This post was written for Melisse Aires' writing process series at melisseaires.blogspot.com
The Question Is the Answer:
How I Approach the Writing Process
Eva Caye, author of the To Be Sinclair series
The Question:
For 30 years I have searched
for philosophical, spiritual, psychological, and practical answers to all the
questions that have plagued me about life, and my personal library contains
everything from Plato’s Dialogues to NLP.
I only truly began writing when I felt I could contribute something to
humanity. The purpose of a book is to communicate, so I frequently insert my
little life-lessons throughout, such as having my lovely ‘tough’ character
Rosita tell a flighty socialite, “What matters is planning to matter.”
Crafting a book is such a huge
endeavor, my personal belief is that it should answer a specific question. After all, you cannot simply write the book,
expect to send it to a publisher, and go on your merry way. I feel the current estimate that “1/10 of
being a successful author is the actual writing” is a generous estimate. If you are going to invest your time in
producing a product you want to be associated with for the rest of your life, knowing
you will spend untold hours advertising, marketing, interviewing, attending
conferences, responding to fan mail, and gathering ideas to fuel further books,
then you should pick ideas you think will make a difference. In order to sustain such a life-long
dedication to your literary output, you must pick a question that matters
greatly to you, and you must use your novel as the answer.
Trust me, don’t feel like these
introductory paragraphs mean I insist you get metaphysical and produce strictly
philosophical literary works! I do not
read vampire or zombie stories for a number of reasons, but I recognize their
true value, namely, there are ‘bloodsucking’ creatures out there who take
advantage of all of us (ever hear the term ‘fraudsters’ before?), and a huge
number of people we deal with in everyday life who might as well be considered
‘undead’ (ever hear the term ‘sheeple’ before?). These are powerful metaphors, and readers
look for books which might offer them solutions, no matter how subtle, in how
to deal with such unnerving so-called ‘human beings’ in their everyday lives!
Here are the questions I have
used so far to produce my series:
What two
people could have the strength of love, power, and will to produce the greatest
and most benevolent ruling family the galaxy might ever know?
How could a
person develop a science fundamental to human galactic expansion that might be
too dangerous to teach, demonstrate, or even allow to be known, yet still use
it to the benefit of mankind?
What
relationship between two people could grow in such power and depth that it
causes a sociological phenomenon which demonstrates Service is the greatest
potential we have as human beings?
When a person
of privilege meets a person of deep understanding, how much can they teach each
other while inspiring their society toward similar partnerships?
How can
siblings come to terms with the strong expectations of their parents, as well
as the expectations they have of each other, yet still strive for individuality
with distinct purposes and goals?
What
sacrifices must privileged people make to demonstrate their responsibility to
their loved ones, their society, and the world at large?
How can a
person of absolute privilege be inspired to perfect himself in every possible
way, all with the goal of Service to his countrymen?
As you can see, I’m quite the philosopher all told, because I feel
questions of great scope are appropriate for books. My short stories answer shorter questions,
such as which alien species has observed
Earthlings the longest, and why?
To me, what matters is that
your story, of whatever length, be used as an attempt to help further your
reader’s understanding of its issues, using your imagination as a vehicle to
make that learning a pleasant, or rollicking, or erotic, or even terror-filled
experience instead of a dry lecture spouting your beliefs. Find the questions that matter to you most in
life, and frame your story to answer them.
The Answer:
My first two books originally
began as a juxtaposition of two fantasies, namely, who do I want to be? and what
would I do if I could do anything at all?
The first fantasy was born out of a depressive episode so profound I
figured I was already dead, though still ambulatory, and realized the only
thing I truly had was my future. That
was it; I took the ‘me’ I wanted to be and started conversations with the ‘me’
I used to be, and my first two characters were born.
Start with your main
characters, and consider what question their interaction could answer. Extremes are a good device, yet your
characters also need significant points in common. Since my question entailed love, power, and
will, one character has problems with will; despite being the ruler of the
planet, the number of people making demands on him every day weakens his will
considerably as he tries to keep the peace.
