Chris Ryan

Let it suck series: Setting up setting

Posted on May 24, 2015 by chrisryanwrites

Elmore Leonard famously advised writers to “try to avoid the parts that readers skip”. This is a definite risk when it comes to describing where your characters are, so listen to the master when dealing with setting.

I tend to underwrite setting, especially in the first draft during which we have agreed to “let it suck”. Have a scene in a library? As you work through the first draft, it will probably be enough to write, “Sharkey and Mack entered the library.” Get the story down now, add in additional setting details during rewrite.

But what is necessary and what is too much?

The golden rule, of course, is you must serve the story. Once you have your draft down, walk away. Go mow the lawn, change a diaper, have a catch with your kids, toil at your day job, take a walk. And in the back of your head, ask the following questions:

What does the scene absolutely have to do?

How can this setting help or hinder the protagonist, the antagonist, etc.?

What elements of this setting can be briefly mentioned to help establish mood, foreshadow events, or payoff some plot or character element?

Live the answers so they become part of your tale.

Then review the scene’s setting in terms of the five senses; how does it look, smell, sound, taste, feel? The more of these you can use, the stronger connection you will provide for your readers.

Let’s use the library as an example. If it is old and Ivy League that is very different than a smaller, more modern suburban town library, and that difference will an effect on the story. Look at the library in the film Seven and the one used as a central location for several seasons of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. They are fundamentally different, and create very different spaces in which to tell their respective tales.

How does the library smell? Think about how each the following answers fundamentally changes the scene: stacks of old books, a whiff of French perfume known to be worn by the killer, lilac air freshener, fire, hot buttered popcorn, way too much Old Spice, whiskey, the unmistakeable stench of decomposing human flesh. Now mix and match and you see how smell can shape setting.

Sound does similar work. How does each of the following hit a reader’s “ear” as s/he reads? The full quiet of many people working silently. The insistent tick of a clock. The quiet whimpering of one terrified person hiding in the stacks. Two kids giggling quietly. The sighs of quiet sex. The rustling of clothes being re-arranged quickly. The unmistakeable sound of a shotgun being locked and loaded.

What is the taste of a library? Stale air? Peppermints in a candy tray at the checkout counter? The copper taste of blood in the air? See how these few possibilities alter setting?

Feel is not in a character’s heart. Keep it exterior. The squish of a rug wet with blood. Thetexture of the old tome needed to save the world. The love letter’s delicate stationary in her hand. His rough palm on the frightened girl’s bare shoulder.

Get your setting down simply, then live in your setting as you go about your day. Finally, go back and fill in only the nuances that serve your story, and your setting will be an effective, crucial part of your story’s success.

Christopher Ryan is author of City of Woe, available on Kindle and Nook, and in print. For more info,click here.</em

Posted in comics, digital publishing, ebook publishing, fiction, film, pop culture, self-publishing, writing | Tagged #10MinNovelists, #1K1H, #Amazon, #amediting, #amreading, #AmRevising, #amwriting, #author, #authorlife, #BookBuzzr, #CanLit, #comedy, #crime, #DarkFantasy, #diversifyyourselfs, #Dystopian, #ebook, #EditGoal, #editing, #EditingGoal, #ePubChat, #eReaders, #Erotica, #FaithLitChat, #getcaughtreading, #HistFic, #Historical, #IAN1, #iGOeBooks, #IndieAuthor, #IndiePub, #iPad, #k8chat, #kidlit, #KidLitChat, #Kindle, #Kobo, #KPD, #Literature, #LitFic, #MemoirChat, #MGLit, #Mystery, #MyWANA, #NaNoWriMo, #NonFiction, #Nook, #Paranormal, #Pubit, #publishing, #RomanceWriter, #Romantic, #RomanticSuspense, #ScienceFiction, #SciFiChat, #ScriptChat, #selfpublishing, #ShortStory, #SmashWords, #Sony, #SteamPunk, #StoryDam, #Storytelling, #Suspense, #UrbanFantasy, #Webfic, #weneeddiversebooks, #WIP, #WomensFiction, #womenwriters, #WordChat, #WriteChat, #WriteGoal, #WriteMotivation, #writersblock, #writerslife, #WriterWednesday, #writestuff, #WriteTip, #WritingBlitz, #WritingPrompt, #writingtips, #WroteToday, #WW, #YA, #YALit, writing | Leave a comment

