Reviewing Your Review: Heading Home

He crosses the plate! Game over. The home team wins…

Well, not quite yet.

Home Plate: The Completed Review

After closer inspection, Fantasy Book 101 was not so bad after all. Sure, you still might like the presence of a solid plot, but you have a new understanding of the author’s intentions. You no longer hate Fantasy Book 101, and you now know why. It’s almost time to post your review.

You’ve asked all the appropriate questions and have come to a definitive conclusion. “Three out of five stars: Dark, war-set fantasy wields strong characters, but story lacks firm footing.” Potential readers glance over your review and decide that despite its mediocre rating, they are intrigued. On the flip side, cautious readers who are not fans of dark, war-set fantasies know to avoid this book, but are still interested because of the characters’ depth. That’s the basis of a Constructively Critical Review.

In the end, everyone wins. You—the reviewer—are proud to have composed a competent review, the author is grateful to receive the competent review, and potential readers have a reason to consider Fantasy Book 101. No bashing or H.O.A.s necessary.

Now before I go into my conclusion and you post your review, there is one last bit of information I would like to share. Spoilers. This is an evil word for potential readers who are curious to learn about a book. It is paramount to understand that when reviewing a work of fiction—or any type of work, for that matter—that you not, I repeat NOT, give away the entire story. Why, you ask? It really steams people, that’s why! How would you like to learn that the main character is killed by his lover on the last page? I wouldn’t, and the author doesn’t want you to know either. At least, not until you have actually read his or her book. Books are an author’s most prized accomplishment. Years of blood, sweat, and tears have been poured into those pages. Don’t spoil the experience for someone else in one destructive sentence.

And now we head safely into the dugout and receive high fives from our teammates. Right? Yes, and unfortunately, no. Not everyone will be satisfied with a well-thought out review. It’s just human nature to want to disagree even when there seems to be no justifiable cause for it. I can guarantee, however, that most people will respect your views whether you liked Fantasy Book 101 or not. You’ve explained yourself, and that’s a game well-played!

-Matt

Reviewing Your Review: Third Base

There’s a batter on the corner looking to come home…

Third Base: Character Development: Character development is the growth of a character from the beginning to the conclusion of a novel. As we continue to outline Fantasy Book 101, we see that the plot is incoherent, but the setting is believable. What about its characters?

Was Captain Josef Shmoe, the main character, a well-rounded person, or was he as flat as the paper he was printed on? Did he help progress the story, or did the story change him? Perhaps he happened to play second fiddle to one of the more interesting minor characters. Did his character grow and learn anything? Was he dynamic? Was he believable, and did you empathize with him? Did he have to make any sort of personal sacrifice for the “greater good”?

Characters are everything in a work of fiction! Yes that’s an exclamation point at the end of the sentence. It’s there because characters are the most important part of a story. Sure, we as readers love to be whisked into an imaginative, fantasy world filled with dragons and magical creatures, but what we love most is relating to the people in that story. A book can fulfill every fantastical desire we have, but if the characters in it have as much depth as a rain puddle, then we will struggle to relate to them, to care about them.
Captain Josef Shmoe is a war-torn man, tortured by his past. He was a child who had been abused by his crone mother, and he grows to be a hardened warmonger with a definite lack of compassion for the magical community. He has devoted his life to smiting any and all creatures of magic. However, he carries a dark secret. Deep down, he knows that he, too, is a being of magic like his crone mother, and he despises himself because of it. For every witch and wizard he slays, he feels he is suppressing his dark secret. Or is he?

(Tense and ominous music playing in the background)

To be continued...

-Matt

Reviewing Your Review: Second Base

He slides! He’s safe!!!

Second base: Setting: Setting is the location (place) or period (time) in which the action of the novel takes place. When dealing with setting in epic fantasy, I believe that it’s imperative the author create a world which is believable. Let’s revisit Fantasy Book 101. The story, as we know, is heavily battle oriented and lacking a detailed plot. However, the world in which it takes place adheres to basic laws of physics while carefully incorporating magic. There is a definite Medieval/Arthurian feel to it which can be traced back to history books for authenticity. You still don’t like the book for its lack of plot, but you are impressed with its realism in terms of Medieval war tactics. Address this in your review.

