Do you ever find yourself struggling between being subtle and too straightforward when editing a story? When I am editing I need to find the right balance between these two trends. If I explain too much I tend to overtell, so I find myself trimming sentences or paragraphs to counteract this. On the other hand, if I hint at the theme without being too straightforward I sometimes compromise clarity. The message becomes so subtle that many readers miss the point. However, I know that eliciting different interpretations is something to be expected. After all, each reader has a unique life, a background on which the writing will reflect and acquire specific qualities. Our story creates a life of its own.
Most of the readers who critique my stories do a great job in communicating their perception about them, how they feel about the characters, what they fathom about the theme and the emotions that the words awakened in them.
Another common situation that I have encountered after I finish crafting a story is that there may be a part when the pace becomes too fast and I feel that something must be done about it.
The point of this rambling is to state that it is, at times, difficult to find a balance between being subtle and being straightforward when editing a story.
Do you ever struggle to find this balance? Or do you achieve it naturally and feel content with it?
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
On why I like these three short stories.
A few weeks ago I finished reading the O' Henry Prize stories 2009. Out of the twenty stories I will mention three as my favorite ones, and I will explain why I have chosen them. "Kind," by L.E Miller. "Icebergs," by Alistair Morgan, and "The House Behind a Weeping Cherry," by Ha Jin.
"Kind" is a story about a shy woman, Ann, who runs into Bianca, a neighbor from her past, on a flight from New York to Chicago. Bianca is the daughter of an artist she had been attracted to many years ago. The encounter with Bianca awakens many memories and we get to know the artist's wife through them, Edith, who had always been very kind to Ann as way of taking control of the abiguous situation that arose from the magnetism between her husband and Ann. The reason why I enjoyed this short story is that I was so absorbed by the plot, characters and setting that I felt I had read a full novel by the time I finished it. I also appreciated the nostalgic touch of it. This story was published by the Missouri Review.
"Icebergs" is about a lonely man who, after losing his wife to cancer, moves to a beautiful house by the sea. The couple had worked together to get it ready and his wife had made him promise that he would move there because she could not bear the thought of "strangers living in the house of their dreams." The house is located in South Africa in a neighbourhood of holiday homes. The MC is struggling with a bout of loneliness when a mysterious man about his same age moves next door. Their lives will become entwined when the main character's daughter, who is an artist, comes to visit her father. I enjoyed the suspense that moves the story forward and the well developed characters. Their loneliness, the realistic portray of the characters, the suprising twists were a great hook that kept me turning the pages. This story was published by The Paris Review.
The other wonderful story is "The House Behind a Weeping Cherry". It starts with Wanren, the main character, telling us that he is concerned about the landlady increasing his rent because his roommate has just moved out. In this same house there are three girls who work as prostitutes. Mrs Chen, the landlady, has something else in mind. She tells Wanren that she will not increase his rent as long as he drives the girls in the evenings to see their customers. He would be tipped for doing so. Wanren feels uneasy about it, but he ends up accepting the offer. Wanren is a young man who works as a sewer in a sweatshop in New York. He is an Asian immigrant and so are the three girls who make a living as prostitutes. Wanren ends up falling in love with one of them and wants to help her escape her dull existence. The complexity of the characters and the plot grabbed my attention. I also liked the end of the story. It was uplifting despite the grim circumstances. This story was published by The New Yorker.
"Kind" is a story about a shy woman, Ann, who runs into Bianca, a neighbor from her past, on a flight from New York to Chicago. Bianca is the daughter of an artist she had been attracted to many years ago. The encounter with Bianca awakens many memories and we get to know the artist's wife through them, Edith, who had always been very kind to Ann as way of taking control of the abiguous situation that arose from the magnetism between her husband and Ann. The reason why I enjoyed this short story is that I was so absorbed by the plot, characters and setting that I felt I had read a full novel by the time I finished it. I also appreciated the nostalgic touch of it. This story was published by the Missouri Review.
"Icebergs" is about a lonely man who, after losing his wife to cancer, moves to a beautiful house by the sea. The couple had worked together to get it ready and his wife had made him promise that he would move there because she could not bear the thought of "strangers living in the house of their dreams." The house is located in South Africa in a neighbourhood of holiday homes. The MC is struggling with a bout of loneliness when a mysterious man about his same age moves next door. Their lives will become entwined when the main character's daughter, who is an artist, comes to visit her father. I enjoyed the suspense that moves the story forward and the well developed characters. Their loneliness, the realistic portray of the characters, the suprising twists were a great hook that kept me turning the pages. This story was published by The Paris Review.