Let It Suck Series: overwrite the scene, then pick up the scalpel

Posted on May 17, 2015 by chrisryanwrites

As we move beyond the blank screen and into our efforts as writers, we need to deal with scene work. The conventional wisdom is “enter the scene as late as possible and leave as soon as you can”, and I agree with that, eventually.

But not during a first draft.

When starting to write a scene, focus on the characters, the moment, and then leap in. Overwrite. Start with “Hello” or “Nice weather” if you have to, just get the scene written.

Yes, let it suck.

The main idea of the scene will be expressed in an overwritten draft, and getting the main idea down is our sacred duty.

After that, we just need to trim the fat.

Okay, first we may need to chop off huge chunks of fat like “Hello. Nice weather we’re having, isn’t it?” And here’s the key: that’s okay. It is early draft stuff, not what we are publishing. Once the scene is written in basic, and maybe flabby, form, we can highlight and cut, hold our finger down on the delete button, whatever it takes to get the scene into the form it needs to have before we share it with readers.

So, how do we do that?

Again, the answer is simple. We make it suck less. Going through the written scene asking ourselves, “is this necessary”, “can this be said better, more succinctly, more efficiently” and asking the most holy of questions, “does this serve the story” will get us through most of the cuts.

Some may ask, “But what if I’m not sure about making a certain edit?” My answer comes from one of the ridiculous amount of books I’ve read about writing, and I am sorry to say I do not remember where exactly it comes from (if you do, please let me know and I will give the proper credit). Here’s the answer to editing worries: the extras file.

Let’s say we are writing the soon-to-be-legendary “The Return of Jenkins” and need to do an edit we aren’t sure about. All we need to do is open a new document, let’s name it “Jenkins extras”, and then make the worrisome edit by cutting it from our story and pasting it into the “Jenkins extras” file. Now it is safe and can be retrieved if needed. No worries.

When I first read this, I had my doubts. I thought it would create a ton of extra work as I switched back and forth from the two files reducing myself to a puddle of insecurities. However, the text I read predicted this worry and promised that 99 percent of the material put in the extras file would remain there as I saw it was unnecessary to the story. This has proven to be overwhelmingly true.

So we are all set to overwrite without worry and edit without fear until we have lean and powerful scenes and learn to write more economically by overdoing it at first and cutting back to serve the story. Soon we find ourselves starting our scenes later and leaving them earlier, and still going back and trimming as needed, and we’re on the road to becoming editorial surgeons responsible for producing excellent written work.

Congratulations, doctor, it’s a classic.

Christopher Ryan is author of City of Woe, available on Kindle and Nook, and in print. For more info,click here.</em

Posted in digital publishing, ebook publishing, fiction, independent publishing, pop culture, self-publishing, writing | Tagged #10MinNovelists, #1K1H, #Amazon, #amediting, #amreading, #AmRevising, #amwriting, #amwritingmysteries, #amwritingromance, #amwritingscifi, #amwritingthrillers, #authorlife, #BookBuzzr, #CanLit, #comedy, #crime, #DarkFantasy, #diversifyyourselfs, #Dystopian, #ebook, #EditGoal, #editing, #EditingGoal, #ePubChat, #eReaders, #Erotica, #FaithLitChat, #getcaughtreading, #HistFic, #Historical, #IAN1, #iGOeBooks, #IndieAuthor, #IndiePub, #iPad, #k8chat, #kidlit, #KidLitChat, #Kindle, #Kobo, #KPD, #Literature, #LitFic, #MemoirChat, #MGLit, #Mystery, #MyWANA, #NaNoWriMo, #NonFiction, #Nook, #Paranormal, #Pubit, #publishing, #RomanceWriter, #Romantic, #RomanticSuspense, #ScienceFiction, #SciFiChat, #ScriptChat, #selfpublishing, #ShortStory, #SmashWords, #Sony, #SteamPunk, #StoryDam, #Storytelling, #Suspense, #UrbanFantasy, #Webfic, #weneeddiversebooks, #WIP, #WomensFiction, #womenwriters, #WordChat, #WriteChat, #WriteGoal, #WriteMotivation, #writersblock, #writerslife, #WriterWednesday, #writestuff, #WriteTip, #WritingBlitz, #WritingPrompt, #writingtips, #WroteToday, #WW, #YA, #YALit, writing | 2 Comments