The other character is a lady who intends with all her will to be a scientist
in a male-dominant society. She has
mental power, he has political power, and neither has ever been remotely in
love. The interplay of will, power, and
love is behind almost every scene in the book.
And, if you remember my original fantasies, one character’s pure
dedication to life and humanity pulls the other character out of a deep, dark
pit of depression.
Next, your background is the
social milieu in which the characters must strive to accomplish their goals. Although I have studied quite a bit of
history in my life, I have always loved the pure potential of science fiction,
so I set their society some 600 years after the advent of interstellar
travel. One of the prequels I am
currently writing is on how that particular planet was established, and its
question is this: How can wealthy, brilliant investors entice colonists to populate their
planet while convincing them of the strengths a monarchy has over other forms
of government? It doesn’t matter how
much history you use in your novel, but it does matter that you incorporate a
number of short, rich descriptions to settle the reader into a recognizable
timespace and its concomitant expectations.
Next, your characters must
strive for at least one goal. I love
using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to figure out their goals, especially when
considering the goals of minor characters with whom the protagonists must
interact.
You do not
necessarily need to describe which level each character is at and the goal
toward which they strive, for simple actions can provide plenty of
information. In my fourth novel ROYALTY, Crown Prince Zhaiden asks a
jeweler, “Do
you have anything really unique? That you’ve never made the like of
before? Something spectacular?”
And the jeweler’s face splits in a wide grin. He’s not only going to be selling his most
expensive set of jewelry, assuring his financial security (see Safety) and
supporting his family and friends (see Love/belonging), he has just shot to the
Esteem category, for selling his opus magnum to the Crown Prince will be an
incredible achievement, beyond his hopes and dreams.
Last, the actual writing. You probably already know your strengths,
whether they be comedic comebacks, physical comedy, tragic death scenes
sparking a need for revenge, or sheer action.
I enjoy pushing myself; despite my straightforward sentence structure,
borne of writing way too many lesson plans as a teacher and APA papers in
college, I incorporate blends of snappy remarks, full-out deadly action, subtle
humor, extended metaphors, recurring jokes, and vibrant descriptions to pepper
my scenes. I have to do it this way,
because the scenes play out so strongly in my mind, I actually wonder at times
if I am ‘tapping’ some parallel future dimension. If I try to change the storyline much, the
characters won’t let me, acting the scenes out over and over until I get out of
bed to change them back so I can finally get some sleep. I envy the people who can be the gods and
goddesses of their characters; perhaps someday I will reach that summit, to
actually write a story in which I determine all the rules!
Whatever your favorite
technique, whether you line up a number of jars with tags for verbs, tragedies,
locations, and results, selecting one from each jar, or whether you’re a
‘wing-it’, ‘analyze the classics’, or ‘plan beginning, middle, and outcome’
writer, I feel you must have that original question in mind at all times, and
your work must answer that question thoroughly.
Despite the success of some books whose authors simply take you on a
roller-coaster ride, very few will become as memorable as Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. If you can do something like that and start a
new fad, good for you! Yet, looking over
the literature of the last 100 years, how many fads have come and gone?
If you want staying power in
your genre, make it count; answer a question that matters and give it your unique
voice. As a result, you will never tire
when it comes to promoting your books, for your contribution to literature has
utmost meaning to you, a child of your mind, heart, and soul whose impact upon
the world springs from that fount of ultimate power: imagination.
◊ ◊ ◊
Eva Caye’s To Be Sinclair series currently consists of seven books and one
add-on anthology of four novellas. With
two prequels underway and scenes for a final book keeping her up at night, she
has recently managed to publish her fourth novel, ROYALTY, at Smashwords and Amazon, with hopes they will pay her
editor for the rest of the series. Eva
lives with her magnificent husband and two lovely mutts in a tiny farmhouse in
Louisville, Kentucky.
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