Signs & Wonders: Visual Inspiration, Part One

Signs & Wonders is the working title of my NaNoWriMo novel/Work-in-progress. It's so weird at the moment I can barely explain it. But I like it. I like the dual narrative, and I like that it's so bizarrely funny and the narrator is sarcastic and that it all centralises around his death, but it's much more about being alive. And mundane things, like getting camera film developed and laundromats.

I was inspired by Weronika Janczuk's post, Where The Doves Fly In Pictures (I read part of her work-in-progress novel Where The Doves Fly a little while back, and Weronika is brilliant). Here's a pictorial representation of Signs & Wonders, for your viewing pleasure!

I have tonnes of images to use, so I'm breaking it up into a few parts - expect more later in the week. Let me know what you think!

(All of these images are from Tumblr, and none are mine. I'd be grateful if you could tell me any of the original sources.)

Interview with George Ivanoff

George Ivanoff is the Australian author of 36 books, and his first novel, Gamer's Quest, was recently published by Ford Street Press. You can check out my review here - Gamer's Quest is a great sci-fi fantasy novel that I think is suitable for readers of all ages.

1. I noticed that Gamer's Quest was originally a short story. What made you expand it into a full novel?

When I first wrote the story “Game Plan” (which appeared in Trust Me! Paul Collins, ed., Ford Street Publishing, 2008) I never thought about it as being expandable. The story was written specifically to lead to the twist at the end. In fact, I had written a rough version of the final scene before writing the rest of the story.

It was only after fellow author, Meredith Costain, suggested that it would make a good basis for a novel that I stopped to think about it. I thought about it for a couple of months before actually starting the writing. But as ideas started to whirl through my cluttered mind, I began to think that it might be possible. So I sat down and wrote an outline to try to put my thoughts into some coherent form. Once I had the outline, I was so excited that I could hardly wait to get started on it.

2. Do you prefer writing about a reality like our own - with houses and cars and 'normal' stuff - or fantasy worlds where they have futuristic technology and magic?

Science fiction and fantasy are my genres of choice, in terms of reading as well as writing. But if I have a story in mind that needs to be set in the real world I can enjoy writing it just as much as one set in a fantastical world.

3. Did you aspire to be an author as a child? Or was it something that you discovered later on?

As a kid, it never occurred to me to be an author. Becoming an author was one of those impossible things that other people did. Although I loved writing as a kid, no one really encouraged me to think of it as a career. So after finishing Uni I went off and got an office job. At this stage, writing was a hobby in my spare time. I wrote and sold my first couple of books while in this office job. The whole 9 to 5 thing never really agreed with me, so I started my own little web development consultancy. This allowed me to spend more time writing. Slowly, the balance of work changed and I was eventually doing more writing than web development, until I finally chucked in the web stuff altogether.

4. Complete this sentence: My life outside of writing is...

chaotic but very happy.

5. Complete this sentence: My teenage years were...

spent being a nerdy, geeky science fiction fan. Not much has changed, really! J

6. Are you working on something new at the moment? Can you reveal a little bit about it?

I’m always working on something new. I’ve just finished two short stories and an article for a set of literacy magazines and am waiting on the brief for a new school reader. I’ve also started work on a new novel — just scribbled notes for the moment, but I’m hoping to find the time to whip them into a proper outline some time in the next couple of weeks. It’s a science fiction novel for young teens that involves environmental disaster, tornadoes and surfing. Whether or not it ever sees the light of day remains to be seen. I do have a draw filled with unpublished writing and I still occasionally add to it.

7. You've had 36 books published. Which has been the most challenging to write? Which has been your favourite, and why?

Although I’ve had 36 books published, Gamers’ Quest is my first novel — the other books include school readers, chapter books, non-fic books and a short story collection. It was the most challenging book to date, as it was the first time I’ve had to sustain a story over so many words.

I have two favourites — my first book and my latest book.

