"Ten little soldier boys went out to dine,
One choked his little self and then there were nine...."
So begins the poem in each bedroom of the ten guests invited to Soldier Island. Ten guests...and only one knows that none shall ever return.
After dinner one evening, while all are gathered in the living room, a voice is heard, and it accuses everyone present of murder! Then, the number of guests begin to dwindle as, one-by-one, the unknown accusor claims a life. Further more, no one else is on the island save for the dwindling number of guests and the increasing number of bodies. Repelled from each other by fear yet bonded together for security, they must find which one of them is the murderer or none will be left to tell the tale.
This book, often considered Christie's greatest masterpiece, is definitely a winner. Stuffed with shady characters and replete with many twists and turns, not even the reader knows whom he can fully trust. Moreover, the plot is original and genius. A must read for all mystery fans!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Lecture Four- Description
Have you ever read a book where the author just says something and you can almost feel what just happened? If you're a reader, most likely you'll say yes. How can you accomplish this in your own story? Description.
Description is one of the most enjoyable aspects of writing to me. I know that some people despise it because it involves stringing together words in an almost poetic manner, but I love it.
Description provides the reader with the sights, sounds, textures, and even, if you've done a good job, the smells in your story. You not only want them to see that fire crackling in the hearth, you want them to feel it. What does the rotten meat smell like? What does the steaming stew taste like?
All if this adds reality to your story. Also, it places the reader in the scene, just as if he or she is experiencing the same things as your characters.
However, description does not reach its full capacity by simply stating the facts. Consider the following statements:
The mountains were tall. The grass swayed.
While this might pass as description, it doesn't accomplish quite what it could. Compare it to these statements:
The moutains loomed ahead of us, piercing the clouds, their peaks crowned in snow-white caps. All beneath seemed to pay tribute to them, for even the grass bowed their heads as the wind flowed over them.
This not only tells us all the information we need to know, but lends a mood to the sentences. Although it is never stated outright, we see and feel that the mountains are fearsome.
One rule that applies to every aspect of writing: do NOT be redundant! I have noticed that when I read a book and the author repeats a word that is too conspicuous, I will remember it. Even if it was one hundred pages ago. It's an easy trap to fall into, so be on your guard.
Want to know the secret to writing great description? Learn how to use poetic devices. Alliteration, similes, metaphors, and personification are especially useful tools.
Alliteration occurs when two words start with the same sound (and, although there are exceptions, usually the same word). For example:
Colorful smoke snaked to the ceiling in slow spirals.
Not only does this accomplish the point, but the reader loves the sound of it. If you're experienced enough, you can manipulate the alliteration to do many subtle things, such as reinforce a particular characteristic, or point to someone who is in the scene (in this scene, there is a serpent, and the harsh-sounding s's make a hissing sound).
Similes give a comparison of two things using the words like or as. It is perhaps the most prominent kind of comparison. Here is an example of a simile used in description:
Like a tall tree, she stood rooted to the ground.
Metaphors, like similes, are a comparison of two things. However, a metaphor drops the usage of like or as. These are quite harder to give an example for (how many metaphors can you think of?) but this is my best:
Her eyes were clouds of gray as they penetrated into my soul.
Personification is when a lifeless object is labeled with a life-like quality. This is useful when trying to reveal a mood or feeling critical to that scene. For example:
The gorgeous golden sun glared down at the weary travelers.
This tells tus hat the weather is hot. It also leaves us with the impression that the travelers are a bit oppressed.
Once you have learned to master description, you will be able to do more tricks with it. For now, however, it is best if you just master the bascis of this intricate side of writing. Look up more poetic sound devices, and learn how to apply them to your story. Later, we will really delve into the techniques that will thrill your readers and help to leave them awed and breathless. But that all starts with the basics. Practice them now, and your writing will reach the closest to perfection that it can later.
What mysteries lie in using dialogue? That's next!
