More writing advice: Lisa Lenard-Cook on setting

Rounding out a week of contributors to "The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing," welcome Lisa Lenard-Cook, PEN-short-listed literary author whose writing book, "The Mind of Your Story," gets beyond the craft of plotting to the art of writing a compelling story. Her essay in the collection is "Why Setting Matters."

HALLIE: Lisa, it's become a bit of a cliche to say, "Setting is like another character..." and I notice that it's the one thing you don't say. I was particularly intrigued by what you said about setting as viewpoint (seeing it "through one intense point of view.") Can you tell us more about what you meant by that?

LISA: When I teach point of view, I like to begin with the room we're sitting in. Sure, we're all here, in this same place at this same moment. But while I can see all my students (if we're at a table, some in left profile, some in right), I can't see behind me, nor can I see myself. That's key: None of us can see ourselves, unless we use the old mirror or store window trick.

But let's take point of view one step further, and consider how each of us sees what we see. Everything is weighted by what we already know--I see the narrow lane that's my village's main road far differently than someone who's seeing it for the first time.

Now imagine using this for a character. Where I see, Oh crap! Not another tractor! you see, How quaint! A tractor on a state highway! And, just like that, each of those pov's has drawn a distinct picture in the reader's head.

Because that's the other thing: Your reader will never see what you do. It's her imagination. But that's good. If she's creating pictures in her mind from your details, you've succeeded.

HALLIE: How does setting function in your novel "Dissonance"?

LISA: Unlike many of my other fictions, two of the seeds for "Dissonance" were places: Los Alamos, New Mexico, & the WWII concentration camp Terezin. Terezin came first, and even though I've never been there, I kept wondering (no; make that obsessing) about what it might have been like for those interned there. I certainly never intended to write a novel about the Holocaust (& Dissonance isn't about the Holocaust; it's about love, & the healing power of forgiveness), but when the Prague narrator began to dictate her story, the setting unfolded as if I were seeing it through her eyes. Which I was, I suppose.

Los Alamos, which is about 50 miles north of where I sit at this moment, generated still more obsessing on my part. First of all, it's gorgeous up there--red & grey rock canyons, high mountain pine forest, views that stretch halfway across New Mexico when you step out of the trees. But it's also the place where the first atomic bomb was developed. How did the people who were part of that process that feel? And, still more important to Dissonance's Los Alamos narrator, how do their children feel about it? So again, the setting & point of view were tied together.

The third seed, by the way, was music theory. Go figure. Fiction works in mysterious ways.

HALLIE: What opportunities do you see most new authors miss when they write setting?

LISA: Humans are so visual, we can get carried away with what we see of a place. But setting is so much more than seeing. It's a mood, a time, a song in another room. I always encourage students to create settings that use all five--make that six--senses, & in particular the limbic senses (smell & taste), which take us back to the first time we smelled or tasted a thing as if no time has elapsed. For writers, that's pure gold.

HALLIE: For us on Jungle Red, "setting as mystery" had a particular resonance--using setting to trigger questions in the reader's mind. Any tips on how to do that?

LISA: This ties in with why I write fiction in the first place: to imagine the things I don't know. I was one of those precocious (or obnoxious, depending on your point of view) children who was forever asking why, &, in a way, I still am. What drew my ancestors to Buffalo NY (where I grew up)? Why are the curtains drawn at this house? Why does the highway end here, instead of here? Each of those questions sets up a mystery. Think about what your narrator doesn't yet know about a place, and you're off.

HALLIE: Are you working on a novel, as we speak, and is there anything you can share with us about the setting?

LISA: I am. Because my husband is a construction project manager (building big stuff, like hydroelectric projects & aqueducts) we've lived all over the western U.S. One of those places was the Antelope Valley, the northernmost part of LA County that no one ever sees. I worked, when we lived there, for a flight test outfit in Mojave, a sad desert town that exists only because two highways met there. Now there's a bypass, & the town is sadder still. But my novel takes place 20+ years ago, not long after the Mojave Airport manager realized there was money to made mothballing old passenger jets. There are hundreds of them now. They look like some trick of light, a desert mirage. But no: They're 707s, 727s, L-1011s, all lined up like the Rockettes. I just couldn't get them out of my head...

HALLIE: Rockettes -- I love that image!!

Thanks so much for visiting Jungle Red! Lisa will be checking in today so please, post comments and questions. (She can also be found at www.lisalenard.com)

And check in tomorrow when Jane Friedman, until recently the publisher for Writers Digest Books, gives us her take on how the role of agent is evolving.

On writing...authentic dialogue with James Scott Bell

Continuing with our look a the just published second edition of “The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing,” welcome James Scott Bell, a bestselling suspense writer and former trial lawyer who wrote three of the most popular writing books ever, including "The Art of War for Writers" and the the classic “Plot & Structure.”