The other wonderful story is "The House Behind a Weeping Cherry". It starts with Wanren, the main character, telling us that he is concerned about the landlady increasing his rent because his roommate has just moved out. In this same house there are three girls who work as prostitutes. Mrs Chen, the landlady, has something else in mind. She tells Wanren that she will not increase his rent as long as he drives the girls in the evenings to see their customers. He would be tipped for doing so. Wanren feels uneasy about it, but he ends up accepting the offer. Wanren is a young man who works as a sewer in a sweatshop in New York. He is an Asian immigrant and so are the three girls who make a living as prostitutes. Wanren ends up falling in love with one of them and wants to help her escape her dull existence. The complexity of the characters and the plot grabbed my attention. I also liked the end of the story. It was uplifting despite the grim circumstances. This story was published by The New Yorker.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
An endless love affair.
I have to admit it. I have a love affair with words. I get easily enchanted by the way some of them sound, and I enjoy learning their different meanings. Choosing the right words is a pleasure, one of the many goals I try to accomplish whenever I write something. Words are the fascinating "bricks" of the buildings-stories- we build. They are like the colors of an artist's palette. They need to be chosen carefully, strung into the thread of sentences that will accomplish a rhythm and a meaning.
Every time I find a word I am not familiar with, I look it up in the dictionary. I tend to do this even with words I do know, when I suspect they have a meaning I'm not aware of. Then I jot them down and even create a sentence in my mind in order to apply the new word. I keep the lists of new words and then I read them carefully again a few days later. It is like creating a "bank account of words". I know they will come back to me when I am writing. Sometimes I even find myself saying, "This is just the word I needed yesterday when I was writing that scene."
I will give you an example of words that have different meanings I did not know about.
You may know that the word "maul" as a verb means " to beat, bruise, to handle roughly." But it also means "to strongly criticize something, especially a new book, play, etc." It also means " to touch someone in a rough sexual way which they think is unpleasant." The word "throe" means "pang, spasm", but it also means "a hard or painful struggle." To chide is "to speak out in angry or displeased rebuke". It also means, as a transitive verb, "to reproach in a mild and constructive manner."
I can't get enough of them. Learning new words is an ongoing challenge that will die the day my own life comes to an end.
What's your relationship with words like?
Every time I find a word I am not familiar with, I look it up in the dictionary. I tend to do this even with words I do know, when I suspect they have a meaning I'm not aware of. Then I jot them down and even create a sentence in my mind in order to apply the new word. I keep the lists of new words and then I read them carefully again a few days later. It is like creating a "bank account of words". I know they will come back to me when I am writing. Sometimes I even find myself saying, "This is just the word I needed yesterday when I was writing that scene."
I will give you an example of words that have different meanings I did not know about.
You may know that the word "maul" as a verb means " to beat, bruise, to handle roughly." But it also means "to strongly criticize something, especially a new book, play, etc." It also means " to touch someone in a rough sexual way which they think is unpleasant." The word "throe" means "pang, spasm", but it also means "a hard or painful struggle." To chide is "to speak out in angry or displeased rebuke". It also means, as a transitive verb, "to reproach in a mild and constructive manner."
I can't get enough of them. Learning new words is an ongoing challenge that will die the day my own life comes to an end.
What's your relationship with words like?
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
The characters living in my head.
Every day I wake up at 5:30 am to write. If I get enough writing done, I have a positive outlook on the rest of my day. This continuity fuels my craft and turns on my inspiration. It is like a water fall connected to a river. It needs to flow, creating new paths, feeding on the rain at times, carrying whatever it finds on the way and making the most out of it.
The interesting fact is that even when I am not writing a story, during the rest of my day, the characters continue to exist within the boundaries of my mind, overshadowing my own existence. Sometimes they even enlighten my day, fueling it with new ideas and insights. So, in other words, while I am living my own life, there is an alternative universe, parallel to the real one, where my characters go on with their own daily lives in their own time and space.
My characters may be imaginary or real ones. It doesn't matter because in both cases they are real to me. They are alive in my mind while a story is in progress, enhancing my own life and expanding it. Sometimes they even wake up during the night, and I have to get up to write a few lines about them.
There is a dose of craziness in the art of creative writing, don't you think?
The interesting fact is that even when I am not writing a story, during the rest of my day, the characters continue to exist within the boundaries of my mind, overshadowing my own existence. Sometimes they even enlighten my day, fueling it with new ideas and insights. So, in other words, while I am living my own life, there is an alternative universe, parallel to the real one, where my characters go on with their own daily lives in their own time and space.
My characters may be imaginary or real ones. It doesn't matter because in both cases they are real to me. They are alive in my mind while a story is in progress, enhancing my own life and expanding it. Sometimes they even wake up during the night, and I have to get up to write a few lines about them.
There is a dose of craziness in the art of creative writing, don't you think?
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Save the bookstores day on June 25, 2011
Don't get me wrong. I love the internet, and I appreciate and enjoy all the possibilities and opportunities it offers. My connection with the internet, however, does not abate my love for books.
