Writers in the Storm

by Jaime Buckley

I was asked to do this article, and I thought it was a mistake. Attempting to write something, to say something profound or inspiring, that belief intensified. Sitting alone in my office, looking at the creations that fed and clothed my family for decades, the truth poked its head out from the collections and waved tiny fingers at me.

“Your purpose isn’t to inspire these readers, you fool,” it whispered. “You’re supposed to warn them!”

That made a lot more sense.

After 11 fantasy novels, more than a million downloads of my comic books and graph novels, I still frown at myself in the mirror. Publishing thousands of articles, building blogs, creating podcasts, games, and illustrating for many famous and hundreds of not-so-famous clients wasn’t what I had planned. I’d taken the wrong path. Riddled with guilt and anxiety, my fractured heart beat with sorrow and disappointment, tormenting my every thought. Each character I’d grown to love, each fantastical place I walked in my imagination, was tainted.

Without warning, my mind cracked.

In less than 48 hours, I’d yanked my works from the world. Every book, every novel, every newsletter and cookie I could find, I deleted, wiping 20 years of dedicated effort from the internet. My heart still pounds thinking about it — trembling fingers trying to end my existence in the eyes of the world. Hell, I even deleted my Instagram, Twitter and In-Yer-Facebook accounts.

Dear reader, I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did.

I want you to consider pulling the plug sooner.

It’s Not As Crazy As It Sounds

I’m pretty confident that you don’t know me, but I know you.

You’re the smart, creative one. Underestimated by those around you, there’s something special inside trying to get out. You want to give birth to this idea so the world can experience it.

You may not know what this idea is, but you know it’s important. If crafted, it’ll improve minds, hearts, perspectives, maybe even inspire the life of a reader. You know it’s important because that ‘feeling’ inside you won’t leave. It catches your attention repeatedly, tugging at your mind, because it wants to be given life. It wants direction and purpose, which is why this idea chose you.

Did you love it, nourish it, wrap your arms around it when it tried to walk on its own? Did you defend and protect it from those wanting to harm or even kill it? Have you even considered these things?

I didn’t.

When the greatest idea of my writing life was born, Wanted Hero, I fed it coffee and cigarettes, stunting its growth. As it hungered for nourishment, I kept it alive on doughnuts and pain killers. When it looked to me for validation, I didn’t speak the truth or provide sound instruction like any good parent would. I feigned encouragement, ignored its critical development, then linked its value to the screwed-up opinions of those around us who never gave a damn. That’s right, those who had nothing invested, nothing to contribute, became the taskmaster and gatekeeper of my fictional child.

I’d earned a place in hell, alongside puppy haters and those who talk during movies.

What was my great sin?

I allowed outside influences to change the original, beautiful content of my story. Wanted Hero was a creation that had called to me from the void of creativity, pleading to be loved, nurtured, and cherished, and I betrayed it.

I compromised.

Tainting The Original Idea (Tsk. Tsk.)

The idea of Wanted Hero was a simple one. Being a new father, I hoped to craft a fictional world to inspire my children where challenges were solved and overcome by everyday people. Stories that would allow my kids to discover critical answers, even if they wouldn’t listen to their father. Stories to encourage them, learning more about themselves, discovering what they thought about various subjects all on their own.

Being raised by a marketing executive father, this ‘simple’ idea soon became a career for me. The possibilities of this story blazed in my mind like a neon ‘OPEN’ sign. I envisioned stories in every genre and projects to span every demographic. Monetizing became my first compromise. Not that making money is wrong, but it became my obsession, rather than the story itself.

I could publish the story, sell it as digital PDFs, make games, t-shirts, mugs, and a message board kids would interact on. To make the dream even bigger, I envisioned a ‘culture’ fostered by a website that would connect readers. Contacting programmers in India, I requested bids to construct my dream.

This was back before World Anvil, and the internet was ruled by those who wrote HTML, and I’d forgotten my foundation.

