Writers in the Storm

By Tiffany Lawson Inman

Well gosh, I started to write this blog and realized I jumped the gun during Crossing Physical Barriers in Fiction Part One, when I opened these two topics:

• Emotional intensity of fictional fights
• The moment before the fight

Completely skipping the moment before the actual writing of the fight.  EEK! The need to prepare the writer before the fight is just as important as preparing your character!  So, please forgive me, I’ll be backing up for Part Two, to show you how to wrap wrists, grease face, and secure your writer-jock-strap before sitting down at your computer to write a fight.

So-to-speak…

For most writers crossing the Physical Barrier is a daunting task. Almost as intimidating as  Crossing the Emotional Barrier!

I said almost.

Why is it so hard?

It could be one or a few of the following fears:

• The writer has never been in a physical altercation in his/her lifetime
• The writer has a hard time visualizing realistic choreography
• The writer fails to understand how to incorporate the many elements that go into writing a quality fight
• The writer doesn’t know the many elements that go into writing a quality fight
• The writer’s level of confidence is low because of the above four elements

Let me help erase those fears.

What? You want me to finally stand up to my garbage-can-stealing-neighbor and get into a scuffle so I have fighting experience under my belt?

No, I do not want you to get into a fight. But, I do think if you increase your knowledge of writing action and violent action, you won’t have such a hard time approaching a fight. And your readers will thank you for it!

When reading, editing, writing, acting, or directing an action/fight scene, my theatrically charged brain automatically knows:

• how to develop character goal and when to show or not to show throughout the scene
• the psychology behind the fight
• what reaction should come next
• if emotions are missing
• what your character isn’t showing and should be showing
• when to use internalization/voice infused commentary, and when not to
• where to incorporate setting, props, and description into the action
• when your characters should speak and the power behind argumentative dialogue and body language
• how to use rhythm and cadence to enforce pace
• how to incorporating gender roles and character’s past
• why some choreography works and some does not.

With practice, research, and training with an experienced instructor you will have a handle on those elements too.

If you are not ready to take a writing course on writing action and violent action, the next best thing would be to get your writing blood moving and read read read read read a variety of good active fiction.

• Read
• Dissect
• Analyze
• Apply

Here is a snippet of raw fighting from Veronica Roth’s bestselling, Divergent to get you started.  Roth shows us a very logical fight scene.  Her cause/effect (stimulation/response) is flawless and she keeps the reader connected through every moment. There is an interesting use of internalization/vocal commentary throughout this fight. Not something to use in every fight, but it seems to work for this scene because the fight is a form of training for the character and it is not a life or death situation.  I will show you the excerpt in full before I jump in to dissect.

**************

I block the next punch with my forearm. The blow stings, but I barely notice it. She grits her teeth and lets out a frustrated groan, more animal-sounding than human.

She tries a sloppy kick at my side, which I dodge, and while her balance is off, I rush forward and force my elbow up at her face. She pulls her head back just in time, and my       elbow grazes her chin.

 She punches me in the ribs and I stumble to the side, recovering my breath.

There’s something she’s not protecting, I know it. I want to hit her face, but maybe that’s not a smart move. I watch her for a few seconds. Her hands are too high; they guard her nose and cheeks, leaving her stomach and ribs exposed. Molly and I have the same flaw in combat.

Our eyes meet for just a second.

I aim an uppercut low, below her bellybutton. My fist sinks into her flesh forcing a heavy breath from her mouth that I feel against my ear.

As she gasps, I sweep-kick her legs out from under her and she falls hard on the ground, sending dust into the air. I pull my foot back and kick as hard as I can at her ribs.

My mother and father would not approve of my kicking someone when she’s down.

I don’t care.

Ok, I am jumping in!

I block the next punch with my forearm. The blow stings, but I barely notice it. She grits her teeth and lets out a frustrated groan, more animal-sounding than human.

• We see both characters reactions to the blocked punch
• Auditory imagery. Bonus!

She tries a sloppy kick at my side, which I dodge, and while her balance is off, I rush forward and force my elbow up at her face. She pulls her head back just in time, and my elbow grazes her chin.

• She creates more tension by showing us a swing and almost miss. A good thing to remember – the action is always moving forward but by bobbing in the middle ground a bit you can create intrigue.  Make the reader sweat!

She punches me in the ribs and I stumble to the side, recovering my breath.

• Showing reality based recovery time!
• Not everyone remembers that characters breathe.