Let it suck revisited: the beginning of a series

Posted on May 10, 2015 by chrisryanwrites

Awhile back, I wrote the following blog, which basically advised people to push beyond fears about instant quality in writing and just “let it suck.“ I reprint it here as the beginning of a series of blog posts that focus on getting beyond fears about writing an immediate classic and just doing the work.

Here we go:

There seems to be an abundance of writing advice on social media today, for which I am thankful. To return the favor, I want to offer writing advice I give my students: LET IT SUCK.

This advice may sound odd but it is based on the soundest of principles: Writing that sucks is infinitely easier to improve than a blank page (digital or other). Simple as that. If you allow yourself to just write a draft without worrying about wonderfulness, yes, some of it will suck.

Don’t worry, the sucky parts are easy to fix.

As dumb as it sounds, just ask yourself why the sucky part sucks (without having a meltdown) and you will see that, for example, a sentence sucks because it should actually be phrased differently, or a character would never do that, she would do this, or there is a repetitious phrase, etc.

The revelation here is that none of the “sucky parts” are insurmountable, and most often you correct these issues quickly. And, most importantly, the page is no longer blank.

Once you have a quick draft done, the job is just to move to an area of suck, address that, and then go to the next area of suck.

Each fix makes the work suck less. And you, my friend are being productive.

How do you know when it is great? When you have been through it twice and know deep inside that now you are just fussing. This is when you are ready for the big test: reading it out loud.

Don’t scoff, this is a necessary step. Reading your work out loud, in a voice and at a pace you would use when reading publicly for money, will reveal all the hidden flaws your eyes and ego hid.

Don’t meltdown over this either, just mark it, and continue with your “public reading”.

I print out my copy to do this step; it is easier to mark with a highlighter and move on than to start rewriting in the middle of a “public read”. And yes, reading it again after all this new round of fixes is key to make sure your writing is as nearly perfect as you can make it.

So, let it suck, then make it suck less, and suck less, and suck less, until it is, much to your shock and delight, great.

Keep writing, brothers and sisters.

Christopher Ryan is author of City of Woe, available on Kindle and Nook, and in print. For more info,click here.</em

Posted in digital publishing, ebook publishing, fiction, independent publishing, self-publishing, writing | Tagged #10MinNovelists, #1K1H, #Amazon, #amediting, #amreading, #AmRevising, #amwriting, #authorlife, #BookBuzzr, #CanLit, #comedy, #crime, #DarkFantasy, #diversifyyourselfs, #Dystopian, #ebook, #EditGoal, #editing, #EditingGoal, #ePubChat, #eReaders, #Erotica, #FaithLitChat, #getcaughtreading, #HistFic, #Historical, #IAN1, #iGOeBooks, #IndieAuthor, #IndiePub, #iPad, #k8chat, #kidlit, #KidLitChat, #Kindle, #Kobo, #KPD, #Literature, #LitFic, #MemoirChat, #MGLit, #Mystery, #MyWANA, #NaNoWriMo, #NonFiction, #Nook, #Paranormal, #Pubit, #publishing, #RomanceWriter, #Romantic, #RomanticSuspense, #ScienceFiction, #SciFiChat, #ScriptChat, #selfpublishing, #ShortStory, #SmashWords, #Sony, #SteamPunk, #StoryDam, #Storytelling, #Suspense, #UrbanFantasy, #Webfic, #weneeddiversebooks, #WIP, #WomensFiction, #womenwriters, #WordChat, #WriteChat, #WriteGoal, #WriteMotivation, #writersblock, #writerslife, #WriterWednesday, #writestuff, #WriteTip, #WritingBlitz, #WritingPrompt, #writingtips, #WroteToday, #WW, #YA, #YALit, writing | Leave a comment