But what about Fantasy Explorers: Book XXVII? Say this is your favorite ongoing series for the past three decades, and it suddenly falls into the trap of creating a world which is lush with mystical creatures that seem to just live wherever and randomly appear for no reason. Fantasy Explorers: Book XXVII takes place in a world which has fourteen moons. Are these moons more of a distraction than an enhancement to the world? Throwing random oddities in a fantasy novel to make it fantasy is insulting and annoying. Even if mystical phenomena are not explained, they should somehow contribute to the plot. And don’t neglect to question the relevance of the fourteen moons just because Fantasy Explorers: Book XXVII is written by your favorite author. Obviously twenty seven books is too many for this long-lived series.

To be continued...

-Matt

Reviewing Your Review: First Base

It’s a line-drive up the middle! Base hit!

First base: Plot: The plot is the plan, scheme, or main sequence of events in a literary work. So you’ve finished reading Fantasy Book 101, and you feel the need to express your opinions about it. What better place to begin than with the plot? Let’s start with the book’s pacing. Did it seem rushed? Was the core of the story neglected in order to reach an action-packed climax? Perhaps it was the opposite. Did the story seem to crawl through endless exposition and find itself lost amongst unnecessarily flowery description and put you to sleep?

Let’s say that Fantasy Book 101 skimped heavily on plot so as to bombard readers with numerous bloody action sequences. Maybe the plot seemed to make absolutely no sense. Is this considered poor writing? That depends. Can you explain why the plot made no sense? Maybe you like an Epic Fantasy which consists of pages dense with descriptions of clothing and Medieval fashion. If this is the case, then Fantasy Book 101 might seem like garbage to you. Should you translate your distaste into your review? Yes and no.

Use the second ‘C’ in the C.C.R. method. Be critical, but explain yourself. Don’t just bash a piece of literature. Address the lack of plot by giving examples of what you felt Fantasy Book 101’s plot was lacking. “Fantasy Book 101, while full of gripping action, ultimately suffered due a lack of a coherent story.”

To be continued...

-Matt

Reviewing Your Review

Have you ever reviewed a book? I mean really reviewed a book? None of this, “Yeah, I liked it. It was good, and you should read it too!” That’s not a review. That’s what’s referred to as a “High-Octane Accolade.” This is supportive fuel from those who neglect to realize that their “frosting” niceties are just that: fluffy, sugary topping without the substance of the cake underneath. Why read this book? What was so good about it? Did the plot’s pacing move at a good clip? Were the characters memorable? Were there action scenes that left you breathless? Did the imagery haunt you? Was there believable dialogue? H.O.A.s answer none of these questions. Would you buy a book if you learned nothing from the review? There are a lot of “good books” out there, and what’s to distinguish one from another to a potential reader?

The answer is C.C.R.. No, not Creedence Clearwater Revival, (great music) but a “Constructively Critical Review.” Any good review—whether it be negative or positive—explains why a reviewer liked or disliked the book. Just what was it you liked or—heaven forbid—disliked about Raven’s Heart: An Unlikely Journey by Matthew and Stefanie Verish? (Hey, we can promote here whenever we feel like it!) You can use this basic example to structure your review: Baseball. Baseball is played on a diamond. The diamond consists of four bases, and I just happen to have four points to help in composing a useful review.

So grab a pencil and notepad, and step up to the plate! It’s time to play ball.

To be continued...

-Matt

See it to Believe it?

We live in such a visual world—much of which is created for us. In less than a heartbeat we call up images on-line, television has a show for just about every topic out there, magazines play up to pop culture with alluring ads, and movies are visual stories that appeal to all ages. Books—especially novels—have a lot of competition. What would, after all, possess someone to pick up a thick block of processed tree pulp to stare at page after page of black-and-white text? Let’s face it, that’s a heavy time investment not to be rewarded with a picture (other than the one on the book cover).