My first book was a collection of short stories about life in high school, called Life, Death and Detention (Margaret Hamilton Books, 1999). Looking back on it, the writing is a little rough in places, but there is a lot of me in that book. Although the stories are fictional, many of them were inspired by my own high school experiences. The book is on the Victorian Premier’s Reading Challenge book list, and although it is now out of print, there are still copies around in libraries. I do harbor a hope that I’ll one day find a publisher to re-issue it. A small press publisher was going to republish it a couple of years ago, but just as the book was about to go to the designer, the publisher went belly-up.

My latest book, Gamers’ Quest, is also a favourite. It’s my first novel, so I’m very proud of it. I’ve also grown really attached to the characters. I’ve written a couple of short stories using the characters for the official website (http://www.gamersquestbook.com). I enjoyed revisiting the characters so much that I’m now thinking about writing some more stories for the website.

8. What's the writing process like for you, when you're writing a novel? Do you only write at a specific time of day? Do you write huge amounts in short bursts? Do you rewrite a billion times?

My writing tends to be fitted in around my kids. When I wrote Gamers’ Quest, my daughter was in kindergarten and was also involved in several other activities — so there was a certain number of daytime hours per week that were regularly devoted to writing. I also wrote most evenings. Things are a little different now that my wife and I have a second daughter. Babies require a lot of attention, so my daytime writing hours are somewhat reduced. I’m doing a lot more writing in the evenings!

As for re-writes, it depends on the piece. Gamers’ Quest went through eight drafts. Re-writing is a very important part of the whole process. My first draft of anything is always unreadable and it’s usually a couple of drafts before anyone is allowed to read my writing. My wife is always my first reader — I never send anything to an editor or publisher unless she has read it. She’s very perceptive and has a good eye for detail, often picking up my mistakes and inconsistencies, thus saving me embarrassment. She also makes suggestions in terms of structure and plotting. Then, of course, there are always re-writes after the editor and publisher have made their suggestions. So writing is not quite the solitary experience that people often expect it to be.

I'm Sorry, Bella Swan.

Read this post by Donna & Frankie at First Novels Club. It's in defense of some book-bashing of Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater that occurred at the Rejectionist blog.

Now, I had a bit of a negative reaction towards this post (not in the comments there, elsewhere). And I realise I was a bit harsh. those things don't make me put down a book - don't be worried if you're an author that's written a novel with those things in it - it's just that those are the things that I see too often for my tastes. I try not to let personal dislikes taint my reviews, and I always finish books. Those are just the types I stay away from, because I know I view those things negatively.

Now, you might have noticed in the past I've said some negative things about the novel Twilight. Have you heard of it? It's about this girl, Bella, and this vampire guy, Edward. In the fourth book they have a vampire baby, in spite of the fact that vampires can't have babies and Bella is a teenager and Edward is seventeen still but actually 108 and neither of those ages are appropriate for new fathers. They should be, like 25-40, and certainly not immortal.

See? I can't help myself. But I'm stopping this right now. Read on.

I started thinking. I do this often. It distracts me so much I often walk into things. My thoughts led me to this conclusion:

• I don't hate Twilight.
• I don't hate Bella Swan for being a pushover.
• I don't hate Stephenie Meyer for writing Twilight. I'm sure she is a lovely lady.
• I don't hate any book.

I don't. I don't hate books because I don't hate anything (except cruelty to animals, ignorance, violence, etc). I like most everyone I meet. I like every book I read to some degree. There is a good in everything. Almost every author pours their heart and soul into their works. And I can appreciate that. Absolutely. I write myself. I am a heart-and-souler.

Now, all of the Twilight-haters will hate me for going back on what I said earlier. And all of the Twilight-lovers will hate me for changing my mind and being a fence-sitter.

But here's the thing I want to say to all reviewers:

Yes, you have the responsibility to your readers to review honestly. But, you need to take into consideration that your readers do not have the exact same tastes as you.