Jim contributes a terrific article to "The Complete Handbook" with some truly insightful tips on how to create authentic dialogue.

HALLIE: Love your advice, Jim, especially “Pour it out like cheap champagne.” What did you mean by that?

JAMES SCOTT BELL: We all remember those New Year's Eves, or weddings, where the champagne flowed freely. The guests all looked happy, didn't they? They were talking it up, laughing it up. In the moment. When you write dialogue, one of the best ways to go about it is to let it flow without too much thought. You can always edit later. The free form pouring out will get you things you didn't anticipate, just like those champagne conversations at the New Year's party may have got you the love of your life, or a new, good friend.

HALLIE: One that’s counterintuitive is “cultivate silence.” I know you don’t mean to leave blank space on the pages in place of dialogue. Can you give an example?

JAMES SCOTT BELL: What I mean is, think about silence as a response from time to time. Substitute an action instead. The story I reference in the Guide is Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants." He makes masterful use of silence, in the way the character reacts: looking at a table leg, reaching out for a beaded curtain and so on. We too often think of putting words in mouths as the only way to respond, and that's wrong.

HALLIE: Can dialogue be just a bit too clever for its own good, and how can you (as the author) tell?

JAMES SCOTT BELL: Absolutely. Dialogue that jumps too far off the page can seem forced. On the other hand, I'm all in favor of polishing bits of dialogue so it's fresher, even memorable. There is no scientific way to measure it, of course. I would ask a couple of questions. First, is it completely natural for the character? It has to sound like this is what that character would say at that moment, even if it's elevated. Second, how does it sound out loud? Often, saying the words will reveal weaknesses, and "too clever" may be one of them.

HALLIE: What mistake do you see new writers most frequently make in writing dialogue?

JAMES SCOTT BELL: Too often writing dialogue in complete sentences. Trimming out a word or two will sometimes work wonders. Also, too much "on the nose" dialogue, meaning direct response followed by direct response. While you shouldn't avoid it altogether, it does help sometimes to do what I call "the sidestep." Be a little indirect in response, or give a sudden punch, or answer a question with another question. There are various techniques that work. The nice thing is that anything "off the nose" creates an immediate sense of conflict. Why'd the character answer that way? Reading interest goes up.

HALLIE: Can you tell us what you’re working on now, and do you find as I do that it’s harder to take your own advice than it is to give it?

JAMES SCOTT BELL: Great question. I think about this all the time. Teacher, teach thyself! I must admit that it's easier to be objective when you're looking at other work besides your own. But I do find things becoming second nature. When I write dialogue, for example, I do use the tools I've come up with, and do so somewhat naturally. I guess I've finally drummed some of that into my own head. I'm entering the home stretch on the first draft of a novel. I can't slow down for too much reflection. I write and I trust. I'll go back over it, though, and fix things later. That's really what all this writing technique should be about. When you write, write like the wind. When you edit, edit like a gentle breeze.

HALLIE: Jim will be checking in today so please, if you have any comments or questions, join the discussion!

And tune in tomorrow to join the conversation with the amazing Jane Friedman, former Writers Digest Books publisher, who truly is what she bills herself: "the most progressive media professional you'll ever meet." We'll be talking about how some literary agents are adapting in order to survive in a changing publishing industry.

More writing advice: Elizabeth Sims and tips on getting away with coincidence

Continuing with our look at the just published second edition of “The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing,” more writing advice as we welcome mystery author Elizabeth Sims, the author of three Rita Farmer mysteries, including just published “On Location.”

HALLIE: Elizabeth, in your essay “Write This Not That” you compare good writing to healthy eating, and advise authors to make smart choices. Your advice about coincidences was so interesting. What kind of coincidences are OK and what aren’t?

ELIZABETH: When my agent (Cameron McClure at the Donald Maass Agency) and I started working together, we had the first of many conversations about fiction. At one point she said, "Readers love coincidences," and I sort of bookmarked that in my brain, because I'd tried to avoid using coincidence in my earlier series, the Lillian Byrd mysteries. That's because I considered coincidence a cheap way out for lazy authors.

But I thought about Cameron's comment, and I started to pay attention more to coincidence in fiction. I realized that some of my favorite books contained coincidences, like OLIVER TWIST. I mean my gosh, Oliver just happens to pick the pocket of a guy who turns out to be an old friend of his father's? But you read it and you love it. Then I looked at other books (which will remain nameless) whose authors used coincidences as easy escape routes, and I analyzed why they were so unsatisfying.