I’ve often been asked why I haven’t illustrated Raven’s Heart. First, I didn’t have the time or energy (yeah, that’s my lazy answer). I’m rather picky about my drawings, and it would take me a lifetime to be satisfied with what I concoct. Second, I hope that my (and I include Matt in “my”) words are art enough. I try to include some imagery, some decent descriptions to paint an image in your mind. Last but most important, I wouldn’t want to shortchange the function of the imagination. (That’s what fantasy is about, isn’t it?)

I say all this knowing that a 500 page book is a lot to swallow in a world where novel-readers become harder to find. If our book ever is made into a movie, we’ll have the actors on the cover, right? Or a special edition collector’s book of post-novel illustrations—a picture book as a supplementary money-maker. I have nothing against this (ok, maybe just the actors on the cover); Tolkien’s novels have spectacular supplementary artwork that do justice to his books. As an artist, I can understand the need for “visual aids.”

I need to visualize what I write. I can daydream and try to transmit images onto paper. I have done oodles (yes, “oodles”) of character drawings, and every time I depict a fictional figure, I feel I know him/her a little better. (Arcturus has a big nose, by the way). I have a collection of photographs of landscapes, gardens, animals, etc. to help me better envision a setting. I even created a scrapbook of photocopied clippings of castles, Medieval costumes, ancient weaponry. All this to create a more believable image through those monochromatic characters we call letters.

My point, I suppose, is more or less to defend the nature of a novel—our novel, any novel. I love art—both literary and visual. What I’d love even more is to see inside the imaginations of anyone who has read our books. What does the blue desert of Lornabaez look like to you? A certain sibling of mine confessed that despite our description of Hawkwing, he sees him with the girth of a linebacker. I would give anything in the world to have fans submit their artistic character depictions to our website! (That, for me, would be sweeter than a vanilla-flavored rootbeer!)

It’s in the mind’s eye, believe it or not. You really don’t need to see it from me—not when you can make it your own. Who am I to show you my characters when you recreate them for yourself? That said, I will just negate all I have written in this blog by admitting I did include a character drawing at the very end of the second novel. Only peek at it if you want to see my vision of the protagonists, but don’t you dare believe for a second you should alter your mental pictures! …By the way, all fan art can be sent to: webmaster@secramore.com. No nudity, please, as I know we didn’t include any in the books. : )

-Stefanie

“It’s my turn already?” Part 5

Until you’ve pushed yourself to be the best that you can, you may not understand my writing issues. Aside from everyday life—to which I attribute most of my woes—I came to realize that I am my own worst enemy. Until I met my wife, I never had much drive to do anything with my life. Creativity flowed freely, but I had no way of harnessing it. My better half spends almost as much time—and still does—working to cure me of my dilemma.

You see, I don’t believe that I’m as good a writer as Stef. Everything seems to come so easily to her. (She was valedictorian of her school, and she graduated college one full year early). I, on the other hand, have to work hard to keep up with her. Stef’s infinite drive and sheer will to complete something is remarkable. She’s an inspiration to me on so many levels. I would not be the person I am today without her.

However, despite all that I’ve written above, I still consistently find myself at a cross. “It’s my turn already?” I don’t actually say this aloud, but I think it every time the laptop is passed in my direction. I’m a professional writer (I actually believe that despite all I’ve written), and I shouldn’t be shying away from an opportunity to shine.

But I do.

There are so many reasons why I struggle, but my partner—my loving wife—constantly reminds me—whether she’s aware or not—why I should persevere. Life, family, work, depression, illness, money, lack of time, the latest video game (heh, heh) are ALL excuses as to why I should not be producing wonderful works of literature with my beautiful co-writer. I love my wife, which in-turn means I love writing, and I will do anything to make sure that that love never dies.

Even if I am lazy.

-Matt

“It’s my turn already?” Part 4

So we were writing. And writing, and writing, and writing… It wasn’t long before we wondered how we were writing without each other. To this day—outside of an occasional short story or poem—I refuse to write a novel by myself. Writing as a couple was also one of the main reasons we got married. A word of advice: If you can write works of fiction with the person you love and not want to kill them, marry them.

