Resonance in Star Trek: Into Darkness

This weekend I went to see Star Trek: Into Darkness for the second time. The first time was part of an unofficial Superstars post-conference field trip. Let me tell you, seeing this kind of movie with a group of predominantly science fiction and fantasy writers was a blast. Unfortunately, exhaustion and a 6:00 am flight the next morning curtailed my ability to discuss the movie with them as much as  I would have liked.

The second viewing was with my husband and two boys. One of the great things about seeing a movie more than once is I tend to notice things I didn't the first time around. Star Trek: Into the Darkness didn't disappoint.

For all of you who are yelling at your computer - "WAIT. DON'T! I HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET." I'm going to stay fairly general so I don't give anything away.

Regardless of what you feel about the re-boot, one of the reasons the new movies work for me is the casting. All of the actors wear their characters well. There's enough of the original versions of them that I don't have to completely reset my thinking to follow along (unlike a female Starbuck).

At it's heart, Into Darkness is an action adventure in space movie. Each challenge is bigger than the one before. The movie starts with a moment that could have come from the Indian Jones franchise. That scenario builds to a peak and resolves. Just when you start to catch your breath, another crisis brews, bubbles over and explodes. By the end, you've been on such an adrenaline rollercoaster, you think that the final conflict CAN'T possibly build to a higher point. But it does.

The new movie is less Kirk dominated than the original series or movies. Spock, Uhura, Chekhov, and Scotty all have their own character arcs. In fact, I'd go so far to say that Spock is the protagonist. There are some charming moments with realistic dialog that have as much to do with character development as they do with moving the plot forward. This movie definitely has an ensemble feel to it. And it's stronger for it.

What struck me most on this second viewing though wasn't the story arc or character development. Rather it's the number of "call backs" or references to the original  series, original movies, other science fiction and fantasy movies, and other action adventure movies that struck me on the second go through. Some of them are so subtle that I missed them the first time around. Some sledgehammer you. Certain time line elements are consistent with the original and others aren't - with events had hadn't yet happened in the original already occurring before this movie started. One moment made me groan and giggle even though I'm sure that's not the emotion the writer was hoping to evoke. There's paraphrasing of a quote from The Princess Bride. And a tribble.

What takes a story from "good" to "memorable"/ "fantastic?" It has to captivate us, has to have characters we want to root for, and a few we want to fail.  It also needs to hook into our collective unconscious - our shared experiences. My sons, who didn't catch most of the references, loved it. My husband who sort of watched the original series and liked it, but didn't love it (I know. And I still married him, go figure) enjoyed the movie, and caught a lot of the references. I completely geeked out, and spent the closing credits (with the other twenty people still in the theatre - not my husband or sons) talking about the call back moments.

The ability to appeal to a multi-generational audience makes for big sales. It's also the hallmark of good story telling. Dave Farland/ Wolverton talks about building resonance into your stories in his seminars and Million Dollar Outlines and Drawing on the Power of Resonance in Writing.  Into Darkness \excels at resonance. It's well worth learning from. If you're the kind who doesn't want to take a notepad into the movie, wait until it comes out in electronic format or video. It's well worth the effort of analyzing it for the references to other works or events it makes. Also, if you haven't checked out Dave's books, I highly recommend that since he does a much better job at explaining resonance than I do.

Making A Story Work All The Way to The End

Did you ever finish a book and wonder why you just spent the time reading it or been so unsatisfied that the writer has earned a spot on the "Do Not Read" list? I recently have.

For obvious reasons, I'm not going to mention the title of the book or its writer. I don't tend to put a story down once I start it. So, I will occasionally finish a book I hate. While I was interested enough to keep listening to the audio tape of this book, the ending destroyed the story for me. Because of who I am, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why. The short answer I came up with was that the ending was just so unsatisfying it left me with a negative impression of the story.

Here are the main things that I think went wrong with the story:

1. The title character was the least used Point of View (POV).

When you name your book after a particular character, you signal to your reader that that character is the most important one in the book. So in a story called "Rachel's Revenge", I should be spending most of my time with Rachel. In this novel, there were 5 POV characters. The title character didn't come on stage until the fourth chapter, and is the character that for most of the story things happened to. She was the most interesting character, but she was almost never the POV even for scenes she was in.