My fascination for them may have begun very early in my childhood, when my parents made me become a member of the local library. And when that love for books is born so early, it is bound to blossom and continue growing for ever. I get surprised when I hear or read comments about the "possibility of books disappearing."
I don't believe that books will cease to exist just because it is easier and/or cheaper to get them online. There is a unique magic sensation in the act of losing myself in a bookstore for hours, browsing them to come across something I don't expect expect I'd find, fingering the pages, dealing with the unpredictable.
The feeling of touching a book and carrying it anywhere is also unique. Reading a book in bed is not the same as reading it from a computer. How can I not relish the experience of reading without the need of battery or electricity?
The charm that books can provide is always special, whether it happens in the woods, on a rock by the sea or in a library setting.
I know I have passed on this fascination to my daughter. She is two years old now, but I've read to her since she was born, and she already shares my passion.
I agree with Mario Vargas Llosa, winner of the Nobel Prize for literature 2010, when he said:
"I cannot accept the idea that a nonfunctional or nonpragmatic act of reading, one that seeks neither information nor a useful and immediate communication, can integrate on a computer screen the dreams and the pleasures of words with the same sensation of intimacy, the same mental concentration and spiritual isolation, that may be achieved by the act of reading a book." These words were extracted from The Best American Essays, 2002 (Why literature?, by Mario Vargas Llosa). I must confess that I found this chapter a month ago in an old bookstore, when I was visiting the city of La Crosse, Wisconsin. I fell in love with his essay and ended up buying the book.
If you are a book lover, join the celebration on Saturday, June 25, 2011, by buying one book (or four) from your local bookstore. Feel free to find out more information about this viral event by googling it. And, of course, have fun with it!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
The survival of the short story.
We all know that there is a world economic crisis unfolding, hitting every place to some degree. Many people are losing their jobs. There is a struggle of classes in which the ones who have more power try to make the ones who have less work for less. As a result of this, more people are now struggling to make ends meet... and there is less time to read.
The world of literature is not untouched by the economic crisis. Borders is going bankrupt, some small presses closed, others are struggling to survive, and many people in the publishing industry are losing their jobs. It is also common to hear that the short story is dying, and that nobody is interested in reading short stories these days. I disagree.
During these times of darkness, when we all feel somewhat dejected, frustrated and powerless, the short story may not fix our financial situation, but it can be an outlet, an uplifting way of searching for hope and focusing on the future from new perspectives. When time is a commodity, diving into a short story can become a source of solace, an opportunity to live in somebody else's shoes, albeit for a litte while, and find the strength and insight that we need in our own lives to reframe our own reality.
Socio-economic crises impose an emotional challenge on everyone, either directly or indirectly. We all need reassurance from knowing that we are not alone in the turmoil, and that we can still build up a shelter for our dreams.
Another common myth is that the short story does not go deep into the characters. Again, I disagree. They may just delve into one or two characters, but length is not something that jeopardizes the complexity of a character.
I admit that my favorite genre is the literary one. I love to lose myself in a story without knowing where it will take me, a story without labels, without preconceived ideas, one that will carry me away to a situation I can empathize with, digging deep into the characters and allowing me to live through them. Their conflict may even mirror my own conflicts... or not.
My hope for the short story is not lost.There are lots of literary journals out there that give emerging writers the opportunity to start reaching an audience. For those who, like me, enjoy reading the literary genre, there are anthologies that are worth checking, like the annual O. Heny short stories, The Best American Short stories, the Pushcart Prize stories carefully selected from small presses. All these are annual collections that I devour.Through them I have discovered many interesting writers. (I don't end up liking every single story from these anthologies, but the read is worthwhile, and, as a writer, I learn a lot from them).
Amidst these dark times, short stories are windows looking out to landscapes of light. Far from escaping from reality, we seek to reframe it, to open an array of possibilities, insights and perspectives. We all need to fly away through them to take a break.
It is true that after reading a short story we are sometimes left with the desire to learn more about the characters and the plot, but those blank spots that intrigue me are the ones I can fill with my own imagination. I relish the challenge.
The world of literature is not untouched by the economic crisis. Borders is going bankrupt, some small presses closed, others are struggling to survive, and many people in the publishing industry are losing their jobs. It is also common to hear that the short story is dying, and that nobody is interested in reading short stories these days. I disagree.
During these times of darkness, when we all feel somewhat dejected, frustrated and powerless, the short story may not fix our financial situation, but it can be an outlet, an uplifting way of searching for hope and focusing on the future from new perspectives. When time is a commodity, diving into a short story can become a source of solace, an opportunity to live in somebody else's shoes, albeit for a litte while, and find the strength and insight that we need in our own lives to reframe our own reality.
Socio-economic crises impose an emotional challenge on everyone, either directly or indirectly. We all need reassurance from knowing that we are not alone in the turmoil, and that we can still build up a shelter for our dreams.
