And that’s just one of his many excellent points.

If you’re looking for insights into the modern publishing industry, this is a great place to start.

In Conclusion…

Read these books! And feel free to let me know if you have any favorites of your own. After all, one can never have enough books on writing.