I saw that what separates good coincidence from bad can be summarized in one word: groundwork. When an author presents a dreadful, complex situation, and you the reader are licking your chops and going, wow, how's this gonna come out? and then the author just uses some sudden act of God, or an out-of-left-field thing like a cop happens to be walking by, you feel let down. Because the author hasn't laid any groundwork for that coincidence, or they've laid very weak groundwork.

By contrast, when an author spends some time and plot capital laying good bedrock before unleashing that coincidence, you feel like it couldn't have happened any other way.

HALLIE: And what do you mean when you talk about “action-packed” dialogue?

ELIZABETH: This is a two-pronged thing: The best dialogue springs from action, and it represents much more than characters sharing words. Many aspiring authors find themselves writing along, then they realize they need to tell the reader something, and they stick in some dialogue out of the blue. The reader's like, 'Where did this come from?'

The problem can be solved by two techniques. One, resist the temptation to write dialogue when you need explication, and instead write some action.

HALLIE: Ha ha! In my writing group, we talk about dialogue that explicates as "Did you know Bob dialogue." It's awful.

ELIZABETH: Right. Instead, think about what are your characters doing- if they're doing something that moves the story along, any dialogue you add will feel spicy. And two, realize that when people talk to each other, they are usually motivated by something more than wanting to say stuff. They want to manipulate, or gain something, even if it's just a feeling of importance. A sentence as simple as 'Where were you last night?' is freighted with meaning.

HALLIE: I'm writing all this down. By the way, congratulations on your new Rita Farmer mystery, “On Location.” Opening line: “A hairy forearm mashed my face.” Was that the first line you wrote, or did you come up with it later?

ELIZABETH: I have great fun with my opening lines, and in the Rita Farmer series I start every book with a situation that seems dire. The opening line of THE ACTRESS, for example, is simply, "I screamed." Eventually I enlarge the frame, so to speak, and you see that Rita is literally playing a role. In ON LOCATION, I wanted to portray Rita getting attacked, and the line, "A hairy forearm mashed my face," popped into my mind before I'd worked out much else. The sentence seemed appropriately alarming, so it made it from first draft to last. Actually I think it started as "THE hairy forearm mashed my face," and I changed it to "A".

HALLIE: And what about that character description: “He was built like a tomato stake, great vertical presence without much visible flesh on him, very different from his stockier brother. He looked as if he existed on vegetable broth and high-fiber crackers. You certainly follow your own advice, to base descriptions on unconventional comparisons. How do you reach past cliché?

ELIZABETH: Sometimes I think I was put on this earth to fight cliché, I'm so offended by sloppy metaphors and first-to-mind slogans. The first thing to do is stop and loosen your brain. You can use just about anything as a launchpad from the commonplace.

I remember while writing one of my earlier novels, DAMN STRAIGHT, being tempted to describe a golfer as being unable to hit the broad side of a barn. How boring. But I thought about other things that are large, and the word 'brewery' popped into my mind. "Couldn't hit the broad side of a brewery" sounds unusual and kind of peppy.

Right now, I'm looking at a glass of water and thinking I could describe a character as "shapeless as a water tumbler," or "she had all the personality of tap water." Or you can take that further and think of other beverages. "She had all the personality of warm tomato juice." "She had all the personality of chamomile tea," which gives information about the narrator as well as the character being described. "She was like a champagne fountain, all bubbles and sass." And so on.

Experimenting with context helps as well. If you're talking about a house, for example, you can liken it to a ship at sea: "The prow of the house pointed east, as if it wanted to plunge into the combers rolling in from the Atlantic just beyond the hedge." Or you can liken a house to an animal: "The house sprawled in the mist like a sleeping hound." It's so much fun!

HALLIE: Great examples. In another essay, “Rough Up Your First Draft,” you advise authors to give up control and let ‘er rip when writing first draft. We have so many authors who are taking our “Write First” Jungle Red Writers Challenge and so this advice seems so apt. Tell us more!

ELIZABETH: Writing fiction is very Zen: The more control you give up, the freer your creative core becomes, and the more truly original stuff comes out.

And I just had an insight, right this minute: While many writers get bogged down in their first draft because they're afraid of making mistakes, I think some new writers get bogged down in their first draft because they don't feel comfortable with the revision process itself; they fear it, and therefore they try to get everything right the first time, which of course leads to stilted writing.

Sometimes we get stuck because we're not listening clearly enough to our inner voice. Therefore, you've just got to give yourself permission to let out whatever wants to come out.

HALLIE: Thanks! Elizabeth will be checking in today to respond to questions and comments, so please, if you have any comments or questions, join the discussion! And tune in tomorrow to join the conversation with James Scott Bell, author of the classic “Plot & Structure.”

On writing... collecting ideas

HALLIE: "The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing" (2nd Edition) comes out this month from Writers Digest Books, and I'd consider it a good addition to my library even if my piece on "Clues, Red Herrings, & Misdirection" were not in it. I can't believe the company I'm in. Here are just a few of the nuggets I found trawling through the essays.