The story.

Screwing Up A Good Comic Book

I’d always intended to create Wanted Hero as comics, so that’s the route I went. Drawing them traditionally, I scanned each page onto my desktop and published them as PDFs, selling them years before the Kindle existed. I dubbed them ‘eComics’ and sold them for ¢.97 each. Buy one, print as many as you wanted, so long as you didn’t alter them or sell them. Before the year was out, I had over 750,000 visitors from 60 countries.

Still don’t understand how that happened.

One customer would pay me extra to print each issue at the local copy shop and mail it to him. He sent me an email, asking if he could tell a few friends about the comic book. I said, “Sure. I don’t advertise, so that would be a kind gesture. Thank you.” He replied the following day, informing me he’d shared the comic with thousands of his fraternity brothers over Facebook.

With the increased sales, I could pay my mortgage that month.

As the comic grew in popularity, I made my next compromise. There were people online who impressed me, and I thought it would be awesome to make them into comic book characters and show kids that ‘heroes’ exist. It was a good intent, and many people I wrote about became friends. They also shared the comics within their circles, expanding the story’s reach.

I shifted and changed the story to include more and more people. New characters, never part of the original story, took over the comics. Before long, I couldn’t recognize the storyline. I’d built a world I no longer knew… or loved.

Flipping Off The Universe

Now that I look back, I’m grateful for the car accident. I think it was the Universe taking to me. It was saying, “You screwed up, Jaime, but I’m going to give you a second chance. Get with the program.”

If only I was smart… and less desperate.

With mangled hands and losing my fine motor skills, the comics died. In depression, I walked away… never telling my readers what happened. I know that sounds bad, but my life’s dream had ended. My wife and oldest daughter soon convinced me to take Wanted Hero and write them as novels in place of comic books.

It was a crazy thought — I wrote comic scripts, not books — but they applied the thumbscrews of love with a heavy dose of female perspective… and won. I started writing and found I didn’t suck at it. As another perk, my new boss had connections with a famous New York Times author in the fantasy genre. He introduced me to the author, and I received encouraging feedback and instruction. Enough to catapult me from depression into a creative frenzy once more.

In 2011, I published the first book in the series. With little to no marketing, the first book sold roughly 23,000 copies. Writing was also more fun than drawing, prompting six more novels the next year. Rebuilding the website, I sold digital copies and connected with readers through a blog. All I’d changed, though, were a few details to appeal to a wider demographic.

The Universe had smashed the ‘reset’ button, giving me a second chance, and I’d ignored the offer. The books had the flavor of the idea, with little to none of the substance. My writing became focused more on world building, not the hero or the adventure.

I’d compromised again.

Never-ending Conflict

The thing about telling a lie is you maintain that lie as questions arise. I’d lied to myself about what I was doing, and each time the Universe whispered over my shoulder, questioning my actions, I’d adjust my answer to justify my current position.

I told myself the books weren’t selling enough because:

• each cover needed to be remade;
• all the prices needed to be adjusted;
• they don’t have enough exposure;
• the website isn’t interesting enough;
• there wasn’t enough marketing;
• I’d done the wrong marketing;
• my focus wasn’t on the right audience.

Blah-blah-blah-blah-blah.

I’ll never know what could have happened. I never wrote the actual story. What I dreamed up in 1990 never saw the light of day. On this corrupted path, I created something else. I built what I believed people would want, instead of crafting the story that called to my soul. Can’t recall when I turned down the wrong path, but I’m not sure it matters.

What does matter is taking full responsibility and accountability for compromising on the best creative idea I’ve ever had.

Then correct it.

You Get To Choose Your Path

It wasn’t too late to do the right thing.

That’s why I pulled the plug, dear reader. The weight of my grave decisions destroyed me. The core of my very nature is that I love people. My own children and the surrounding youth are a significant part of who I am and why I do what I do. I’m a father of 13 children, grandfather to 23 grandchildren and I’ve taught over 1000 youth over 20+ years that they matter.