After many drafts of books that will NEVER be read by human eyes, we hunkered down and got serious. That was when my true struggles began. Up until this point we weren’t pushing ourselves to the limit of which we knew we were capable. We had—and still have—an endless trove of ideas, but we had yet to focus these ideas into a cohesive thought.

We had flirted with the idea of re-writing Raven’s Heart, but in all honesty, who wants to re-write an entire book when it’s been corrected ten times? We did! It was the best decision we ever made. We took our writing to a new level—far above what I thought we were capable of. To this day I’m still amazed what we can do as a team.

But I digress, I’ve no doubt you’ve all been wondering when I’m actually going to discuss my writing woes. Right now! Remember when I called myself a lazy daydreamer? There was a reason I wrote that, but you’ll have to wait and find out why in the exciting conclusion of this blog entry!

-Matt

“It’s my turn already?” Part 3

Somewhere around the third year of our blossoming relationship, (I’m not sure who suggested it the second time) we tried the Round-Robin story again. We wiped the slate clean and journeyed back to the world of Fantasy. This time we were ready. I promised not to unknowingly incorporate any of my ideas from my failed novel, and she—well, Stef never did anything wrong.

Thus Raven’s Heart was born.

However, we didn’t know that we were writing our future first novel together. Stef was still chin-deep in egotistical college professors, and I was still under the impression that I was a solo author. The Round-Robin was just for fun.

Every so often, I would receive an email from my future wife, and I would have to add to a scene. It was my turn to write! I remember being so excited because I could do whatever my chaotic little heart wished. I let my imagination run wild. These were the stress-free days of writing.

One day—and neither of us is quite sure when it was—we became authors. We didn’t know what we’d gotten ourselves into. Silly us. About two chapters had already been written before we decided to actually give our story a story. So began the story discussions. We’ve been having them every single day for the past nine years.

-Matt

“It’s my turn already?” Part 2

There was a time when the both of us wrote separately. True story. To this day we still have no idea what we were thinking. Neither of us was able to write more than a hundred pages into any one of our ideas. (We write epic Fantasy, and ninety-four pages just ain’t gonna cut it.) It wasn’t until the second year of our relationship that we decided to combine our efforts. Best decision ever.

Stef was away at college, and we constantly emailed each other. One day my beautiful wife came up with the idea of writing a Round-Robin story for fun. She wrote a single page of Fantasy Fiction off the top of her head and emailed it back to me to continue as I deemed necessary. There were no rules, no direction, just plain old creativity bursting at the seams. Sounds like a writer’s dream. Actually it was complete chaos. I know this because I tend to cause havoc whenever I can. I suppose I’ve watched too many horror films growing up.

As I said, there were no rules for this little game we were playing, but somewhere between me inexplicably changing the main character’s name and the absolute lack of direction, we knew deep down that we had something. So what did we do? We stopped the Round-Robin writing session for a year and returned to our struggling ways.

Bet you didn’t see that coming!

-Matt

“It’s my turn already?”

Writing is the love of my life. Being married to my co-writer, I can safely say this without the fear of being hit over my head with our laptop. Loving writing is no different than loving my wife. They are one in the same; I can’t function without either. (Stef might sometimes disagree with that last statement, but that’s her opinion). And that brings me to my next point: like marriage, writing can be difficult.

I’ve always been more laid back than my wife. She, on the other hand, is the definition of driven. She’s more of a romantic when it comes to writing, and I am very much a realist. We balance each other out. While our goals for writing are exactly the same, we are two completely different beings. My wife can balance three jobs—as well as an art career on the side—and still find time to create beautiful prose. I work just one—mind you, it’s more than enough—and I have a tendency to be quite the lazy daydreamer. Writing isn’t always on my mind. As you might have guessed, this makes for an interesting writing relationship.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am a writer. My wife and I have already self-published two novels with a trilogy on the way. I’m serious! Those are my words on those pages too! I love writing…unfortunately I’m easily distracted. And it is my occasional lack of self-confidence which leads to my frequent sessions of sitting and staring at the monitor. Did I mention this makes for an interesting writing relationship?