Another common myth is that the short story does not go deep into the characters. Again, I disagree. They may just delve into one or two characters, but length is not something that jeopardizes the complexity of a character.
I admit that my favorite genre is the literary one. I love to lose myself in a story without knowing where it will take me, a story without labels, without preconceived ideas, one that will carry me away to a situation I can empathize with, digging deep into the characters and allowing me to live through them. Their conflict may even mirror my own conflicts... or not.
My hope for the short story is not lost.There are lots of literary journals out there that give emerging writers the opportunity to start reaching an audience. For those who, like me, enjoy reading the literary genre, there are anthologies that are worth checking, like the annual O. Heny short stories, The Best American Short stories, the Pushcart Prize stories carefully selected from small presses. All these are annual collections that I devour.Through them I have discovered many interesting writers. (I don't end up liking every single story from these anthologies, but the read is worthwhile, and, as a writer, I learn a lot from them).
Amidst these dark times, short stories are windows looking out to landscapes of light. Far from escaping from reality, we seek to reframe it, to open an array of possibilities, insights and perspectives. We all need to fly away through them to take a break.
It is true that after reading a short story we are sometimes left with the desire to learn more about the characters and the plot, but those blank spots that intrigue me are the ones I can fill with my own imagination. I relish the challenge.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
An interview to Chrystalla Thoma
Today I have the honour to interview a gifted fantasy writer, Christalla Thoma. Christalla has published many short stories in different literary journals, and she is now going to tell us about her life and her latest fantasy novella, Dioscuri, published by Muse It Up. Thanks for your visit, Christalla!
Hi Chrystalla! Why don’t you tell us a few words about yourself first?
Sure. I am Greek Cypriot, so I was raised on Greek myths and souvlaki. I escaped Cyprus when I was 18, and went to study in France, then in England and Germany. By the time I started thinking about returning to Cyprus, I met my husband, Carlos, who is Costa Rican, so my next stop was Costa Rica for a few years. Now I am back in Cyprus, with Carlos, and am now famous for importing handsome men. :-) When not reading or writing, I work as the European countries officer and Magazine editor for the Thalassaemia International Federation.
What an interesting life! You have lived in different countries and have been exposed to different cultures. Why do you write?
I write because I must, because I need to rework all that happens to me, all I desire and cannot have, all I wish and hope for, into stories – so that I can explain the inevitable and the terrible, transform the nightmare into a happy ending.
What do you think is the most important thing about writing fantasy?
As all stories, fantasy stories require strong characters, a motivation, and obstacles strewn in their way. But in fantasy, a vital element is the mystery of the symbols, the magic, the swift and unexpected transformation, the crossing between the worlds of the dead and the living, the power unleashed that equals no other, and the mythical structure of the fairytale.
What do you think is the attraction of the fantasy genre?
Fantasy allows us to dream and travel free where reality does not allow. Fantasy is religious, ritual and transcendental. From ancient times, around the fires in the caves, man explored the unknown through tales of magical power. Man has not changed. We still need these tales today.
What inspired you to write Dioscuri?
Don’t you find twins fascinating? The fact that they are so similar and yet so different, like images distorted through a special mirror. The idea of writing the two point of views, so different, was exciting. I also love their myth – I love the idea that they were born from an egg when Zeus courted Leda in the form of a swan. It reminds me of the myth of Eros, born from an egg in the primordial chaos, from which he created order – making the egg parts into the earth and sky. Finally, I loved the idea that the brothers’ affection for each other defeated even death. How’s that for a happy ending! J
Dioscuri is a retelling of a myth – so is it set in the past?
No, Dioscuri is Urban Fantasy set in a contemporary Athens where the mortals have by mistake woken up the ancient gods. A Resistance group is barricaded in the secret passages inside the Acropolis rocky Hill, and squadrons are sent out to battle monsters as they emerge from the underground and the construction sites where the mortals have unwittingly tapped into the sleeping chambers of chimeras, lamias, echidnas – the stuff of nightmares. The ancient monsters can only be defeated through the use of ancient swords and ruses. On the side of the mortals are the griffins, the satyrs, the silenes and the nymphs. Meanwhile, the higher gods wage battle in the sky.
Are you planning to write most stories set in the world of Dioscuri?
Actually, yes, I am currently writing two more retellings of myths set in the same world: Theseus and the Minotaur, and Perseus and Andromeda. The stories explore the themes of family relations and conflicts, affection between siblings and parents, and our obligation to the gods and our own conscience.
Can you give us any links to your blog, and to the story?
Of course! Here is the link to the story, and to the trailer:
Here is the link to my blog:
What advice do you have for other fantasy writers?
To read all that is fantastic – myths, folktales, riddles and religious texts. To set their mind free from all constraints. Theirs is the chance to truly escape from reality and into magic, and to help their readers along.
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