There’s something she’s not protecting, I know it. I want to hit her face, but maybe that’s not a smart move. I watch her for a few seconds. Her hands are too high; they guard her nose and cheeks, leaving her stomach and ribs exposed. Molly and I have the same flaw in combat.

• Mood enhancing internalizations.
• We also get a moment to analyze the picture with her.

Our eyes meet for just a second.

I aim an uppercut low, below her bellybutton. My fist sinks into her flesh forcing a heavy breath from her mouth that I feel against my ear.

• Vivid imagery
• Active imagery. 
• Shows us how hard the hit was without having to say “I hit her really hard.”
• Gave the reader knowledge of their positioning

As she gasps, I sweep-kick her legs out from under her and she falls hard on the ground, sending dust into the air. I pull my foot back and kick as hard as I can at her ribs.

My mother and father would not approve of my kicking someone when she’s down.

I don’t care.

• surprising the reader and herself with a change in character

Didn’t it feel like we were in the front row for that fight?  I wish I could have shown you more. Easy fix - go buy the book!  I’ve seen more embellished fights that I’ve liked just as much, but for this scene, her simplistic style works. Because she nailed each movement, I am thinking that Veronica Roth probably did her homework and got physical before writing that scene, don’t you think?

Next up is a new favorite of mine, Romily Bernard. Her book, Find Me, isn’t jam packed with violence like Divergent, but when Bernard writes a fight, it counts!  I will show you the snippet in full first, then I will dive in for a dissection. For the purposes of not being a spoiler for Bernard’s book, I am changing the bad guy’s name to, um, Flynn. Yeah, Flynn. (I happen to have my copy of Gone Girl on my desk.)

Another step closer and I swing. The lamp base connects with his nose, and there’s a sickening crunching noise. Flynn screams, lashes out. I duck, but I’m not fast enough, and his hand digs into my hair.

“You little b*@(!!” he hisses, and yanks me to him. The lamp base’s corner has torn his cheek wide open, exposing a seam of teeth. “You will f*#&ing pay for that!”

I kick, connect with his knee, then his shin. He sucks in a hard breath, and I register one horrifying heartbeat before Flynn punches me in the face.

Once.

Twice.

Stars explode behind my eyes and warmth courses down my face. Blood. But no pain. Not yet. That will come later. Sticky heat floods my face, the shock making me hesitate.

It’s all the opening he needs.

Flynn half kicks, half pushes me onto the floor. I fall on my back, rolling even before I fully connect. 

****************

Ok, I am jumping in!

Another step closer and I swing. The lamp base connects with his nose, and there’s a sickening crunching noise. Flynn screams, lashes out. I duck, but I’m not fast enough, and his hand digs into my hair.

• Great use of an impromptu weapon
• Vivid auditory effect
• Perfect stimulation/response (pain, scream, retaliate)
• You’ll have to take my class to see what I think of using the word “but” within an action sequence. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it does not.
• Specific body parts always give great visuals

“You little b*#(@!” he hisses, and yanks me to him. The lamp base’s corner has torn his cheek wide open, exposing a seam of teeth. “You will F@&%ing pay for that!”

• Simple and emotion packed dialogue placed when it is obvious he has second to say them when he is in control of her hair
• Quick vocal/dialogue cue
• Surveying the damage using power words: torn, exposing, teeth
• Simple and very believable in-the-heat-of-the-moment dialogue

I kick, connect with his knee, then his shin.

• Basic and fast paced action
• Showing she is fighting back

He sucks in a hard breath, and I register one horrifying heartbeat before Flynn punches me in the face.

Once.

Twice.

• Noting stimulation/response with hard breath, not just a breath
• Well placed and tight character commentary on the inter-workings on how she perceives the action
• Wonderful use of white space! We didn’t need a detailed account of each punch, this shows exactly what the reader needs to know and the author can save bunches of details for other bits of action

Stars explode behind my eyes and warmth courses down my face. Blood. But no pain. Not yet. That will come later. Sticky heat floods my face, the shock making me hesitate.

• Great cadence
• Love the choppiness of the lines here. She keeps the detail without all the wordiness that would have gunked up her pacing.
• Vivid fresh imagery: sticky heat

It’s all the opening he needs.

Flynn half kicks, half pushes me onto the floor.

• Impressive that Bernard didn’t find need to show exact actions here. Fights aren’t perfect because the characters involved haven’t planned their actions ahead of time. If you are able to write it intelligibly, chaos is welcome.

I fall on my back, rolling even before I fully connect.

• Showing and action within an action without using the typical words for simultaneous action. Bravo!