-Matt

My Main Character is a Jerk, and That’s OK: Part 5

The problem with this little formula of change is that Erik’s character has learned nothing. He has made no decisions for himself that prompt him to become a non-jerk personality. We need to give Erik a second change for growth.

Let’s give him back his memory at a time when the love of his life is threatened. He must see beyond the wrongs of his past to save what he truly cares about. The result could and probably will be tragic, but Erik learns a lesson from it. Erik goes through change to become a deeper character.

I didn’t say that he has stopped being a jerk. He may still have those elements to him, but it’s what he has gained as a character that makes him harder to label and dismiss as unlikable. You understand him now. You suffered through a difficult point of change with him, and now you see. He’s a jerk, but he’s a good jerk. And that’s OK.

*For another great example of a not-so-nice character going through reform, check out The Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Read up on Haplo and his adventures.

-Stefanie

My Main Character is a Jerk, and That’s OK: Part 4

Until this point, Erik has not been likable. Now is the time for him to change. He must change if the reader is to relate to him. This is a multi-step process.

First, I will need to give insight to Erik's past (the one I have described) so that the reader can begin to understand his character. Next, Erik must reach a critical point, whether an active or a passive one, where the change will be enacted. By active or passive I mean a change that involves a decision on his part (that's active) or a change that is forced upon him by some other person/factor (that's passive).

In Erik's case, he reaches a point of mental breakdown, where he threatens to destroy everything around him—including himself. This breakdown is induced by the sudden confrontation of his past: his imprisonment and those who had abducted him. He needs to be saved from himself.

The moment of change is passive, as someone intervenes (the romantic interest), and Erik's memory is forcibly stolen from him. He now knows nothing of his past, nothing about Collin's destructive path…he is free to begin a new life with the woman who loves him. This is a period of time when the reader can watch Erik in a stress-free environment. He is completely unhindered by all that has thus far shaped him, and as a result, he's not a jerk. All his redeeming qualities are now what define him—even though this is an induced state.

You can argue until the end of time that part of his personality was being the jerk, but you can also argue that his redeeming qualities were the core of his person, underlying that unlikable exterior. Either way, you see a new side of his character.

-Stefanie

My Main Character is a Jerk, and That’s OK: Part 3

Our experiences and our environment shape us too. You can't have a character grow up in an abusive family and expect him to turn out being the kindest individual you've ever known. That's not very realistic, and even for a fantasy novel, you want it to be believable. Conflict equates to interest. A boring novel or character is one without flaws—a static line of contented emotion. You may think you can't care about a character who is a jerk, but you'll care even less about a character who is boring.

So Erik…he was abducted when he was young. He was taken away from his contented and static lifestyle and thrown inside a dark prison where he was mentally abused and tortured for close to a hundred years (he's immortal, remember?). He reached a point of breaking, and since that point, he had given up hope of escape. He is, however, rescued, and once he overcomes the initial shock of reentering society, his personality reemerges. Only now, he is very guarded and a bit distrusting of others.

You see how this is building? Erik has one friend—"Collin." Collin is his rescuer, and Collin's life isn't so great either. Collin is heading in a dangerous direction with his life, but he's a stubborn bloke who insists upon making his own decisions. Erik is frustrated by this. Erik can't sway his friend to change his path. Eventually, Erik leaves and has his own adventure.

And here is the crucial point of change.

-Stefanie

My Main Character is a Jerk, and That’s OK: Part 2

All right. It's true. I've created an arrogant genius who has difficulty expressing emotion. Without delving too much into the context of Erik's background, I can list good reasons (not excuses) for his unlikable qualities.

First, he comes from a peaceable culture where emotions are not so dynamic. You might even say they're a boring crowd. It's only because their immortal. In my mind, when you live forever, there will be little to surprise or excite you. Sure, you feel emotions, but you don't exactly get sentimental at the drop of a dime. Nor do you whip out your rapier and challenge your offender to a heated duel. Time and patience has smoothed over your emotional dynamics like a pebble on the beach.

