Color Obsession

I'm not starting this one with any attempt at racial integration (and really arguments involving sexualization/food corresponding with skin color are mentally fucking exhausting to me anyway). No, in this case, I want to poke at how color is used in writing. Namely, starting with a gripe-- the need to use a different color word every time someone describes the eyes, bodily fluids, etc.

Why? Because colors aren't really that interchangeable on some levels. While you CAN compare a skin color to caramel and people can easily picture that hue (whether it's favorable or not), you can't as successfully interchange turquoise, aqua, sky blue, cobalt and any damn blue you want. Whyyyyy?

Number one, and probably like you, the audience doesn't know the difference like it is displayed above. Yet, they'll probably notice that you use a different color every time. Even if you think it might be clever to attach those colors to every mood they have, the reader is probably just going to think it annoying or pretentious. Okay, don't really care about that in the long run, but I will say it irks me that writers think this somehow enriches their writing when it doesn't.

I forget who said it and I'm in free-writing mode to warm up to NaNo, but it may have been Ursula Le Guin but it could be Tolkien for all I keep track (again, please don't take my word for it). In essence, the idea is that repetition is not a thing to be strictly avoided. In an earlier post, I covered this with a sub-heading "Sometimes an apple is just an apple" although that was more focused on someone detailing a fruit to try to be creative rather than it being interesting or relevant. Yet still, it tapped on the idea I'm after here with color-- that it's okay to just use the exact word that you mean once again rather than always finding a similar word to avoid repetition. Don't say 'a round object used to make transportation easier' if you mean a wheel. Simplified words are far more indicative of your intelligence and creativity. Trying to use many similar words interchangeably runs the risk of sending even intelligent readers too far off course of vocabulary knowledge.

As for colors, yeah, you can get away with using turquoise and teal to similar effect. However, traditionally, people do picture turquoise to be a darker shade than teal. As you can see, turquoise and aqua even sit in similar shade groups (but sky blue and cobalt are nowhere close).

I'm not saying not to pull out a 'viridian' or 'canary' in your writing, just be maybe aim to be consistent and even scarce. Let lust darken their eyes or happiness lighten them, but don't always feel the need to find the word for that color or mention it at all. It can just be lighter or darker and 'a shade of green' if you must. Although in actuality, that's a bit wordy, maybe that will convince you to be simpler, vaguer, because it's just not that important to the scene. Many writers will insist it IS important but then get frustrated when their readers constantly point out that it was distracting rather than helpful.

Moving onto blood... yes, it can have meaning in the shade as well. Thin blood is brighter than thick or coagulated blood. Dried blood is brown. However, fresh, coagulated, and dried are all powerful enough words without the ruby, crimson or brown attachments. In cases where the wounded doesn't realize it's blood at all, their perception of shock accompanied by it being warm, sticky or reddish before the realization of pain or property sets in can work to invite the reader to realize it before they do. Being too coy about 'ruby droplets' can infantilize an otherwise powerful scene rather than add mystery. Yet the pulse-born steady gush of a deep wound can add the right effect. Rather than be married to the stream of colorful words, you will still find depth and purpose in the words you more carefully select.

Again, let's refer back to 'killing your darlings.' Sometimes that inspired outpouring of prose will need to be butchered down to simpler elements to consider pace, structure and plot more. There is a reason you find more blog posts concerning those things rather than creative writing. Most creatives come by the minute details naturally, but the experienced writer will cut these down on the revision. Being married to words can be a bitter relationship that muddies the story. One hard rule that is still flexible is that the story comes first. You don't need to bury your voice, but don't let it trump your story either.

In the interest of detail, one way to make repetition less cumbersome is in the presentation of the sentences supporting it. I tend to have a love for towering spires and I also love that the word is exactly the right one. Yet when I speak of their features at times, I'll play instead with the adjectives-- make them catch the sunlight or glitter from the stones they are made of. They're jutting or proud or neglected or crumbling. Even then, I try not to obsess on them in a series of paragraphs and even labor to not give them more prominence than they need. As for whether the word is used twice or more in one sentence? Learn not to let it bother you if you need to use every instance. One of the best places for variation will always lie in the adjectives and verbs. Those are expressly made for the job!

You may have noticed I have a particular obsession with color, but it's something I don't force on my writing either. Unless I'm writing a story about a character that shares this obsession, I'm assuming too much as the narrator. If I need to flex these muscles, I'll write that story, but not every story has to be the vehicle for every bit of knowledge and passion I possess. Epic fantasy especially has no shortage of richness that doesn't need any help to boost the word count. Take my latest finished draft, UnSung, as an example. It currently sits close to the 250K mark and may see a higher count still (there are a couple of short scenes needing added to boost a later plot thread). Nevertheless, I really had to plan and pick to isolate it down to the proper pace for the story. It didn't need extraneous poetic filler or info-dumps to get there. In fact, it would be a hard sell and a tedious story if I'd done so.