*****************

Fun stuff, right?!?  Do you think you are ready to read as-much- action-as-possible to prepare yourself for writing a fight?

But wait, there’s more!

Here is a list of a few extra’s to think on when you are on your action journey to read, dissect, analyze, and apply:

• Did the fight go as planned?
• Could you see the surroundings as they were fighting?
• What new bit of info did you find out about the characters during the action
• Were you surprised by a character’s action?
• How did the author keep the suspense throughout the fight?
• How did the author show the character’s vulnerabilities?

I know in Crossing Physical Barriers Part One I promised this blog was to be about dissecting fight scenes to show a few different ways to show the levels of emotional intensity. My apologies for the delay, I will just have to do a Part Three, yeah?

Thank you again for joining me at WITS today. Always a treat for me to get to throw down some fiction craft and get to socialize with committed writers. Thank you thank you!

For those of you drooling at the chance to get your name in the hat 2x for participating in the mini-challenge assignment, THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY! Today’s mini-challenge assignment is to write a 150 word (or less) hand-to-hand altercation between two characters, bonus points if you involve an impromptu weapon. And as per usual, I will be your teacher for the day and provide feedback and edits!

Today’s comment drawing winner gets…a free slot in one of my upcoming courses!

• January – Triple Threat Behind Writing a Scene (8 lectures and as always TONS of one-on-one feedback and edits)
• February- Action and Fighting in Fiction: Writing Authentic Choreography With Precision and Bite 
• MARCH- Method to Madness: Using Acting Techniques to Invigorate Your Writing and Make Each Moment Oscar Worthy Class not open to enrollment yet. Stay tuned!

Tiffany Lawson Inman claimed a higher education at Columbia College Chicago. There, she learned to use body and mind together for action scenes, character emotion, and dramatic story development.

She teaches Action, Choreography, Emotional Impact, Violence, and Dialogue for Lawson Writer’s Academy, presents hands-on-action workshops, and will be offering webinars in 2014.

As a freelance editor, she provides deep story analysis, content editing, line by line, and dramatic fiction editing services. Stay tuned to WITS to see Tiffany’s upcoming guest blogs, classes, contests, and lecture packets.

Check out her previous blogs on WITS.

You can also find her on Twitter – follow @NakedEditor.

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesdphotography/3371117777/">JamesDPhotography</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>

by Susan Squires

Whether you’re just starting out or under contract, being productive isn’t easy. There isn’t enough time. Or enough space. Or enough quiet. Or enough organized thinking. There isn’t enough something, always.

How many times have you heard writers say, “I sure wish I had more_______. Then I could write.” If wishes were horses we all would ride, as my mother used to say. It being the New Year, you might think making resolutions will do the trick. But we all resolve every year to get more writing done. The problem is, resolving to write more is too vague. How will you accomplish that goal?

I’m here to tell you, it’s all about identifying your barriers and negotiating your way out of them.

1. Broaden your definition of Negotiation

I can hear you say, “I’m not a corporate raider or a diplomat. What does negotiation have to do with me?” Everything. Negotiation is defined as “a discussion aimed at reaching agreement.” We negotiate every day, with husbands, children, bosses, friends. Negotiation is everywhere, and you’re already an expert negotiator. So let’s get started.

2.   Identify barriers to writing

Think hard and be honest. Is it that you don’t have a personal space in which to write? Does childcare leave you no time for writing? Does your family constantly interrupt you? Is your desk such a mess that it depresses you? Do you dread sitting down because you’re afraid what you write won’t be good enough? Do you find yourself watching TV every night in what could be productive writing time? Make a list of your barriers.

3.   Pick one barrier to handle first

You can’t tackle everything at once. If you take on too much, you may just throw up your hands in disgust and do nothing. So pick the most pressing barrier to work on first. Put your list away. It has done its job for now.

4.  Decide who has the power to make the barrier go away

Whoever has the power to make the barrier go away is your negotiating partner. Hint: it could be you!

5.   Decide what you want as an outcome

Be realistic here. For instance, if you don’t have a writing space in the apartment you share with your significant other, is it really realistic to negotiate a move? Maybe. Maybe the time and the finances are right. Maybe you both want to move. In that case, what you want as an outcome is agreement that you’ll try to find a place with some writing space. But if it isn’t realistic for you to move, maybe the library can be your writing space, (it was for me during the remodeling of our house) or the Starbucks at the corner, or your mother’s house, etc. and what you really want is agreement from your partner that you can set aside time to go to your writing space. So, decide on a goal for your discussion (negotiation) and write it down.