Creativity Worth Talking About

Posted on April 24, 2015 by chrisryanwrites

For those of you who have enjoyed my blog posts about writing and creativity, this new show may be perfect for you:

https://youtu.be/HyNRNm6fx3s

</ Ryan is author of City of Woe, available on Kindle and in print. For more info, click here.<

Posted in America, comics, digital publishing, ebook publishing, education, fiction, film, independent publishing, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, pop culture, self-publishing, teaching, writing | Tagged #animation, #authorlife. #authortips, #comicart, #comics, #graphicnovel, #indy, #selfpublishing, #writerslife, #writingtips, #YouTube | Leave a comment

The Power of “What If”?

Posted on April 19, 2015 by chrisryanwrites

Writing is an optimistic enterprise. Even the most cynical writer, the one who believes everyone is corrupt and the world is doomed, if that person still writes, s/he proves hope is alive. If that person truly believes nothing matters, why write? So, if we write, we have hope.

And that is necessary to unlock creativity. Hope fuels our ability to ask “What if?” And if we can ask that question and entertain an answer, anything is possible.

“What if” opens us up to reflecting our own lives, or something we’ve read, listened to, seen, tasted, felt. Whatever comes in and can be redirected creatively to offer an answer.

That answer has turned into The Lord of The Rings, Hamlet, The Outsiders, Something Blue, Imagine, Pride and Prejudice, Starry Night, and on and on and on…

So take in the world, experience your life, and then ask “What if?”

The possibilities are endless…..

</ Ryan is author of City of Woe, available on Kindle and in print. For more info, click here.<

Posted in digital publishing, ebook publishing, fiction, film, independent publishing, pop culture, self-publishing, writing | Tagged #amwriting, #authorlife, #authortips, #indy, #indypublishing, #writingtips, writing | 2 Comments

Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix Exceeds All Expectations But One

Posted on April 11, 2015 by chrisryanwrites

Yesterday, in one long and glorious binge, the goddess and I watched all of Marvel’s Daredevil Season One on Netflix. This was a wonderfully indulgent experience I thoroughly enjoyed and will never repeat.

First, the show is almost perfect. The casting is outstanding, with knockout performances by Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Debrorah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Rosario Dawson, and, quite frankly, almost the entire cast. Cox and D’Onofrio are particularly impressive, with each making intriguing acting choices throughout. Cox downplays his enhanced powers and makes Matt Murdock an icon of rising above perceived limitations while D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk is a study of a potentially decent man drowning in past traumas. Woll as Karen Page and Henson as Foggy Nelson also deliver the goods, giving depth and humanity to often two-dimensional supporting characters. Dawson radiates her usual warm approachability, and we found ourselves wanting so much for her to win in every situation, whether it be to survive or be kissed.

The scripts are tight and fresh and believable and grounded, with many in the production team coming from the Joss Whedon school, having cut their teeth on Buffy and Angel. But this isn’t sunny California, and these people don’t make with the witty all that often. The scripts win on an entirely different level of character and danger and pathos – with a sizable amount of spirituality throughout. Tackling the big questions with feet planted firmly in reality is one of this series’ many delights. Another is the possibility of this series being interpreted as a treatise on the twisting of truth that is modern politics and class warfare. Quite often, the question here is what kind of world do you want to live in and what are you willing to do to get it?

The direction is gritty and intense and often evokes the New York City of the young Martin Scorcese (love those tracking shots!) The pacing is fantastic but probably works better when seen one or a few episodes at a time as opposed to over 13 hours straight. The great triumph here is the production team’s incredible multi-level achievement of nailing New York City as an international place of business while simultaneously being made up of small neighborhoods with their own identities and loyalties. The scope is huge but the focus is local, and both work.