Yet I spent my professional career telling a lie.

That isn’t what I want to be remembered for.

Take this personal and painful life lesson I’ve shared with you, and prevent your own heartache. Avoid disappointment and shame when you look in the mirror. Take your time. Give life to your brilliant idea. Nourish and encourage your characters. Help them fulfill the measure of their creation, to connect with readers and spark the wonder within minds and hearts.

Do… not… compromise your story.

You will regret it. Of that, I know.

What do YOU want to be remembered for?

by Amy Winters-Voss

Imagine if someone claimed they were giving your minority representation in a book or movie, but it was so far from accurate you didn't recognize your people in it? How would you feel if the group you are in was always the one killed off in stories or added to the stigmatization of your group? Unfortunately, it happens all too often.

Cultural appropriation and representation are volatile topics. Someone will always be quick to call you out when they have a different understanding than you do. But, we could hurt people if we don't take care. It’s what I hope to bring to your attention today. It's especially important for those of us who aren't minorities. We need to see where things in our creative work can go in a direction that would reflect badly on another group.

Additionally, I'll also touch on hurtful stereotypes and non-ethnicity minorities. Next month, we’ll talk about what we can do to ensure our work is respectful. One or two articles are only a starting point on these broad issues. I’ll only be able to graze the surface of each to bring them out into the open. If these are new topics for you, let this article be a jumping off point for research. If you’re familiar with them, let it be a reminder to be vigilant.

Why me?

So why would a white woman be writing about these topics? I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to meet people from every continent, and even one that worked in Antarctica. I’ve always had an interest in other cultures and people groups. But I know not everyone has that chance. We can grow up isolated, in ignorance, or get sucked into negative thoughts around us.

While I was growing up, members of my family spoke badly about others, particularly black people. I don’t think they even thought about how bigoted what they said was and being called racist would have shocked them. But I can’t deny what I heard. If they were alive today, I hope they’d see things a little differently. To my parents' credit, they worked hard to take that out of our family culture—sharing the racist things that disgusted them. Another generation later, my husband and I expanded on trying to eradicate bigotry in our family.

Have I had to face my own ghosts of beliefs about people groups? Yes, multiple times. But I long for the day when we as a world society see everyone as equals. May our writing be a step in that direction.

Now, for the tough topics.

So what is cultural appropriation?

The Oxford Dictionary says it's:

The unacknowledged or inappropriate adoption of the customs, practices, ideas, etc. of one people or society by members of another and typically more dominant people or society.

Let's take a look from a minority standpoint, specifically. The Florida Seminole Tourism website (for tourism on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation) says:

Cultural appropriation is commonly used to identify when the imagery, fashion, practices, music, or artifacts of a culture are removed from their original context. The significance is ignored and they are taken and used by someone else.

Basically, I read it as we want to know the culture and see what they ‌feel is ok and what isn't, and ensure we respect those wishes.

Cultural Appropriation Examples

If this is a new topic for you, a few examples may be in order.

• One of the most common complaints I've seen from minority groups is someone not of the culture wearing a symbol or dress with deep meaning, such as a Native American war bonnet as a costume.
• Another is writing about a part of the mythology when a people group asks others not to. An example is the w**digo—an evil, cannibalistic spirit that used to be human. The Anishnaabe people even avoid saying its name, so I opted to not spell it out completely here.
• "Namaste, Bitches!" I don't know how many t-shirts I've seen this on. Namaste is a greeting of respect in the Hindu beliefs. A gentleman from India taught me it meant "I salute/bow to the divine within you." So the t-shirt phrase flies in the face of the original meaning.
• A Swedish friend of mine throws a fit every time a new Thor movie or a new "Viking" game comes out. He just wants them to do research, ask questions, and represent his ancestors properly.