6.  Decide what you’re willing to give up to get your outcome

Negotiating is a two way street. No one gets everything they want without giving up something in return. If you want your husband to take the kids on Saturday afternoon, are you willing to give him a golf day, or basketball with the guys on Thursday nights? If you want your kids to leave you alone when they come home from school, can you promise them time after dinner for help with their homework? If you want a space for your writing, can you give up some furniture in the spare bedroom to create one? (I’ve even seen closets used to advantage). If you want more time to write in the evenings, which TV shows are you willing to give up?

If fear is keeping you from writing, negotiations are a little tricky. Is it possible to  negotiate with fear? Try vowing to allow yourself to write badly in your first draft, because, as Hemingway said, “Great books aren’t written, they’re rewritten.” Promise to give up on having your writing be perfect, and allow yourself the satisfaction of completing something. Perhaps all you can manage is to promise yourself you can be afraid later, after you’ve written the book!

7.   How to start the discussion

If your negotiation is with someone other than yourself, be sure you set some time aside. This isn’t something you do on the way to soccer practice. Begin by telling them how important writing is to you, and why. You might talk about needing balance in your life to be a happy and productive member of the family. You might talk about writing as something you do to take care of you, so you’re there for the family when they need you. Give examples of ways they take time for themselves, so they can understand and compare. Don’t be emotional. No crying. No shouting. This is a discussion to get an outcome that works for everyone. If you are negotiating with yourself, give yourself some quiet time to have the discussion too. Don’t make commitments to yourself lightly that you know you can’t achieve. Go easy. Slow and steady wins the race here.

8. Listen

Don’t be so focused on what you want as an outcome that you don’t listen to others’ points of view. They may see your writing as taking something away from them. If you hear that, you can reassure them that just because you need writing in your life doesn’t mean you love them less. They may be defensive about not having realized what you need. Cut them some slack—don’t back them into a corner and make them feel like bad people. “I’ve decided this is really important to me just recently. How could you know?” If it’s yourself you’re negotiating with, listen to that little voice that says you’ll be really unhappy about giving up Downton Abbey.

9.  Propose your solution, and what you’re willing to give up in return,then prepare for your partner to propose an alternative.

Agree if you can. If you want Saturdays to write and instead your partner wants to give you evenings, maybe that would work for you if you could get started writing earlier than your usual dinner schedule would allow. Don’t be afraid to propose an alternative. “I’ll try that, but I need to get started by eight p.m. If I cook dinner, will you do the dishes three nights a week to make sure that happens?” Right about here is when your partner, if they’re not used to negotiation, realizes that they’re going to have to make SOME compromise to keep you happy! Be gentle. If you need to postpone the discussion at this point, do. “Maybe we should wait to discuss this again when you’ve had a chance to think about what might work for both of us. How about Friday over a glass of wine?” Notice that you need to set a specific follow-up date. Otherwise this might get swept under the rug.

If you are negotiating with yourself, don’t demand too much of you. It’s okay to keep Downton Abbey and give up some other TV that doesn’t mean as much. You don’t have to give TV up entirely. I wrote 17 books for New York publishers by writing two nights a week and Saturdays. If you try to give up everything you love in order to write, pretty soon you won’t love writing.

10. Write down your agreement

You don’t have to give a copy to everyone, like a contract. But writing it down helps you remember what you’ve agreed to, especially if you were negotiating with yourself! Those are the agreements we tend to fudge on because there’s no one to hold us accountable.

Of course, there may be other barriers to tackle. You can do that. But be sure that when you’ve negotiated your way past a barrier, you take full advantage of the deal you’ve achieved. If you are frittering away the Saturday afternoon you achieved, then there’s a hidden barrier you haven’t addressed and you have some serious negotiating to do with yourself!

I know that the word “Negotiation” sounds intimidating. But remember, you do this every day. You’re just going to apply these ten steps to your writing life in a conscious way. The results with shock and surprise you, in a good way. Happy negotiating.

The large and successful Tremaine family is descended from Merlin of Camelot. The magic in their DNA comes alive when each sibling meets a destined lover who shares that DNA. Just Kee’s luck she’s fallen in love with someone who doesn’t have the Merlin gene. Now she’ll never get magic. She’s afraid to tell her even her best friend, Devin, adopted by the Tremaines when he was nine, that she’s about to give up on her destiny.