The villains are realistic because their horrific underpinnings are exposed with masterful patience and an exceptional use of motifs. The heroes are organically flawed, struggle believably, and make mistakes that enhance the fresh feel of this story rather that expose tropes and cliches. I am grateful to the entire show staff for succeeding in this area.

One disappointment: the gorgeous opening credits sequence makes a promise that the show does not fulfill by culminating with a classic image of Daredevil in the pure red costume (see below). The final costume is not that, and while I understood it as part of the ongoing challenge of making comic book heroes look plausible in live action, what they settled on looks like one of the least-loved costumes DD has even worn. Having spent all that time seeing the opening credits as foreshadowing of what would eventually leap across the screen, when the iconic costume wasn’t entirely delivered, late in the last episode, it knocked me out of the narrative for the first time in the entire journey.

However, overall, this series is a must for action fans. I know I will rewatch this season very soon, and look forward to experiencing more with these characters.

That, my friends, is success.

</ Ryan is author of City of Woe, available on Kindle and in print. For more info, click here.<

Posted in America, comics, fiction, film, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, pop culture, super-heroes, writing | Tagged #Daredevil, #Daredevilonnetflix, #Marvel, #marvelshare, #MCU, #Netflix, #popculture | 2 Comments

Does Disney Playset Reveal Surprise Character in Avengers: Age of Ultron?

Posted on April 9, 2015 by chrisryanwrites

While browsing stores with the goddess recently, I came across the item featured in photos below. Although I do not want to spread unfounded gossip or create wild rumors, the contents of what I found were intriguing enough to share.

Pictured above, we see a wide view of this Avengers Playset which is on sale in the Disney store under an “Avengers: Age of Ultron” sign. Pretty cool.

And, as we can clearly see, Ultron is the featured villain. Okay, the only villain.

We also see The Vision, which, as far as I know, is the first time this fan favorite has been included in a kid’s playset.

The side illustration features the line up from the first movie….

… although the logo includes the word “Iniative” which might be all the explanation we need (but the timing of this collection’s placement in stores seems timed for the film). So, here’s the intriguing part…

… Captain Marvel is included in the playset.

So my questions are obvious:

Why?

Is this just a coincidence?

Is this an older toy pack with a surprisingly fitting line-up that is just being re-marketed?

Or does this suggest something we didn’t know about the widely anticipated film set to knock us out very soon?

Comments, insights, and explanations are welcome.

</ Ryan is author of City of Woe, available on Kindle and in print. For more info, click here.<

Posted in America, comics, fiction, film, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, pop culture, super-heroes | Tagged #Avengers, #Avengers: Age of Ultron, #CaptainMarvel, #comics, #Disney, #film, #Marvel, #MCU, #movies, #popculture | Leave a comment

Staycation: Planning a Trip to the MCU Tomorrow

Posted on April 9, 2015 by chrisryanwrites

Clock’s ticking. Just a few more hours until this happens. I thought it might merit republishing a slightly updated post about the joy of binge watching….

Okay, yes, I am on vacation this week, and yes, that usually means I move into the den and just write full time, but this year, I am taking two vacations. One was a short get away with the goddess that you can just mind your business about, thank you very much. The other is coming up on Friday: a 13-hour trip to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to experience Daredevil.

And I cannot wait.

Full disclosure: I continue to be a fan of Daredevil: the Director’s Cut, yeah the film with Ben Affleck. Allow me to stress THE DIRECTOR’S CUT. A lot less hokey romance with Elecktra, a lot more Matt Murdock being a lawyer, and an entire trial focused on a character played by Coolio who is not even in the theatrical release.

However, the Netflicks-release of Daredevil looks significantly better. The characters are well cast, the powers are grounded, and the visuals have a fantastically gritty New York feel.

So, having the day off, I am going to attempt Instant Binge and consume the whole season in a day. I expect I will love it.

Have you ever binged to great delight? I have with The Wire, The Lord of The Rings, Lost, Buffy, Angel, Millenium, and a few others. Do you have favorite binge watching shows?

Have you ever binge watched a new series? What was it? Did you enjoy? Advice for viewing?

Let’s get ready for Friday with your views and advice.