Summing it up, don't hesitate to flex your vocabulary, but mind how you use it. Use words that don't require people to run to a dictionary. Even when I use fancier color words, I sometimes expand the context the first time I do. "Those viridian eyes, deceptive in their resemblance to the hills behind my childhood home, were far too cold to harbor any of the warmth from my nostalgia." Save sentences like that for where they can make an impact. Be concise. Be short. Then, hit them with the power of an effective chain. Just like candy loses it sweetness when over-indulged, words can lose their power as well.

Writing is trial and error more than do's and don'ts. Even 'do's and don'ts'  is heavily debated, but it's agreed that whichever style you use, at least be consistent. Some effects are better used sparingly, others will need a stricter hand. You'll get a better feel with this as you butt heads with all those damn 'rules' out there. Go ahead and fight it a bit, but keep in mind, your average FaceBook writing group will endlessly encourage bad habits rather than risk offending you by saying your usage was tedious.

All writers are obsessed with words in some sense. Yet finding your voice will come from your inner critic more than your free-flowing creativity. First drafts are often like falling in love, where every word feels right. So many writers become dismayed by how bad the reread is, but understand that that is a passionate but worthwhile response. Never completely silence the need to do better at least. No matter how you improve, it does you good to embrace the skepticism and use it to strengthen the intent of your stories. It's not because you suck and should give up-- it's because you care enough to want it to be the best you can make it.

It's my hope that you can take away some inner strength and criticism alike. Now I need to beat some fish who keep scaring the shit out of me by knocking over rocks. I swear they do this on purpose just to get my attention, so attention they shall get (even if it's not what they were bargaining for).

Smoking in the Boy's (Girl's) Room

Wait, no! Come back! says the total believable hipster stock photo...

No, this isn't advocating smoking nor some gendered argument, so calm your tits.

Let's talk interior design!

Whatever she's pointing at, that's where it is, whatever 'it' is. It's terrific, I swear.

I swear this is about writing! One thing that will absolutely trip up a reader is thinking they're living in your head space when space is crucial to the action. Even a fantasy novelist that loves making world maps isn't going to want to reduce themselves to interior design for every indoor scene so there are a few things you're going to want to do to make your interior maze flow with the speed of your imagination.

Keep in mind, this is for the writers who don't have a photographic memory as a superpower. If you do, and I mean ON LOCK, then the first two headings about visual reference, you can go ahead and skip.

Source it!

These are the pictures for your viewing while you attempt to explain. Since you're not attaching them directly to the published work, it can be anything-- watermarked photos, drawings, scribbles so awful they might as well be encrypted. You might not have a gift for visually translating what's in your head, but you'll need a facsimile of the room or rooms your characters will be maneuvering around. I can't stress this enough; find your floor plan or mock it up. 

One of the most crucial aspects of environmental travel is where the doors are located. In the most complex designs, doors are the key to directing people through your rooms. When someone asks where your bathroom is, there's a strong likelihood you've said something along the lines of 'two doors down on the right'. Unlike outdoor travel, compass directions are likely to be met with hostility so you're going to need 'landmarks' in your mental layout that you might very well flip without realizing it. Then suddenly your people are teleporting. You absolutely need to understand and memorize the basic locations of entrances, stairs, closets. No matter how big your rooms are or how they're shaped, people need to know how the hell they got there in the first place. Lose them there and it's all downhill.

Side note: floors. If height is a factor, work that in early.

*sigh* We've lost another king. I keep telling you that window looks like a door and we're 30 stories up...

Furnish it!

You don't always need to pinpoint every poster, plant or creepy stuffed pet on the mantle, but anything that will be interacted with or possibly run into will need to be added to the floor plan. Wardrobes, chairs, tables, beds, bathtubs, sinks, ceiling fans, chandeliers-- remember, think about the WHOLE room, rug to overhead lamps if there will be ANY possibility of interaction. Now, sometimes you can skip this-- if you have a knack for remembering furniture in relation to the doors and traffic then you're good. However, you're probably going to run into an error in placement if you're not absolutely positive on this. One of the reasons you need to take a long walk away from your draft is because you will need to look at these rooms from the newest eyes possible. Your reader has no memory or insight into this place. That's your burden to fill in if it's important.

And there was never another four piece long again...

Plan it!

Once you're certain you've mapped the room, your next challenge is to incorporate it without an info dump. It is a scene, not a character and unless you're writing a non-fiction on interior design, your readers don't care about your Tiffany lamps, elven sword collection, or how stained glass windows are made. Some writers try to excuse info-dumps as it being 'what the character sees' but to most readers, it's transparent and controlling prose that pulls them out of the story. Challenge yourself to limit visual interactions as little as possible and stick to what draws an immediate emotional response (awe, no matter how impressive, is passive-- an easy way out). If you draw attention to what they're hearing, either immediately explain the noise or draw them to follow it to find out. If they feel a draft, where is it coming from and does it affect their mood or attention? Lay the foundations of each sensation; don't just expect the reader to be in love with everything the character is experiencing. Unless your character is a narcissist, they're not holding the reader hostage.