Description is one of the most enjoyable aspects of writing to me. I know that some people despise it because it involves stringing together words in an almost poetic manner, but I love it.
Description provides the reader with the sights, sounds, textures, and even, if you've done a good job, the smells in your story. You not only want them to see that fire crackling in the hearth, you want them to feel it. What does the rotten meat smell like? What does the steaming stew taste like?
All if this adds reality to your story. Also, it places the reader in the scene, just as if he or she is experiencing the same things as your characters.
However, description does not reach its full capacity by simply stating the facts. Consider the following statements:
The mountains were tall. The grass swayed.
While this might pass as description, it doesn't accomplish quite what it could. Compare it to these statements:
The moutains loomed ahead of us, piercing the clouds, their peaks crowned in snow-white caps. All beneath seemed to pay tribute to them, for even the grass bowed their heads as the wind flowed over them.
This not only tells us all the information we need to know, but lends a mood to the sentences. Although it is never stated outright, we see and feel that the mountains are fearsome.
One rule that applies to every aspect of writing: do NOT be redundant! I have noticed that when I read a book and the author repeats a word that is too conspicuous, I will remember it. Even if it was one hundred pages ago. It's an easy trap to fall into, so be on your guard.
Want to know the secret to writing great description? Learn how to use poetic devices. Alliteration, similes, metaphors, and personification are especially useful tools.
Alliteration occurs when two words start with the same sound (and, although there are exceptions, usually the same word). For example:
Colorful smoke snaked to the ceiling in slow spirals.
Not only does this accomplish the point, but the reader loves the sound of it. If you're experienced enough, you can manipulate the alliteration to do many subtle things, such as reinforce a particular characteristic, or point to someone who is in the scene (in this scene, there is a serpent, and the harsh-sounding s's make a hissing sound).
Similes give a comparison of two things using the words like or as. It is perhaps the most prominent kind of comparison. Here is an example of a simile used in description:
Like a tall tree, she stood rooted to the ground.
Metaphors, like similes, are a comparison of two things. However, a metaphor drops the usage of like or as. These are quite harder to give an example for (how many metaphors can you think of?) but this is my best:
Her eyes were clouds of gray as they penetrated into my soul.
Personification is when a lifeless object is labeled with a life-like quality. This is useful when trying to reveal a mood or feeling critical to that scene. For example:
The gorgeous golden sun glared down at the weary travelers.
This tells tus hat the weather is hot. It also leaves us with the impression that the travelers are a bit oppressed.
Once you have learned to master description, you will be able to do more tricks with it. For now, however, it is best if you just master the bascis of this intricate side of writing. Look up more poetic sound devices, and learn how to apply them to your story. Later, we will really delve into the techniques that will thrill your readers and help to leave them awed and breathless. But that all starts with the basics. Practice them now, and your writing will reach the closest to perfection that it can later.
What mysteries lie in using dialogue? That's next!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Lecture three- Characters and the Game of Who are You, What are You, and What are You Doing Here?
Want to know the secret that might propel your book into the bestseller category? Characters. And I don't mean just any characters, but characters that seem to live and breathe. They're imperfect. They've got strengths. They've got weaknesses.
"But why won't people just accept perfect characters?" you may ask.
Perhaps the best example I can use is Nancy Drew. Yes, she has survived over 3/4 of a century, but if you look at some of the yellow hardback versions, you'll find yourself almost frustrated with her. Why? Because she's perfect. Most of her hunches are right, and the guy she suspects in the beginning really is the culprit. She doesn't have dietary weaknesses, and as a result is neither fat nor thin, but just right. Although people love her adventures, you'd be pretty hard put to find someone who can actually relate to our young detective.
Fortunately, there is a way to create characters so memorable that your reader won't be able to put the book down. There are four things that you'll want to consider when writing up your character analysises.