2. The two characters with character development arcs were the least explored.

The title character and the only other female POV were the two least used POVs. However, they are the characters that changed the most. The women were foils for each other and each wrestled with the question of "who am I" and "who am a loyal to." While we got to see the resolution of these conflicts very little time was spend allowing us to feel the internal fight. The lack of POV penetration hindered my ability to care about the characters or the resolution of their issues.

3. Too little back story.

The issue of how much back story to put in is always a tricky question. I'm going to suggest that in any of the genres where the world the characters live in is not our own, you need to infuse those early chapters with back story. You still need a light tough so the history doesn't come out as an info dump, but if your characters are referring to the "Event", than the reader needs to know what happened to make the incident deserve a capital "E" almost as soon as it's referenced.

In this story, I spent too much time wondering about the post-apocalyptic world the characters were in while trying to intuit the cultural mores of a future Thailand. Mott of the POV characters came from different cultures so I had to navigate not only Thai culture, but Japanese, Chinese, American and "clone" cultural nuances.

I was more than halfway into the book before I started to understand the important differences between these cultures and how their histories affected the POV accounts.

4.  There as no clear protagonist.

I should be able to identify who the main character is in any story. But I struggled here. And the most likely choices lead to greater unhappiness with the ending.

I assumed that the title character would be the main protagonist, but she doesn't fit in that role. She's far too passive until far too late in the story. She has no try/fail cycles.

The most likely main character is the American. He's the one mentioned in the book blurb before the title character. He does have try/fail cycles, and he's one of the primary actors in the story. But there's no character growth. He's not changed by his journey. If he's my protagonist, the ending is even more disappointing.

Then there's a character I tend to think of as an antagonist, the Chinese. While helping the American, the Chinese is also working at crossed-purposes. He has a try fail cycle, and he has a character journey. But if he's the protagonist, the ending is a huge failure.

Okay, those first four problems all technique issues. And even then, I may have gotten over the complaints if the ending had worked for me. So, what happened in Act III that made feel like I'd wasted my time with this story? Read on.  . . .

4.    POV arcs were left open.

While a writer may not tie up all lose ends to preserve the ability to have a sequel, there still needs to be a conclusion that is appropriate for the story for each arc. Two of the POV characters made life-altering decisions and I was denied the ability to see how those choices played out.

The Chinese character I mentioned above finally decides to rush back into the doomed city to save another character. He does this knowing that the choice might mean that he perishes. The last "chapter" of the book ends with his decision to go back, but there's no resolution. The reader never knows if he succeeds and saves himself and the girl, or fails.

One of the Thai characters also makes a life-threatening choice, and while we are told about the explosions she orders and sets, we don't know if she survives the act of domestic terrorism,

5. The final chapter is called an "epilogue" even though there had been no clear climax.

I'm not sure why the writer made the choice to title his final chapter as an "epilogue" but it made for an abrupt ending. As I said above, the previous two chapter ended with two POV characters making decisions that would put them in peril. So, hearing "epilogue" after the Chinese man ran off to save the girl had me cursing a blue streak. If  I'd had a paper copy of the book, it would have sailed across the room.

I hadn't experienced a story climax yet so to be thrust into the wrap up felt like a violation of trust. There had been lots of small climaxes and resolutions, but rather than wrap up, the writer pushed into another conflict and then cheated to resolve the conflict in the space he had left.

6.  The American's death was off stage and pointless.

Remember how I said the American was the most likely protagonist? Well, I thought that he was until the epilogue. Then I'm told that he died between chapters. ACK! I had the same feeling about this as I did when JK Rawlings killed two characters off stage during the final battle. It was a cheat. The characters didn't have to die to make the story work, and by having their deaths off stage, the writer trivialized those characters' parts in the stories.