On plot: "All good plots come from well-orchestrated characters pitted against one another in a conflict of wills." -- James N. Frey

On the three-act structure: "The three-act form is there because it works." -- Ridley Pearson

On setting: "In the end, the only compelling reason to pay more attention to place, to exterior setting, is the belief, the faith that place and its people are intertwined, that place is character, and that to know the rhythms, the textures, the feel of the place is to know more deeply and truly its people." -- Richard Russo

On character: "My method of character building is from the inside out--not necessarily the color of eyes and hair, the height and weight but rather how does a person sleep at night? What does he fear? Does he run from lightning of rush toward it?" -- Alice Hoffman

On writing commercial fiction: "Frankly, I don't care what genre a reader thinks my book is, as long as it gets him to pick it up." -- Jodi Picoult

This week we'll hear from some of the contributors to the anthology, including Elizabeth Sims (Tuesday on writing suspense), James Scott Bell (Wednesday on dialogue), Jane Friedman (Thursday on the changing role of literary agents), and me (Friday on clues and red herrings). Bob Daniher, who is celebrating having his very first short story published in the October issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, will be our Saturday guest!

Today we'll tell you what we think. What writing advice do you have for aspiring novelists?

ROBERTA: Boy, those are terrific quotes Hallie--you are right, great company! To go along with what Alice Hoffman and James Frey said, spend time understanding your character's stake in the story (the mystery, in my case.) And how does your protagonist change over the course of the book?

More practically, treat your writing time with discipline--believe me, the book won't write itself. And get tons of help--if you didn't study writing, why expect you could just pick it up on your own?

HANK: Ask yourself: In this situation, what would *really* happen? What would people *really* do, or say or think? Why? And what would happen as a result of that? "It's all about 'because,'" Sue Grafton says.

RHYS: My primary piece of advice to aspiring novelists is WRITE. Don't say "I plan to write a novel some day." Writing is a craft. You only get better at it by putting words on paper, just as a potter improves by throwing pots. My second piece of advice is READ. We learn so much by observing the craft of the masters.

And on a more practical scale--draw a character arc for your protagonist and one for your villain. Where they intersect is your story.

JAN: If you want to find out who your characters really are, don't waste time with the pre-novel bio. Instead put them in really tough situations and see what they do. Then you'll get at deep character instead of hair color and college degree.

And I'll echo Roberta. If writing is important to you, do it before any other obligations can get in the way.

ROSEMARY: As the newest kid on this particular block I'm tempted to just say "What they said." If I have anything to add it would be this - you weren't great the first time you picked up a tennis racket or paint brush, don't expect your early efforts at writing to be fabulous. If you're paying attention and you really want to get better, you will. Even Federer practices his serve. (And takes advice.)

HALLIE: So Jungle Red readers and writers... what's the best (or worst!) advice you've ever given or gotten?

Writer's Challenge IV

An embarrassment of riches

JAN: If you're my friend on Facebook, you probably got a little bored with my updates about the solid rain and wind gusts of the first three days of my vacation. But the upshot of the deal was this: I wrote like crazy.

Not only did I finish the first draft of my novel, I rewrote and edited as much as I possibly can before I go to step two in my process, which is a system of evaluation that requires manilla file folders and more importantly a print out. Since I didn't bring my printer, there's nothing else I can do on the novel until my husband, who is going off island tomorrow, returns with one Thursday.

So I shifted to my non-fiction project and finally solved a structural problem that has been thwarting me for the last six months. I came up with book proposal synopsis I loved and even finished the first chapter of the book. Or should I say my FOURTH attempt at a first chapter.

I attribute this productivity partly to the bad weather and partly to the inspirational working conditions -- all four of us, my husband, daughter, son and me, have been sitting around the dining room table with laptops so close, I had access to my son's music files. When other people are working near you, it's just a lot easier to work. But most of all, I attribute it to the challenge. The daily writing that keeps my "head in the game" all the time.

BUT A PROBLEM ARISES

By today, Saturday, I had nothing left to do but revise the first chapter based on my son's edits, which meant I had to download it from my email. So I broke the rule of the challenge. I checked email first. The only other choice I had was to start a short story or an essay or something, which I considered. But it seemed a little crazy, seeing as I'm already writing two books at once and I am on vacation.

So this is a longwinded way of saying mea culpa. mea culpa. And of course, a not-so-subtle way of offering yet another backhanded compliment to the challenge itself.

If anyone else has broken the rules, please tell me.And everyone else feel free to yell at me and tell me you disapprove. I'm highly susceptible to disapproval. That'll launch me right back onto the wagon and help me stay there!!

In the meantime, sun is out and I'm off to the beach!!