Would you fuck me? I'd fuck me. I'd fuck me hard. I'd fuck me so hard.

 If you're writing a screenplay, you might need more control of the scene. If you're writing poetry, well, purple is your favorite color. If you're in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, your character is going to be overwhelmed with all of it and it's perfectly fine for awe to sound like 'holy shit, is that a peanut brittle boat on a chocolate river?" In any overwhelming scene of beauty and whimsy, your character is not slow-panning on its majesty. Their eyes are usually darting to very specific scenes and you will slo-mo your scene to hell and back the minute you feel like you have to control every aspect of it. As a novelist, especially for young adults and up, sometimes it's best to trust your audience. Adjective chains are old news. If you want to show off your voice, make it quirky. Just like cars have faces and clouds look like middle fingers, sometimes you'll give your room more character when you're not busy churning out 'powerful' adjective chains.

Be like Homer. Homer only sees the donut...

When you fall in love with a person, it's not all about how attractive they are. I know you want to create visceral reactions, but tread carefully. Sometimes you're looking for a soulmate. While your environment may not be a character, if you throw a spotlight on it, it better sing a mean back-up vocal or they're drawing attention for all the wrong reasons. One of the quickest ways to lose readers is falling in love with your own voice and forgetting the story.

Demolish It!

Annnnd let's not forget that in your drafting phase, you might be lean or getting way too fluffy with the descriptions. If you're meticulous, there are plenty of opportunities to edit it, break it down, make it the best damn room in the history of best damn rooms. If you have your solid bases for reference, you should be good.

All I can really add here is this-- on a fresh edit, don't look at your reference pictures first. If you realize something you describe doesn't 'fit' somehow, THEN look at your pictures to figure out how to say what you really meant. I say this because of how strong the visuals are towards the initial scene. Once you remember how it's supposed to look, you won't as easily see what ISN'T there that should be. Your visuals will be satisfied so you might miss it over and over again.

Conclusion

Again, because I used 'don't' language, let's be aware that there aren't any rules and there might be a draw towards your purple style. It's a fine balance between how to draw a market and how to write with integrity, true to the story. Write for yourself, but if you want others to read it, there is some consideration needed. Insisting on integrity only often creates an ego, a brick wall of frustration in growth because your way is the only way. It absolves you from the challenge of a different approach. Writing only for a market often means you are missing the opportunity to reach a faithful minority that wants a writer's honesty. This isn't an either-or though. Your greatest challenge, for the bulk of us writing peons, will be finding the voice that best aligns our views of success. I've said it before, but all of the clever marketing, great storytelling and time-consuming labor in the world guarantees nothing. Because of this, many writers decide it's not worth assaulting a beloved hobby with the harsh realities of that step.

And really, it's not worth worrying about. I write these blogs only to hash out techniques that have given me success in writing more. In being satisfied with reading it again. In feeling the pride of improvement. I want to entertain and teach and use these moments to reflect on my writing without pressure. Because working on something that you intend to publish is stressful. It's work, no way around that, but you still have to work from a place of passion. 

Every aspect of your work is part of a design. It's prose, it's logic, it's power, it's entertainment. It's a medium where you're turning the pictures in your head into words and into pictures in someone else's head. You must accept that some things will be lost in translation, but you will still want to create a formula where it can make sense in their head as well. Depending on the depth of your story, sometimes you have to create a backstage area to make what is seen believable or visual. Your audience isn't blind (even the legitimately blind enjoy audiobooks), so you need to use the spotlight. Stage plays-- ever notice how they turn off the lights in the auditorium? It's not just to quiet you down and it's not just aesthetics. They use the light to direct your attention.

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In any case, I'm really enjoying creating some fun posts lately. Sometimes I can run into the insanely technical. Which would be fine if I were just writing manuals, but I also need to give people a taste of the side that actually writes fantasy. My passion here is writing, but it's not a singular thing. Covering all aspects of the journey is one I try to deliver honestly. I want to show that I'm a smart ass. I swear because language of all kinds is not forbidden fruit to me. I wear many different hats (and a lot of them I crocheted myself). It's a slippery slope, but we can't impress everyone. Words that cause you discomfort may be liberating for someone else. This is why free speech is so important. Yes, even hate speech. We can get angry and disgusted, but shy of threats with intent or inciting organized violence, it's just not a crime to have unpopular or gross opinions. Giving the freedom to talk about them is how we prevent them from becoming an ugly action. 

(Like the anti-anything argument: making it illegal doesn't stop it from happening. It just makes it more dangerous for the frustrated and desperate who intend to see it through.)

So speak honestly. Take honesty and refine it with tact. Labor to always find the best way to communicate what you mean to say. Decide for yourself what that means to you.

The don't-iest don't of them all.