Now, there's an argument here that the American had to die for the title character to reach her potential. The American filled a mentor/protector role. But mentors tend to die in stories near the beginning of the journey, and not in a foot note at the end. Just like in Harry Potter, the title character had changed before the death. It struck me, both times, as author intrusion rather than a story imperative.

7.  The title character abandons the motivation that had caused her to act for no apparent reason.

During the story, the title character decided that she needed to seek out her people, who were rumored to live free somewhere in the north. She kills when she believes she cannot achieve this goal. Then, finally, when no one can prevent her from achieving this goal -- she gives it up. Instead, she stays in the now abandoned city. This was a huge let down. I wanted to see at least one POV character achieve her goal.

8.  A minor character comes to the forefront in the epilogue resulting in a new story and not an ending.

So, in the epilogue, the title character is living alone in a drowned city. She happens to bump into a minor character from much earlier in the story. He offers her a new dream. She gives up her hard-won independence to this stranger and his implausible promises.

Again, the ending felt like a trick. If this was the point the writer had been building toward, the moment should have been foreshadowed. Instead, of coming to a satisfying conclusion, this section felt tacked on to set up a sequel.

What I want when I finish a story is closure. I don't always need "happily ever after" but I do want to feel like my time was well spent and that the characters got what they deserved.

How does dissecting this book help me write a better ending?

It's always easier to see flaws in a story structure when the story's not ours. What dissecting this story taught me is that if I want a happy reader, I need to:

1. Make sure she can tell who my protagonist is. If I have a title character, she needs to be a prominent POV,
2. Have the right amount of back story at the right time;
3. Develop character arcs and sink into POV to give the reader a reason to care what happens next;
4. Bring each character arc to some resolution so the reader feels like that character has completed his journey for now.
5. Have the character deaths make sense and have the necessary prominence. A minor character can die off stage. A main character should almost never die in a footnote.
6. Have a story twist or ending needs to be well foreshadowed.


These threads run all the way through the story. So, while the list won't save me from picking up another disappointing book, it will help me keep my stories from disappointing readers. I hope it helps you too.

The Balancing Act

Life is a balancing act.

 

Recently, I've been listening to the music from Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog with my boys. Why do I bring this up? I mean other than to note the amazing writing by Joss Whedon, and the fab acting by Neil Patrick Harris, Nathian Fillion and Felicia Day? One of the songs is called "My Freeze Ray" in which Billy (Neil Patrick Harris) notes that with his freeze ray he will "find the time to find the words." Now, he's talking about the words to tell Penny (Felicia Day) that he loves her. But still, it made me think about my day, and how a freeze ray would help it.

People and obligations push and pull on us. Many days it doesn't feel like there are enough hours to get everything done. All my "jobs" focus on deadlines. The kids have to be at school by a certain time. Court starts at certain time, and while the judge can be late, I can't. Pleadings have deadlines. For some reason, the school wants me to pick up the kids at the end of the day. Go figure. The animals want to be fed. The dogs want to be walked at least twice a day. Can you believe that? Food needs to get on the table and put into the children. Theoretically, the house needs to be cleaned. I check my e-mails (all three), review the slush for Flash Fiction Online, participate in my writing group discussions, market, and participate in three different blogs on a regular basis. Oh, and then, I need to write, edit and submit my fiction. When I tell people about my "normal" day, and they look at me funny and tell me my "normal" day, isn't.

So, how to "find the time to find the words" until Dr. Horrible's Freeze Ray is available at your local discount story?

For me, it means:

1. Engage in triage.

Each morning I spend about 15 minutes writing down what absolutely positively must be done that day. Once I have the impossibly long list, I then assign a level of priority to those items. I tackle the items by their priority between meetings and court appearances. E-mails are read and responded to at 7 am, 11 am. 2pm and 5pm. I try to limit my e-mail checking to those windows to reduce the distraction. If I have a "free" moment, I'm less tempted to stray onto the Internet or other distractions because I can look at my list and work on an item (or part of an item) that fits the time slot. I triage my work load before I leave the office as well so I know what is likely to be my first priority in the morning.