First, you should brainstorm. What do you imagine your character acting like in your book? What personality do you immediately associate with him or her? After you've done this, try to imagine your character's past. Since our past experiences affect how we behave in the present, this tremendously adds depth and reality to your character. Also, you'll want to fill in some information about the character's likes and dislikes, physical appearance, etc. Even if these pieces of information are never stated outright in the book, it will aid your character performance greatly if you know them.
Second, look inside yourself. You'll find your fears, your hurts, your pet peeves, your experiences, and much more. Try putting some of these into your character. Don't be afraid to put in some of your bad qualities,too. After all, no one really has to know that it's you!
Third, observe others. What kinds of people make your blood boil, and why? Who is your best friend, and why do you like him or her? What are the qualities you deem as good in people? What are the qualities you deem as bad? Dig as deeply as you can. What kind of house does the person live in? How do her children behave? What methods of parenting does she use? What is her favorite food? Beverage? What are her morals? You get the picture.
Fourth, try to form characters from the plot. Does your lead need to be good at tracking because she's traveling over mountains trying to catch up with her parents? Is he naturally persistent because it's a lofty goal that you need him to attain? Also, don't make the character good at everything you have for him or her, or the character will be stale. Instead, give the character a weakness(es) that will get everyone in trouble from time to time. You might want to make one character weak in one area, and another character strong in the same area. For example, does the talented tracker lack confidence? Make a character that abounds in confidence, and may be even a little daring, and you'll see that they complement each other nicely.
I have yet to see someone beat the chemistry of Frodo and Sam from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Frodo's intentions are good, but Tolkien well knew the power of the ring, and it did not fail to take control of the poor hobbit. Had it not been for Sam, Frodo would have turned back. Through all of Frodo's struggles against the power of the ring, Sam remained faithful, confident, and humble. Had Sam not looked on the bright side of situations and encouraged his friend, Frodo most likely would never have made it. Tolkien had taken the time to get to know how his characters would help each other, and the affects are astounding.
As for the naming process, experiment around a bit. Try naming your character something unusual or choose a name with a meaning that fits that individual. Names that point to cultural backgrounds are great, too. In one of my fantasy books, I chose to distinguish my elven characters by naming each of them after trees., most likely because I often place my elven villages in forests. Aspen, Cypress, Willow, Birch, Maple, and Oak are some of the names I thought of. Don't worry if your character's name is a common one, either. Check out some baby name books and websites. When you find the right name, you will know it.
Creating characters is hard work, but the deeper you dig, the better your book will become. Add all of the details you can think of- idiosyncrasies, favorite animal, favorite flavor of lip gloss, etc. Next, we'll discuss dialogue! See ya!
"But why won't people just accept perfect characters?" you may ask.
Perhaps the best example I can use is Nancy Drew. Yes, she has survived over 3/4 of a century, but if you look at some of the yellow hardback versions, you'll find yourself almost frustrated with her. Why? Because she's perfect. Most of her hunches are right, and the guy she suspects in the beginning really is the culprit. She doesn't have dietary weaknesses, and as a result is neither fat nor thin, but just right. Although people love her adventures, you'd be pretty hard put to find someone who can actually relate to our young detective.
Fortunately, there is a way to create characters so memorable that your reader won't be able to put the book down. There are four things that you'll want to consider when writing up your character analysises.
First, you should brainstorm. What do you imagine your character acting like in your book? What personality do you immediately associate with him or her? After you've done this, try to imagine your character's past. Since our past experiences affect how we behave in the present, this tremendously adds depth and reality to your character. Also, you'll want to fill in some information about the character's likes and dislikes, physical appearance, etc. Even if these pieces of information are never stated outright in the book, it will aid your character performance greatly if you know them.
Second, look inside yourself. You'll find your fears, your hurts, your pet peeves, your experiences, and much more. Try putting some of these into your character. Don't be afraid to put in some of your bad qualities,too. After all, no one really has to know that it's you!