Hurtful Stereotypes

These are the nasty cousins of cultural appropriation that stuff people into a simplified idea, boxing them in. They turn people into things. My eyes were opened to some of the awful stereotypes of Asian people after reading Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu. If you write about East Asian cultures, please give it a read.

What are some of these stereotypes for various groups? I'm sure you've seen these before: "sexy Asian lady", "noble savage" Native Americans, "Nazi German", and "damsel in distress". Each of these devalues the people group being portrayed. Characters in your work need to fill more than a shallow role. 

With the hurtful stereotypes, it’s worth spending time on the fact that minorities are often the ones killed off in a story line. Glancing at TVtropes.org, here are a few particularly ugly ones: “Black Dude Dies First” and “Middle Eastern terrorist”.

Please don’t just put a minority in your storyline to kill them off, even if you have them make a noble sacrifice. Remember, they need a presence with powerful agency, just like every other character. 

Negative Tropes

Negative tropes enforce how society sees a group. A friend of mine has had to raise her half-black kids to be careful when choosing clothes they wear and about what to do if a police officer stops them. She isn’t the only one. Many black parents face having “the talk” with their kids on these topics.

Also, please be careful when putting a minority in as a terrorist. Terrorists come from every group. In the US, one of the first names that comes to mind is Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber—a white guy. After the September 11th attack in 2001 by Al Queda extremists, it wasn’t safe in the US for people perceived to be Arabic. But were you aware that US citizens of Arabic descent helped hunt down remainders of those cells? I didn’t think about it until my friend mentioned his dad was one of the brave guys that helped.

Media often perceives Africans as not having access to and being very behind in technology. Yet, a friend from Ghana has a cell phone and uses WhatsApp all the time for international calls. She taught me how to use the app!

Descriptions

Please, also consider how you write descriptions of people. A few examples: comparing skin color to foods and using the words “almond eyes” in order to describe an East Asian person’s hooded ones. These are considered bad form by the groups being described. Would you want someone to ask if you tasted like, say, chocolate? Yet, I’ve heard of black people being asked that very question.

There are many, many more hurtful stereotypes. These were just a small sample.

Representing People Beyond Bloodlines

What about other groups such as minorities of gender and sexuality, the handicapped, those with mental health issues, people following a particular religion, and disadvantaged groups like the poor?

The entertainment industry is often brutal to minorities—the LGBTQ+ community, especially. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I was skimming through “All 230 Dead Lesbian and Bisexual Characters On TV, And How They Died”. So the trope “Bury your Gays” really hits hard. There are stories where the “Anyone can die'' trope fits and is an equalizer of sorts. But authors and TV writers need to look hard into which characters they are killing off. Seriously.

Also, this group gets stereotyped to be the leak in any operation or the troubled villain. I’m looking at you “The Jackal” and “Tron Legacy” (think, Zuse)!

Hurtful Stereotypes

For physically disabled people, the hurtful stereotypes again include the villain. But there is also the helpless victim and the inspirational hero. Helpless victim is easy to understand. No one wants to be seen as unable to help themselves or needing to be saved, or not being seen as “enough”. Another personal example for you, when I was in elementary school, the dad of one of my friends was blind. He never let it stop him. Being blind was just part of him.

But what about the superhero one? Well, how would you feel about living up to the pressure of having to be superhuman? Of again, not being seen as normal.

For those with mental health issues, the challenges they face include a similar list, stories often overgeneralize, exaggerate, or trivialize them. Not all depressed people are suicidal, though stories will portray the most extreme option for “drama”. Mental illness should not be instantly associated with violence, yet it’s portrayed as that. How many killers in stories have a mental illness? Spreading misinformation does not encourage those who need to seek help.

https://youtu.be/WYerKidQGcc

Beliefs

People’s beliefs are close to the heart. Grouping all of one religion into the same pot is damaging. Portraying every Muslim (or any belief) as an extremist is vastly unfair. I know quite a few Muslims. My son’s best friend from elementary school follows Islam, as does his father. They are both peaceful men. Keep in mind, extremists exist in every belief set. Even Buddhism, which is known for its pacifism, has issues. Look at Myanmar where there is the forced conversion of minorities and in Sri Lanka which has persecution of Muslims.