For example: I know I have a lot of readers who adore Twilight. I know I have some readers who are Christians and want to read clean novels. I know I have readers who love edgy, gritty novels, and who don't mind a bit of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll.

I aim to review honestly, but I don't rip books apart. I try not to let my personal tastes come through (inevitably it happens).

Guess what? You can review honestly without being nasty. And if you really, really hate the book, probably due to personal preferences and prejudices, stop reading. Don't denounce the book on your blog. If you have to review it, state what you disliked and what made you feel unfavourably towards the book. But also look for the good things. They're in there. Books published by reputable publishers have gone through a long, expensive process to get to that point. People believe in this book. Thousands has been spent on this book, most likely for the publisher to lose money. There is good in that book. If there wasn't, it would still be sitting in someone's drawer at home.

If you want an example of personal prejudices, here are the things that turn me off books which other people don't mind:

• Most drug use
• Most underage drinking
• Most teenage sex
• Relationships where the male half is always dominant
• All image-obsessed girls
• Anything about 'popularity'

This is just me. These are just the things I don't like. But I can see past these things to recognise a brilliant book, even if some of the themes aren't my cup of tea.

I'm going to say something here, and you're going to want to throw stuff at me, and I'm going to want to stab myself in the eye with a fork, but here it is:

I read the first three books in the Twilight series. And I loved them.

This was last year though. And I'm 15, so I was a completely different person last year. In defense of Stephenie Meyer, Twilight, vampire baby abominations and Bella Swan, I say this:

• No offense, teenage girls, but most of you are like Bella Swan. You know it's true. But that's why it's popular! Girls identify with being completely infatuated with people, and with feeling as if that person leaving/dumping you is the end of the world.
• Twilight-haters - you know you're mostly irritated by the fact that Twilight has a huge fan base and some of the fans are crazy. Like, really crazy. I said, 'some', okay? Don't attack me, Twihards.
• In response to everyone saying Twilight has no literary worth: No. It doesn't. Who said it had to? It's a bestseller. They're not usually literarily worthy. They're intended for mass consumption.

Dear people who hate books (myself occasionally included), here's the thing: You don't have to hate them at all. You don't have to hate anything. (Except make up being tested on bunnies. Hate that.) What do you really gain from it?
So here we are:

• I'm pro-creative expression. Write what you want. (But, um, don't make it sick or wrong, OK?) Don't censor yourself because you're afraid of the 'gate-keepers' of YA fiction - teachers, parents, librarians. Don't censor yourself because you think you'll offend someone, or because you read that a certain fifteen-year-old doesn't like teenage drinking in books. Guess what? I'm nobody. I don't matter to you. But you matter to you. Write what you want to write, write what you love, don't tear other writers down.


• I'm pro-open mindedness. I'll read anything. I'll look past sparkly vampires in novels.


• I'm anti-book banning, burning or bashing. If a book is really that harmful, it won't reach widespread publication. Relax, your kid reading a book about sparkly vampires or homosexuality is not going to make them go out and engage in illegal or dangerous activities. Blame their friends for that. Keep them locked in a tower room if possible. But give them all the books they want! Even Madame Bovary! And Lolita!


• I'm pro-positive book reviewing. I don't want to give books star ratings, or tell you every single book I read is Pulitzer-worthy. I want to write detailed reviews that'll give you an idea of what a book is about, whose tastes it'll suit, whether it is worth you, personally, getting. Because there isn't one book that everyone will love. I hope that my blog allows you to find books you'll love, even if I didn't love them.

Feel free to disagree with me (I do love a good discussion).

But, um, I'm going to continue making jokes at the expense of sparkly vampires. Sorry Edward Cullen and Co., but I don't have a whole lot of comedy material.

Writing Advice I Really Shouldn't Give: Diabolical Dialogue

Question from reader: I'm doing the NaNoWriMo thing and at the moment, my story has WAYYYYYY too much dialogue. Does that matter? Is it bad? idk.
jw.