2. Watch very little television.

While it might not be the opiate of the masses, television is the great time sink. There are those guilty pleasures - or to borrow a phrase from Castle - also a Nathan Fillion show - the "deep fried Twinkies" of my life. Castle is one of them. A few other shows fall into this category. But I know every time I watch a show, I've chosen not to use that time to write or do something with my family.

3. Jealously protect my writing time.

Just like any other work assignment or meeting, writing is an entry on my calender. I have a regular appointment from 9 pm to 11 pm each night. Does that mean I do nothing else for those two hours, seven days a week? I wish. What it means is when I watch TV, go out with friends or sleep during that time, I am aware I am choosing those tasks over writing.

4.  Set goals or deadlines.

I've written before about inching toward success on this blog before. You can find that post here. I have a daily writing goal so when I do start, I'm not allowed to stop until the 2 hours time slot is over or I've finished the daily word count. Because I have such a wimpy goal I always end a writing session feeling good because I've usually blows the minimum word count away.  My writing goal is fairly modest (250 words a day), I usually complete the requirement in the first half hour, but since I still have an hour and a half left time-wise, well, you get the picture. 

Speaking of pictures  . . .

5.  Don't drop the tiger.

If these something threats to chew your backside off, all attention must be focused there. That means, that sometimes writing takes a back seat. Be flexible with your goals and deadlines. Realize that sometimes the tiger's going to win. You may have to take a break from writing for a day or more due to other commitments. Just remember that when that happens, get back to writing as soon as possible, and don't worry about "making up" the word count. If you do, the energy you'll need to overcome the inertia will get greater every day and you won't get back in the saddle again.

6. Get away from the writing and spend time with people once and a while.

To write what you know, you need to participate in life. Writers spend a lot of time paying attention to the world around them. The hot dog vender's mustache might wind up on a character. How he deals with a difficult client might add some local color to a scene.

Until we all have freeze rays life will always be about balance.

You can find the time to find the words.

Review - Grammar Girl's 101 Troublesome Words You'll Master in No Time

Yesterday I was eating lunch at a restaurant, and overheard discussion at the next table. In describing the conduct of a co-worker, one gentleman said, that “it begged the question.” Being the geek that I am, I started wondering if he used the phrase right, and what exactly does “beg the question” mean?  As I do every time I have a grammar question, I turned to Mignon Fogarty aka Grammar Girl, and her latest book, 101 Troublesome Words You’ll Master In No Time. In 101 Troublesome Words, Grammar Girl takes on more difficult word usage questions.

Now, I own most of Grammar Girl’s books. See, I told you I was a geek. And darn proud of it. I only have most of the books because my family insists I don’t buy every book I want so they have something to give me for birthdays and holidays.

 What makes 101 Troublesome Words different than the rest? It tackles more difficult grammar and complicated questions, like exactly how to use the phrase “it begs the question” should be used, where short answers won’t suffice.

Let’s go back to the overheard conversation for a moment. Grammar Girl says

 "Begs the question" comes from formal logic, in which the person making an argument does so in a way that simply states that the premise is true rather than proving it's true . . . . It does not mean "raises the question" or "begs I ask the question."  

 The guy sitting at the next table meant “it raises the question.” So, he used the phrase in the wrong way. When you hear people say something "begs the question" they most often mean "raise the question." Grammar Girl suggests that restoring the traditional meaning is a lost cause, and I based on my observations, I fear she's right.

Grammar Girl also makes distinctions, when necessary when British English and American English, and different style guides. It is "toward" or "towards"? The correct usage depends on whether you are using British or American English. Other interesting phrases Grammar Girl discusses in 101 Troublesome Words include whether it is “I could care less” or “I couldn't care less”.  The two phrases mean different (and almost opposite) things. "All right" versus "alright" and other common questions are answered. Check out 101 Troublesome Words to learn the answers.

 

Yet again, Grammar Girl was given us a useful and humorous tool to resolve those tricky grammar issues we thought would never have to deal with after high school English, but sadly, we do. This book is a must for every writer what are you writing professionally, for fun, or just want to ensure you are using words appropriately.

I highly recommend Grammar Girls’ newest offering – 101 Troublesome Words You’ll Master In No Time.