Also, media mashes faiths together, such as Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism in movies like Kung-Fu Panda and Avatar. Or it rarely represents those who choose belief sets, such as atheism or agnosticism. 

Media often shows those who practice witchcraft as the villains: devil worshipers, curse slingers, craving to control and manipulate, “demonic conjurers of darkness”, “irresistible sirens of corruption”, or “idiotic flakes”. But the faith doesn’t follow the devil, discourages things like cursing, control, and manipulation, and there are many academics among them. (Quoted from a Discord Q&A with Sable Aradia - author of the The Witch's Eight Paths of Power: A Complete Course in Magick and Witchcraft)

Financial Disadvantage

Often, the poor are shown as “incompetent, delusional, drunk or foolish”, and in need of rescue (with a focus on the rescuer and “oh don’t they look generous”). Also, the “race” card rears its head again, with media showing more racial minorities as poor or as criminals, when statistically it’s not correct. More white people are poor and crimes are more often committed by whites.

Such a discouraging pattern, isn’t it? Minorities have long been fodder for stereotypes in media, which are shown as the defining aspects of a character. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Closing

Writing a minority character gave me a chance to dig into that culture more and learn what his culture feels is acceptable and what is not. Have I done things perfectly? Nope! Had my hand slapped a few times. I’m still learning. Thankfully, they were minor incidents, correctable before print!

In May’s post, I’ll share things we can do to show respect for and do our best to represent minorities and cultures that are not our own. Until next time, peace.

Where have you struggled with writing others respectfully?

About Amy

Amy is the author of the Liminal Chronicles series, a mythological/urban fantasy set in small town Japan that focuses on social redemption and found family.

She runs the vssCollab very short story challenge on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumbler and publishes the best of the entries in the online zine--'In Threads'. Additionally, she founded the Anvilite Streamers Corps and streams her writing and crafts on Twitch.

Top Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

World building is one of my favorite aspects of writing science fiction and fantasy. It’s a chance to open up the creative floodgates and let the imagination run wild. But world building is more than just the physical and descriptive details of a place. The culture, history, and language of a group of people contribute to what life is like in that world.

This history and culture is where those clichés, metaphors, and similes come from.

Consider how even within the United States terms and phrases differ. If you’re from the Midwest, you probably order a pop with lunch, but on the East and West Coasts it’s a soda, and in many southern states, it’s a coke (regardless of the type of soda it is). You can often tell where someone is from by the words and cliches they use.

So how can you use these devices to bring your world to life?

The key is to be intentional. Don't just throw in a cliché or a metaphor because it sounds good. Think about why you're using it and what effect you want it to have on your reader. Is it helping to create a more vivid image of your world? Is it revealing something about your characters or their emotions? Is it adding depth and complexity to your story?

For example, you could write:

• The city was a labyrinth.
• The air clung to me like a wet towel.
• "Actions speak louder than words," he said, shaking his head at my gaff.

But look what happens if you added a hint of the world and the characters who live in that world:

• The city was a labyrinth of twisting streets and paths that led to trouble.
• The air around the old biddies clung to me like a towel dipped in Chanel #5.
• "Actions speak louder than words," he said, “and you just shouted at the whole room.”

These take a basic phrase and turn it into something more. The city has an air of danger now, we get a stronger sense of what the air feels and smells like, and the cliché adds a bit of character voice.

Here are some tips to make the most of your clichés, metaphors, and similes:

Choose your clichés wisely.