Third, observe others. What kinds of people make your blood boil, and why? Who is your best friend, and why do you like him or her? What are the qualities you deem as good in people? What are the qualities you deem as bad? Dig as deeply as you can. What kind of house does the person live in? How do her children behave? What methods of parenting does she use? What is her favorite food? Beverage? What are her morals? You get the picture.
Fourth, try to form characters from the plot. Does your lead need to be good at tracking because she's traveling over mountains trying to catch up with her parents? Is he naturally persistent because it's a lofty goal that you need him to attain? Also, don't make the character good at everything you have for him or her, or the character will be stale. Instead, give the character a weakness(es) that will get everyone in trouble from time to time. You might want to make one character weak in one area, and another character strong in the same area. For example, does the talented tracker lack confidence? Make a character that abounds in confidence, and may be even a little daring, and you'll see that they complement each other nicely.
I have yet to see someone beat the chemistry of Frodo and Sam from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Frodo's intentions are good, but Tolkien well knew the power of the ring, and it did not fail to take control of the poor hobbit. Had it not been for Sam, Frodo would have turned back. Through all of Frodo's struggles against the power of the ring, Sam remained faithful, confident, and humble. Had Sam not looked on the bright side of situations and encouraged his friend, Frodo most likely would never have made it. Tolkien had taken the time to get to know how his characters would help each other, and the affects are astounding.
As for the naming process, experiment around a bit. Try naming your character something unusual or choose a name with a meaning that fits that individual. Names that point to cultural backgrounds are great, too. In one of my fantasy books, I chose to distinguish my elven characters by naming each of them after trees., most likely because I often place my elven villages in forests. Aspen, Cypress, Willow, Birch, Maple, and Oak are some of the names I thought of. Don't worry if your character's name is a common one, either. Check out some baby name books and websites. When you find the right name, you will know it.
Creating characters is hard work, but the deeper you dig, the better your book will become. Add all of the details you can think of- idiosyncrasies, favorite animal, favorite flavor of lip gloss, etc. Next, we'll discuss dialogue! See ya!
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Crimson Tears
This is a book idea that I got doing...well, I can't quite remember what. I don't really have much of the plot all sorted out, but I know so far that it is about a girl with a red cross upon her hand. A red cross that puts her life, her emotions, and the world's fate on the line. So far, I'm calling it Crimson Tears because of all the hurts and trials she has to go through. Either that or I'm going to call it Chosen, because my character's red cross marks her as a special person, and because the book may be emotional, but it is also a bit dark and mysterious. Here is a fraction of the opening scene:
A girl sat in the middle of the dust laden trail, clutching a tattered blanket about her shoulders. Rain churned the path beneath her into slushy puddles. The girl gnawed on her filthy finger, summoning rivers of blood that bathed themselves in the clear droplets that landed on her hand. Her hair dangled in front of her face in wet, gnarled snarls. The clouds blockaded the sun, not permitting even the smallest of beams to illuminate the dark depths of the world. And that was just what Mercy Accacia's world was; dark.
She turned her face towards the sky and hissed at heaven. "Why is this happening? Why?!"
Sobs throttled her parched throat as she buried her head in dirt lined arms. Her crimson eyes shed tears that dribbled down her cheeks and dropped into the puddles, leaving a mark of pain in the world that seemed to be so adamently against her......
What title do you think works best? Post a comment and tell me!
A girl sat in the middle of the dust laden trail, clutching a tattered blanket about her shoulders. Rain churned the path beneath her into slushy puddles. The girl gnawed on her filthy finger, summoning rivers of blood that bathed themselves in the clear droplets that landed on her hand. Her hair dangled in front of her face in wet, gnarled snarls. The clouds blockaded the sun, not permitting even the smallest of beams to illuminate the dark depths of the world. And that was just what Mercy Accacia's world was; dark.
She turned her face towards the sky and hissed at heaven. "Why is this happening? Why?!"