Second, he's a genius. He's a genius who is easily bored by his culture's monotonous immortality, their lifestyle. He needs to be challenged, mentally stimulated. Who is smarter than him who can feed his intellectual hunger? There is no one. So he has resorted to what children do when they're bored: he experiments. He psychologically tests people and plays pranks on them—all for his amusement. Is this appreciated by his friends and family? Poor Erik is so misunderstood…

…And misguided. No one will discipline him, because he is, after all, a genius, and what can you say to someone who refutes your every argument? If he wants to, he'll ignore you. He doesn't need to waste his time heeding authority. Erik will, one day, become the leader of his people. He will be their authority. A scary thought for a reckless immortal.

Erik does have some redeeming qualities. He's bright, he's clever, he's poetic, and truly, he does care about his friends and family. I've only told you about Erik's personality. Can someone be born a jerk? Or do they grow into that nasty label?

-Stefanie

My Main Character is a Jerk, and That’s OK

We all want to be liked and accepted. There's nothing wrong with that. Admittedly, we create our main characters with a flavor of our own personality. They can be reflections of your dreams, your quirks, your most notable traits, and of course, your attitude. And you want your character to be likable. How else is the reader supposed to care about him, right?

My husband approached me the other day in regard to a character we have affectionately dubbed "Erik." (Matt had been re-reading our latest work for content and continuity). "I don't like him," Matt said. "He is condescending and arrogant, and I don't care about him."

I was bothered by this—especially since Erik was my creation. "What do you mean?" I responded defensively. "Give me some examples."

Matt flips through the manuscript. "I can think of at least two. He's just not very nice, and I don't see how he is friends with the other characters." He finds his page and reads the selection.

"Well, I didn't intend for it to be read that way. He's really not so bad," I tell him.

Matt reads another example.

"You have to understand that he's stressed. There's a lot he's upset about, and that will certainly influence his attitude." What more can I say? I want to support my character, but my little stab of conscience tells me what I don't want to admit: Matt is right. Erik is a jerk.

-Stefanie

Writing in Circles

Writers' circles and internet forums, the undiscovered goldmine! As self-published authors, we must be on the up and up when it comes to connecting with the intended target audience. Your peers—your fellow writers—can be your best supporters. You share the same passion, swap similar experiences, brainstorm ideas, and constructively offer opinions which will hopefully make you a better writer. Networking is not just for business and self-promotion. Writers' circles and internet forums are a great to meet new friends.

The local library is an amazing place. Sure, you can find the most recent best-seller, conduct a little research, or surf the web, but libraries have become a haven for social events as well. In our case we discovered—quite by accident, mind you—a writers' group known as the Twinsburg Public Library Writers' Circle. We call it 'T.P.L. Night' for short. Once a month we gather our scattered notes and thoughts, and we drive out to the library to converse with other striving authors. The meeting room may be small, but your mind expands to new levels of creativity as you discuss everything from plotting to character development, style and voice, editing, and the like. Writers' retreats and attending talks given by professional authors are an added bonus.

If physically meeting others in a public setting is daunting for you (and it certainly can be for us as well), try connecting online with people who seek to achieve the same goal as you. We did, and we are ever grateful. The internet—as everyone knows or should know by now—is a vast world of information just waiting to be your resource. It is in this seemingly infinite cyberspace that we stumbled, yet again, across a little place on Amazon.com where people can voice their opinions on anything and everything—specifically in our case, a Fantasy Forum.

The Fantasy Forum is a little slice of heaven for those of us who eat, sleep, and breathe everything Fantasy. We were stunned to learn how many self-published authors haunt these forums. Like the writers' circle, we express our literary thoughts, and sometimes we get a little silly…ok a lot silly. But no matter where the topics in the forum stray, you will find something valuable to take with you in your writing venture.

In the end, you're never alone. There are others out there who share in your same struggles and celebrate similar victories. Don't be afraid to reach out: click that mouse or take a drive, and you'll find the support of your fellow writers waiting there for you.

-Matt