Although clichés get a bad rap, they can serve a valuable purpose. They’re cultural shorthand that can suggest the larger world a character lives in. Using “common” phrases and clichés in your writing misses an opportunity to flesh out your story world—even if that world is New York City. How often have you seen a blanket of snow, a head spinning with ideas, or a smile as bright as the sun? These mean nothing to readers because they’re so general. 

But clichés are effective when used in the right context. For example, if you’re writing a scene where a character is trying to comfort a friend who has just made a terrible mistake, saying, “You can’t change the past” might be appropriate. But you might also brainstorm ways you can evoke that concept in a way that better fits your world.

For example, in my Healing Wars trilogy, my protagonist says, “What’s done is done,” and her sister finishes it with “And I can’t change it none,” suggesting this is a common cliché in their world. It carries the same vibe as “you can’t change the past,” but in a fresh way.

Use metaphors and similes to create vivid descriptions.

Metaphors and similes are useful tools for creating sensory descriptions that help readers imagine what your world looks, sounds, smells, and feels like. For example, “the wind whispered through the trees like a lover’s sigh” creates a vivid image of the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves.

I once wrote a pirate character who'd spent his life at sea. When he referenced things, he used sea metaphors or similes, because that’s the world he existed in. People went “white as a sail,” or something was “hard as a north wind.” It reinforced who he was and how he saw the world around him.

This applies even in the real world. Maybe your software developer compares things to coding, or the teacher makes math metaphors. The Iowa farm girl might pepper her speech with colloquialisms. Every culture and group has their own “language” and how they communicate, and the phrases everyone knows. “Let’s see if this dog is gonna hunt,” is clear for those in Arkansas, but a New Yorker might be lost as to its meaning.

While you don't want to dip into purple prose trying to "write fancy," think about how your character would use a metaphor or simile and how that fits into your story and world. What metaphors show an aspect of your world? How would your character describe the world around them?

Make sure your comparisons are accurate.

An inaccurate or nonsensical comparison can pull readers out of the story and undermine the effectiveness of your scene. For example, comparing a playful person’s smile to a “crocodile’s grin” is an interesting image, but it’s not an accurate comparison because crocodiles are usually associated with aggression and danger. It sends the wrong message to readers.

Also consider the tone and style of your story. For example, if you're writing a gritty crime drama, using a lot of colorful, literary-style metaphors and similes might feel out of place. If you're writing a humorous tale, creative and unexpected comparisons might add to the overall tone of the story.

Mix them up for the most impact.

Too much of anything is usually bad, so be wary of overusing any particular device. Too many clichés can feel stale and unoriginal. Too many metaphors or similes can feel overwritten or even pretentious. Mix all three into your story where they feel the most natural.

You can even use them to show the characters’ individual voices. Maybe one character frequently uses clichés because they think it makes them sound smart. Another might compare things using similes on a regular basis. The narrator or point of view character might fill their internalization with metaphors.

By choosing the right clichés, metaphors, and similes, you can give readers a deeper understanding of your characters' personalities, emotions, and perspectives, which helps illustrate your world.

Remember to use them sparingly and strategically, and always be intentional about the effect you want them to have on your reader.

If a cliché, metaphor, or simile helps create a more vivid image or reveal character, then it's serving its purpose. But if it's just a gimmick or distraction, then it's better to leave it out.

How do you feel about clichés, metaphors, and similes? Do they add to a story or just muck it up?

About Janice

Janice Hardy is the award-winning author of the teen fantasy trilogy The Healing Wars, including The Shifter, Blue Fire, and Darkfall from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. She also writes the Grace Harper urban fantasy series for adults under the name, J.T. Hardy. When she's not writing fiction, she runs the popular writing site Fiction University, and has written multiple books on writing, including Understanding Show, Don't Tell (And Really Getting It), Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure, and the Revising Your Novel: First Draft to Finished Draft series. Sign up for her newsletter and receive 25 ways to Strengthen Your Writing Right Now free.

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Top image by Deleyna via Midjourney