Sobs throttled her parched throat as she buried her head in dirt lined arms. Her crimson eyes shed tears that dribbled down her cheeks and dropped into the puddles, leaving a mark of pain in the world that seemed to be so adamently against her......
What title do you think works best? Post a comment and tell me!
Friday, December 21, 2007
National Treasure 2- watch it with caution
Three years ago, our nation sat riveted to their seats as Ben Gates, Abigail Chase, and Riley Poole solved complicated riddles, gave us a movie packed with suspense, found a treasure, and managed to teach us unique, little-known tidbits about our nation's history. Well, in National Treasure, Book of Secrets these heroes are certainly back, but whether or not that's a good thing is a matter of debate.
The curtain lifts upon the evening of President Lincoln's assasination, when John Wilkes Booth gives Thomas Gates a document to translate. The rest of the beginning then follows the events of Lincoln's murder, and Gates finds out about the plot and throws the document he is translating into the fire. Nevertheless, over one hundred years later, the name of Thomas Gates is revealed on a missing page of the diary of John Wilkes Booth; in a list of those involved in Lincoln's murder. Thus, Ben Gates, joined by his friends Abigail and Riley, sets off on the mission to prove the world wrong once again. Oh, and the finding of a certain Olmec treasure just happens to be involved.
As intriguing as the plot may sound, do not be fooled. Or go in to the theater with your hopes up, at least. The plot is cookie-cutter of the last one, and slow in some areas. The riddles aren't half as baffling, and the research is in shambles. How in the world did an Olmec (the predecessors of the Mayans of Central America) treasure end up in the Northern U.S., as if it belonged there? Oh, and did I mention that everybody was having relationship problems and that the bad guy wasn't really that much of a bad guy? I will say that Riley was much more funny, but I didn't necessarily go to the theater to laugh my head off.
Don't get me wrong, the movie does have exciting parts, just nothing that's eye-opening or new.
Also, you might want to check Plugged In or another reliable review source to get an idea for the content of the movie. We didn't, and they did add some questionable stuff that I will not repeat here because I don't know the exact age range and maturity level of my audience.
Overall, I'd give it about three stars. Although it was good, it's potential was even greater. They could have made a stupendous, blow-me-away movie, but they blew it. I would still probably recommend you see it, but watch it with caution.
The curtain lifts upon the evening of President Lincoln's assasination, when John Wilkes Booth gives Thomas Gates a document to translate. The rest of the beginning then follows the events of Lincoln's murder, and Gates finds out about the plot and throws the document he is translating into the fire. Nevertheless, over one hundred years later, the name of Thomas Gates is revealed on a missing page of the diary of John Wilkes Booth; in a list of those involved in Lincoln's murder. Thus, Ben Gates, joined by his friends Abigail and Riley, sets off on the mission to prove the world wrong once again. Oh, and the finding of a certain Olmec treasure just happens to be involved.
As intriguing as the plot may sound, do not be fooled. Or go in to the theater with your hopes up, at least. The plot is cookie-cutter of the last one, and slow in some areas. The riddles aren't half as baffling, and the research is in shambles. How in the world did an Olmec (the predecessors of the Mayans of Central America) treasure end up in the Northern U.S., as if it belonged there? Oh, and did I mention that everybody was having relationship problems and that the bad guy wasn't really that much of a bad guy? I will say that Riley was much more funny, but I didn't necessarily go to the theater to laugh my head off.
Don't get me wrong, the movie does have exciting parts, just nothing that's eye-opening or new.
Also, you might want to check Plugged In or another reliable review source to get an idea for the content of the movie. We didn't, and they did add some questionable stuff that I will not repeat here because I don't know the exact age range and maturity level of my audience.
Overall, I'd give it about three stars. Although it was good, it's potential was even greater. They could have made a stupendous, blow-me-away movie, but they blew it. I would still probably recommend you see it, but watch it with caution.
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