On Depictions of Abuse in Fiction
Labels:
abuse,
author advice,
book authors,
child abuse,
creative writing,
emotional abuse,
fiction,
opinion,
physical abuse,
sexual abuse
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This disturbed me for a number of reasons, but first and foremost, the astounding number of people (including people who knew abuse survivors) stating that they would never read such a thing, that the subject matter was appalling, and even that it shouldn't be written. This type of attitude, this silence about such a horrific yet important issue, only makes the problem worse.
Child abuse is a subject commonly depicted in my works, because I feel the greatest sorrow in my very soul for human beings who have had to go through such deep pain. I have been fortunate to never have it happen to me, but I know several people who have. It is an issue that is dear to my heart and I truly want to gain support and understanding for victims by depicting abuse and its life-destroying consequences in my fiction.
So when people act as if this kind of subject matter shouldn't even be brought up, I get a little upset. Fiction is meant to challenge us, and no, it's not always rosy or easy to read. But without it, we're never going to grow as a society and rally together against all of the horrible things that happen behind closed doors. People in abusive relationships sometimes don't even recognize the abuse for what it is, and instead of remaining silent about it, we need to scream loud and clear, though our fiction and otherwise, that these things are not okay. And sometimes, yes, this involves details you probably don't want to know. If making our readers feel and see the pain of these fictional characters helps even one real life person, and we have to share descriptions not everyone wants to read, so be it. After all, for real victims, there are no scene changes or time jumps.
Now obviously, I am not referring to any abuse written in an obviously salacious way (that's beyond disgusting), or if the abuse is simply used for shock value. While it is never a good idea to make an abusive experience practically the sole trait of a character (because, hello, it's not), keep in mind that this might be the result of an inexperienced or mediocre writer with good intentions even if the execution fell short. Also, while I'm not the biggest fan of trigger warnings, if your book contains scenes of detailed abuse or its aftermath, you owe it to your readers to slap a warning label on it.
What do you all think? Speak in the comments!
Announcing a New Story!
Labels:
creative writing,
free book,
novelette,
science fiction,
writing
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Past, Present, and Future is an 11,000 word digital standalone exclusive, due out on February 29th and will be published by Loyalty Press.
The price will be free. That's right, free. This is partially to apologize for my lack of new material published in 2015 (it was a big year for me), but also for the fact it's taking me a lot longer than I would have hoped to get a draft ready of December's sequel, July. At this point, The Brooch of Storisvaria will probably be ready first... So I'm sorry, and I hope you can enjoy this in the meantime.
Past, Present, and Future began life as a piece in my still-in-progress short story collection, The Profane and the Sacred and Other Stories. After it became much longer than I would have wanted to put in a short story collection and it became clear I wouldn't have a new novel to present in 2015, I have chosen to publish it separately for everyone to enjoy.
The story is about a soon-to-be modern college freshmen, Melanie, discovering that she has the rare and amazing ability to Jump to two times other than her own. One is Victorian England, and the other a space station orbiting a devastated Earth far in the future. As more and more complications come to light, Melanie finds herself faced with an agonizing choice.
Again, Past, Present, and Future is due out on all major digital platforms on February 29, 2016. Be sure to pick up a copy!
On the Editorial Process
After finishing the first draft, the first thing I do is absolutely nothing. You heard right. Nothing. I sit on the piece for as long as I can - ideally at least a month. If I can't do that, I still give it as much time as I can.
I then read through it again, start to finish, in Word, making changes and notes. Here are some simple things I look for that all writers should at this stage:
- Remove as many occurrences of "that" as possible.
- Check for long, wordy, stringy sentences.
- Also check for short, choppy sentences (especially if they're close together).
- If need be, read dialogue aloud to make sure it sounds natural.
- Check for incomplete sentences and run-ons.
- Revise passive writing if at all possible.
- Try and notice repeated words/phrases and awkward/clunky sentences or phrasing.
- Watch for any inserted exposition that could grind the narrative to a halt.
Bonus Tip: If you have to stop and reread a sentence, it likely needs to be revised.
It's exceptionally hard for authors to notice potential issues with characterization or logical fallacies in their own stories because we're so close to our writing, so while I keep an eye out for those, I also address them in the next step.
I then send the story to both my editor and a close friend. My editor checks the story with a professional eye and my close friend reads the book and tells me what she thinks as a casual reader. Both viewpoints, in my opinion, are of equal value. Their edits are considered and implemented or not.
(As an aside, I also offer editing services, if anyone is interested.)
The last step is the final read. To do this, I convert and load the story onto my ereader. I then read through and highlight words, phrases, or even scenes I still think might need edits. Once done, I then get back into the main document and make those edits.
After that, I begin the formatting process for the ebook and print versions of the piece, and release them on the date they're due out.
So that's my process. Is yours different? Discuss in the comments!
To Pen Name or Not To Pen Name?
Despite the fact that I use a pen name, I actually advocate using your real one if at all possible for a number of reasons and to avoid several complications.
In my opinion, authors should really only use a pen name for one of the following reasons:
- You have an extremely common name (i.e. John Smith).
- You have written a book or write in a genre that you don't want connected to you for personal or professional reasons. (Example: if you primarily write children's fiction but want to try your hand at erotica)
- You share your real name with a reasonably famous author (this one's my issue and why I use a pen name).
- Previous books you have published have had a negative reception and you're trying to restart.
- If you really, really just hate your name, are transgender, or are better known by a nickname.
Bonus Tips:
- While it used to be true that books written by certain genders in certain genres didn't sell, I think this trend is largely going away and so it is not necessary to use an opposite-gendered name, unisex name, or initials. However, if this is still an issue for your gender/genre, you might choose to use a pen name.
- If your name is difficult to spell or pronounce, you might want to use a pen name, even though I personally think it's better to use that uniqueness to help build your brand and stand out from the crowd.
- It's an extraordinarily bad idea to use a pen name to hide from people (Examples: while writing non-fiction that lambastes real people or to avoid breaches of publishing contracts). You will likely be found out and could be sued for libel or breach of contract.
If you're self-publishing, it's really nothing to use as many pen names as you want. It will, however, make it harder to build an audience with readers because there will not be as much name recognition. Book marketing is largely personal these days, so consider how you will accomplish that if you don't want people to know who you are.
If you are publishing traditionally, using a pen name is a little more involved. You do not want to only use your pen name when communicating with your agent or publisher. Make it clear up front that you want to publish your piece under your pen name, but again, use your real name for all formal communication. Advances and royalties can get complicated if you use a pen name as well.
For registering copyright, you can use your pen name or your real name. It is generally recommended to register so both names are on record, but if you can only pick one, use your real name for maximum protection.
As for how far you should go with an assumed identity, I think that is up to the individual author to determine. For example, if you are writing under a pen name of the opposite gender, it might be pertinent to come up with a vaguely factual fake biography for your back cover. Jury's still out on how appropriate it is to use opposite gendered pronouns. Don't claim credentials you haven't earned or outright lie. Major lies, if discovered, are likely to make readers lose faith in you.
So that's what I have to say about pen names. Agree? Disagree? Anything I missed? Any interesting pen name stories? Be sure to say so in the comments!
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