It doesn't matter. Not at all.

With the quantity-over-quality nature of NaNowriMo it doesn't even matter if you novel is wholly dialogue at this point (though I wouldn't advise it). Later on (perhaps in January), you'll revise tonnes, I'm sure. For now, whatever writing you do it great! Get it done! Finish that thing! Then trek back and rewrite like crazy (don't think about the rewriting right now. It'll just make you feel depressed).

Here are some tips for when you do get to that revising bit. If you're doing NaNoWriMo, bookmark this for later and go write some more.

When I'm revising my novel, and there seems to be an awful lot of dialogue (I'm a bit of a dialogue fiend) I ask myself these questions:

• Does this conversation add to the plot?
• Does this conversation add to the character development?
• If I took this dialogue out, would the rest of the novel remain unchanged?
• Am I just trying to work in a funny anecdote and this has no other point? (Note that it's okay to have a couple of these. I tend to put one in on every second page).
• Why are these characters speaking to each other? What does this achieve in terms of the novel?
• How can I change this conversation so that it does add something to the plot/character development?
• Would this character realistically say this, or am I just using this as an opportunity to slip in some of my own beliefs?
• Would real teenagers have this conversation?

Of course, a few of those questions are asking the same thing, but I find the rewording makes me look at it in different ways.

Personally, I love heaps of dialogue in books, as long as the dialogue a) furthers the plot, or b) adds to the character development. It has to be realistic-sounding, and it's even better if it's entertaining (that's the point of reading a book, right? Entertainment?).

However, as I mentioned earlier, if you're in the midst of NaNoWriMo - which I kind of, sort of am, though finishing up school for the year and my other responsibilities have taken precendence - don't worry about this stuff. This is for when you're revising. A long and painful process, but a rewarding one (okay, it's not that long or painful for me. I have more trouble with first drafts - well, lately I have).

Obviously, I'm not the best person to give advice about dialogue, since every conversation that occurs in my writing sounds like I'm copying Pulp Fiction.

Do you have any advice about dialogue?

And if you have any questions, comment below if you want them answered publicly, or email me and you can ask me that way. Any suggestions for writing-advice type posts is much appreciated!

I Stop Reading A YA Book When...

• vampires are introduced
• actually, scratch that: generic Twilight vampires are introduced, making it clear the author is trying to cash in on Stephenie Meyer's success by writing a novel where some randomly violent bloodsuckers sparkle and have physically- and emotionally-weak teenage girls swoon for them for no apparent reason.
• it shows any hint of becoming a novel where a beautiful, smart, popular girl seems absolutely perfect but actually it's all a show... and I lose interest. I read this plotline way too often. It has to be phenomenal for me not to dismiss it as being terribly generic.
• anyone's problems are completely solved by falling in love with another person. I mean, are you trying to encourage teenage girls to be desperate and clingy or what?
• there is a very clear message that the author is trying to put across to teenagers. Like "PRACTICE ABSTINENCE" (I am already, damn it) or "DON'T DRINK" (ditto). You can write theme novels. But they have to be great novels in their own right, not just a vehicle for a moral.
• someone's eyes are referred to as 'orbs'. The word 'eyes' works fine. Don't make me think you're talking about a wizard in Middle Earth when you're just describing someone's face.
• any girl launches into a description of how thin, tall and good-looking her best friend is. Usually these sorts of descriptions add nothing to the story or character development. They just frustrate me. I hear enough of this in real life.
• a sexy, randomly violent bad-boy character is introduced. People like this in real life wind up in juvenile detention before they finish school. They aren't desirable, they're unstable. I don't like them in books either. Random violence = not on.
• a brooding, mysterious, emo boy is introduced. Girl instantaneously falls for this character for no apparent reason.
• there is a romance between a girl who is sixteen and a guy who is some indeterminable age over twenty-five. This is one million shades of wrong. In real life, this is illegal. And in books for teenagers, rarely are there relationships where the boy is younger. (Note: Age-inappropriate crushes are mostly okay, as long as they don't go anywhere. Because if they do: I will put down the book. Be afraid.)
• any girl bemoans her total lack of boobs. I. Just. Don't. Care. Again, I hear enough of this in real life.
• the arty speech-without-quotation-marks thing is done. It frustrates me no end. Are you deliberately trying to confuse me, or did you not learn about talking marks in Grade Three?
• there's some unnecessary drug reference. Personally, I'm okay with drugs in books for teenagers. I'm okay with most things in books for teenagers. It provides a good venue for teenagers to learn about stuff within context (which none of those anti-drug pamphlets offer) without having to experience something themselves. HOWEVER drug use in books for teenagers for the sake of edginess bothers me no end.
• everyone is rich. I don't care about wealthy characters. Maybe it's an Australian thing. We always go the underdog.
• there's a prologue offering a snippet of excitement! then 200+ pages of backstory and internal dialogue and gazing at sparkly people from afar.
• teenage characters have sex with someone they're not in a relationship with (yes, I shun you casual hooker-uppers) and it's completely unnecessary to the plot and character development. It's like the author's gone, Hey! Casual teenage sex! That'll make my novel sell for it's EDGINESS. Ooh, edgy. Yeah. And everyone can take LSD and not use contraception and there will be absolutely no consequences.
• teenage characters hate their family. I can't relate to this at all. That's just me, because my family is awesome (this is bad, though, because all of my friends like my parents more than they like me).
• I could go on for some time. This post, distilled: unnecessary drugs, sex, bad boys, age differences, vampires and sparkles make me put down a teen book.