</ Ryan is author of City of Woe, available on Kindle and in print. For more info, click here.<

Posted in comics, fiction, film, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, pop culture, super-heroes, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged #Bingewatching, #Daredevil, #Marvel, #MarvelCinematicUniverse, #MattMurdock, #Netflicks | Leave a comment

Staycation: Planning a Trip to the MCU This Friday

Posted on April 5, 2015 by chrisryanwrites

Okay, yes, I am on vacation this week, and yes, that usually means I move into the den and just write full time, but this year, I am taking two vacations. One will be a short get away with the goddess that you can just mind your business about, thank you very much. The other is coming up on Friday: a 13-hour trip to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to experience Daredevil.

And I cannot wait.

However, the Netflicks-release of Daredevil looks significantly better. The characters are well cast, the powers are grounded, and the visuals have a fantastically gritty New York feel.

So, having the day off, I am going to attempt Instant Binge and consume the whole season in a day. I expect I will love it.

Have you ever binged to great delight? I have with The Wire, The Lord of The Rings, Lost, Buffy, Angel, Millenium, and a few others. Do you have favorite binge watching shows?

Have you ever binge watched a new series? What was it? Did you enjoy? Advice for viewing?

Let’s get ready for Friday with your views and advice.

</ Ryan is author of City of Woe, available on Kindle and in print. For more info, click here.<

Posted in comics, fiction, film, pop culture, super-heroes, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged #Bingewatching, #Daredevil, #Marvel, #MarvelCinematicUniverse, #MattMurdock, #Netflicks | Leave a comment

10 Questions about Tonight’s The Walking Dead Finale

Posted on March 29, 2015 by chrisryanwrites

I’ve been intrigued with this season of The Walking Dead. Kirkman and the boys have done impressive work making what we know as normal seem weird and unnatural and tension-filled in the TWD world.

And it worries me.

Yes, I’m laughing at me too. But I am worried. And I have questions. I know bloggers like to offer answers, but I don’t have any, and I’m pacing. Maybe some of you can help.

Here are my concerns:

1) Is Rick insane, at least in the context of the rest of this community?

2) If he is, what does that say about the whole series; have we been mislead?

3) If he isn’t, what kind of twisted asylum community are we actually in?

4) Are we spending the entire season replaying the classic Twilight Zone episode “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street”?

5) Or is this season a treatise on modern politics, especially regarding Republican treatment of Obama?

6) Will Rick be banished a la his treatment of Carol a few seasons back, and does that undo his achievements in the series?

7) Did Rick just ruin his and the cast’s role as the community’s protectors against … Negan?

8) Is the community setting Rick and company up as sacrifices for … Negan?

9) Will the Rick controversy put the entire community in the worst possible position to protect themselves against the arrival of …. Negan?

10) Am I just too damned concerned about …. Negan?

Hey, I might be wrong. Kirkman may actually be saving Negan for season 9 like he’s said. But it doesn’t feel that way. And, sure, we might see The Whisperers wearing zombie skin on their faces, or the Scavengers, and Rick’s savagery might save the town, and his standing in it, but…

The clock is ticking. Only a few hours left. What can you say about any of these concerns…..

</ Ryan is author of City of Woe, available on Kindle and in print. For more info, click here.<

Posted in America, comics, fiction, film, pop culture, The Walking Dead | Tagged #AMC, #AMCTheWalkingDead, #America, #amwriting, #authorlife, #Negan, #RickGrimes, #RobertKirkman, #TheWalkingDead, #TheWalkingDeadFinale, #TWD | Leave a comment

Chris Ryan

Let it suck series: Setting up setting

Let It Suck Series: overwrite the scene, then pick up the scalpel

Let it suck revisited: the beginning of a series

Creativity Worth Talking About

The Power of “What If”?

Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix Exceeds All Expectations But One

Does Disney Playset Reveal Surprise Character in Avengers: Age of Ultron?

Staycation: Planning a Trip to the MCU Tomorrow

Staycation: Planning a Trip to the MCU This Friday

10 Questions about Tonight’s The Walking Dead Finale

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