Devin harbors a secret that’s driving him to leave the family for good. To repay them for their kindness, he vows to acquire the Talisman that can protect the Tremaines from their enemies, the Clan. And only Kee can keep him from making the ultimate sacrifice.

by Susan Spann

Last month, I kicked off a new #PubLaw guest series here at Writers in the Storm with a brief look at copyright law and the rights it covers.

When authors learn that copyright protection is automatic and attaches to qualifying works at the time of creation, many assume that means the author owns those copyrights.

How could I not own my copyrighted works? Many authors ask. I wrote them, so I own them. Right?

Usually, but not always.

Copyright law recognizes several types of copyrighted works which are not owned by the creator, or which are owned by the creator in partnership with another person or entity.

Let’s take a closer look:

1. The General Rule: creative works are owned by their creator.
As a general rule, ownership of copyrighted works, and all the related rights, belongs to the author or creator.

However, an author may license, sell, or assign part (or all) of those rights to another person or entity.

In the case of a license—such as a publishing contract—the author can retain full ownership of the copyright itself, and merely grant permission for publication and other uses of certain rights. (Note: Be sure your contract states, without ambiguity, that the author remains the sole copyright owner. Unscrupulous publishers sometimes try to grab copyrights via contract.)

In the case of a copyright sale or transfer, the author can transfer ownership to another person (or a business entity) at which time the recipient becomes the copyright holder. This doesn’t change the copyright term, however – that remains “life of the author plus 70 years.”

2. Works for Hire belong to the person (or entity) who commissioned or paid for the work.

Where a person (or entity, such as a corporation) hires an author to write a “work for hire,” the copyright to the finished work does not belong to the author. Copyright to works for hire, along with all related and subsidiary rights, belongs to the person or entity who commissioned the work for hire.

Courts use a two-pronged test to see whether copyrighted works (or other creative works) are works for hire. If either prong is met, the work is a work for hire which belongs to the person or company that commissioned or arranged for the work’s creation:

First Prong: Was the work prepared or created by an employee in the scope of his or her employment? In English: did an employee create the work as part of his or her job?

Second Prong: Was the work specially ordered or commissioned for use as

(1) a contribution to a collective work,
(2) part of a motion picture or audio-visual work,
(3) a translation of pre-existing material,
(4) a supplementary or derivative work,
(5) a compilation,
(6) an instructional text,
(7) a test, answer key, or an atlas? And if so, did the parties expressly agree in a signed, written instrument that the work will be considered a work for hire?

Note that the second prong (which applies to freelancers and other independent contractors) requires a signed instrument or contract which states that the work is a work for hire. Without a writing, the copyright doesn’t transfer and the creator continues to have a claim for copyright in and to the work.

However, it’s vital for freelance authors and other creative contractors to always, always obtain a contract before starting work on a commissioned or freelance project. The contract must be signed and must indicate who owns the copyright on the finished work.

Without it, you’re risking loss of your copyrights.

Note also that even if no contract exists, the entity who commissioned the work might try to claim the work is a work for hire, which means an expensive copyright lawsuit to determine ownership of the finished work. Lawsuits often cost tens of thousands of dollars in attorney fees (even if you win) – getting a clear contract up front is always faster and cheaper than litigation.

3. Joint Works belong to all authors or creators in equal, undivided shares (unless a contract says otherwise).

“Joint works” are copyrighted works with more than one co-creator. As a general rule, joint works belong to all co-authors in equal, undivided shares, meaning that each owns a percentage of the whole. This rule holds as long as each co-author’s contribution contains copyrightable content.

Smart co-authors enter into a contract before the work is written, stating their relative ownership percentages and which responsibilities each co-creator will undertake regarding creation, marketing and sales of the finished work. Include all relevant details and arrangements.

Consult a copyright attorney to help you draft the document – and remember: friendship isn’t a valid excuse for not creating a contract. Memories fade with time, and they fade even faster when tensions arise. Put the agreement in writing while everyone is getting along.

Join me next month when we investigate copyright language in publishing contracts, and how to ensure you protect your legal rights.

If you have questions about this or other copyright issues, I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

 

About Susan

Susan Spann is a publishing attorney and author from Sacramento, California. Her debut mystery novel, CLAWS OF THE CAT (Minotaur Books, July 2013), is the first in a series featuring ninja detective Hiro Hattori. The sequel, BLADE OF THE SAMURAI, will release in July 2014.
Susan blogs about writing, publishing law and seahorses at http://www.SusanSpann.com. You can also find her on Twitter, @SusanSpann, or on Facebook.