What makes you stop reading a YA novel?

One more thing: I've been interviewed at a new book blog, Reading the Best of the Best. Head over and check it out!
Oh, and: Enter this competition!

Because I love me some mood-lighting: Upcoming buysterlighting lamp review

I was recently approached by buyster lighting to do a product review. They're an Australian site that sells, you guessed it, lighting. I know this is a blog primarily about books, but if you want to read at night, you can't do that without a light (unless you have really good eyesight). Buyster lighting have some really cool products, like this desk lamp with iPod speakers and charger:


This bendy desk lamp (which is very affordable - $23 AUD):


This gorgeous lamp, with a bit of an old-fashioned look:


Plus this futuristic-looking one, which is way to awesome for words:

They have absolutely tonnes of funky lamps. But they don't just have lamps! They also have outdoor lighting, downlights (even ceiling fans), everything lighting (they have some pretty cool wall lighting! This would be a useful site if you were doing renovations and weren't very favourably disposed towards shopping).

So expect a review very soon! I'm still figuring out what I'm going to get... have a look at Buysterlighting.com.au and tell me what you'd get.

Win 1 of 5 $10 gift certificates for Tactical Urban Gears

Tactical Urban Gears (T-U-G) sell cool t-shirts starring a ninja named Hiro and a ninja kitty called Ono. (I know. Ninja kitty. I'll pause for a moment so you can process the awesome.) These tees are part of their Hirobot series. Thanks to T-U-G, I have 5 $10 gift certificates up for grabs, which you can put towards anything on the T-U-G website! PLUS, by entering my competition, you can increase your chances of winning an IPHONE, as part of T-U-G's awesome iPod giveaway! PLUS absolutely everyone can enter!

Tactical Urban Gears®(T-U-G) is a design-driven brand based in Singapore that distributes apparel and accessories around the globe.

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We pour a little piece of our soul into everything we produce and hope that you are able to see the passion we infuse into our work.

By entering this contest, you get 20 extra entries in T-U-G's iPod giveaway. (You can win an iPhone!)

To enter, comment below! You must follow this blog. For additional entries:
+1 Tweet this competition (include link in comment)

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This giveaway is open internationally. Entries close December 1st.

Ninja kitty, Ono, says hi.