I know people tend to be fairly surprised that the extraterrestrials in Unidentified aren’t exactly small, contrary to popular ideas about “little” grey men. Gabi did a great job with character proportions relative to each other in this piece. There’s a lot in the novel taken from classic abduction/ET contact reports, but I chose to turn those tropes on their heads to create something different.

The background in this piece is also quite significant, and I love the way she painted it! Thank you, Gabi, for a beautiful rendition of the characters I’ve spent so much time with.

Click here for the full version.

Obviously, I won’t pitch anyone at the conference with a first draft novel; I’m focused on seeking representation with Unidentified. In the meantime, I’m churning out the words for Omphalos, then revising them, editing them, and working toward seeing a satisfied smile in their perfectly polished surface. Okay, well, maybe not “perfectly“, but polished nonetheless.

My word count for Monday through Saturday is 15,023 words. That’s a good start! I’m aiming for somewhere between 90-100k.

Nonfiction

• Technologized Desire, by D. Harlan Wilson
• Archaeologies of the Future, by Fredric Jameson
• One Nation Under Dog, by Michael Schaffer
• The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan
• Earth, Air, Fire & Water, by Scott Cunningham
• Biotechnology And the Human Good, by C. Ben Mitchell, Edmund D. Pellegrino, Jean Bethke Elshtain, John F. Kklner, and Scott B. Rae

Fiction

• Promise of the Wolves, by Dorothy Hearst
• American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis
• In A Perfect World, by Laura Kasischke
• Fragment, by Warren Fahy

Some of this is inherent in the writing. For example, I’m sure you can conjure a number of images when you think of Stephen King, from setting and characters to mood and theme. For me, the first thing that comes to mind when I hear an author’s name is their writing voice. China Miéville, Neil Gaiman, and yes, Stephen King, are among my favorite authors, and they all have strong, distinct voices.

I’m still working on getting my writing out there; one of the best things one can do at this stage is just keep writing, improve, and seek growth. Challenge yourself. So, I do. I write every day, and I push myself with every piece.

That said, I’ve recently started asking myself, “What more can I do to create an author brand?” After all, it’s not just about the work we produce, but who we are as writers, as people. Most writers will tell you the two are inextricably linked (because they are). Time and again I’ve read about how important it is to think about these issues well before publication, providing one’s writing isn’t falling by the wayside to make room for marketing.

Right now, I have my Twitter and Facebook accounts, and I have this website. Awhile back, I designed that simple crescent moon in the logo you see at the top. Believe it or not, a lot of thought went into that. Again, simplicity was key, and I wanted something that would communicate a lot about my writing in one image– genre, style, mood, theme. For example, I’m intrigued by the idea of illuminating the dark and hidden spaces of reality, and many of my stories explore perception and subjective reality by focusing on characters whose perspectives are severely skewed.

In other words, the crescent moon image evokes ideas and questions about the unknown, and that’s the kind of brand I feel is suitable for me and my writing. I thought I’d keep it simple and use the crescent moon design for my contact cards as well. With the Pikes Peak Writers Conference coming up in April, I wanted something to hand out to other writers as a quick way to exchange information. Business cards, in other words.

(Sorry about the big blurry spots. I didn’t want my phone number hanging out on the internet.)

My career is still in its very early stages, but I plan to think more about my brand and what I can do over time to make it distinct in my readers’ minds. Writers, do you think about your author brand? If so, what have you done to develop it? Where do you see your career going? Readers, are there any writers whose author brands stand out in your mind?

Today I start one of the best phases of writing a novel: I open a blank document and type the first words. I’ve done my preliminary research and outlining, and I know my characters as well as I’m going to know them until we spend more time together in Omphalos.

I see the city, mapped out and sitting quietly on my desk, waiting for its citizens to fill its streets and consecrate their hands with its earth.

Time to flip that switch.

1. What If?

What if there’s a school for witches and wizards, and it’s part of a magical world hidden from view? What if you could extract dinosaur DNA from mosquitos embedded in amber? What if a spaceship broke down over South Africa and the government had to house the extraterrestrials?

My stories all start with this kind of broad, high-concept question. I love learning; I love reading about bizarre theories and scientific breakthroughs. I like pondering ideas about sociology and culture and the extreme possibilities thereof, and that’s what I think about when I’m taking a shower or walking my dog. I’ve been this way since I was a child– I learn something new, and then I extrapolate a wild “what if?” question anchored in an extreme situation.

These questions alone aren’t stories, of course. They’re ideas, and ideas are a dime a dozen. So what next?

2. Who and Where?

Where can I place the idea? What time period? In other words, what’s the milieu? Place, socio-cultural context, political climate. These considerations bring me directly to the most important aspect of the new story: The character. From the “what if?” question come more specific questions about individuals who would be affected by the “what if?” Specifically, people who would be affected so much that they’re compelled to act. Or something happens to them that compels them to act.

Notice that the character acts. Their predicament doesn’t just toss them around from situation to situation as they passively react to the story. They create the story. Their actions shape the events to come. They have motivations. What are they trying to achieve? In my stories, this relates directly to the “what if?”

3.Why, How, and So What?

At this point I have at least a rough sketch of a character, but in order to flesh out a coherent plot, I need to answer three primary questions: Why, How, and So What? Why does the character want to achieve X? Their motivation, in other words. How are they going to achieve X? And most important of all, what happens if they fail to achieve X? What are the stakes? Cultivating both inner and outer stakes is, in my opinion, crucial to creating a character people will care about. This will create inner and outer conflict, and that’s what keeps readers turning the page.

Keep in mind, this isn’t just for the main character. Sure, I start there, but what about the antagonist? They too need a Why, How, and So What. As do any side characters. That is, if I want my readers to believe the story and care about the outcome. I want to create tension, so the antagonist’s Why, How, and So What should be at odds with the protagonist’s.

Answering “how” is often the most time-consuming for me, because it’s not just a matter of, “Character goes here, finds this, and takes it to so-and-so.” Refining the “how” is a matter of crafting the entire plot, because there should be pitfalls and failures and setbacks in addition to successes on the character’s path to achieving their ultimate goal. The conflicts should illuminate the characters’ strengths and weaknesses and ultimately transform them.

4. Outline and Query

Yes, I’m an outliner. This doesn’t necessarily mean I have to outline every last plot point down to the finest detail, but it does mean that I like to know the beginning, middle, and end of my novel before I write the first words, and I want to know how my characters are going to maneuver through the story. I want to know what the conflicts will be and all the major twists and turns. If I know where I’m going, in other words, I’ll have a better idea of how to get there.

As for the querying part– no, I don’t actually query agents at this stage, rest assured. However, I do write a query. This helps me hone the primary conflict and make sure I’ve adequately answered those three questions I mentioned above– Why, How, and So What? If there are plot holes or weaknesses, I’ll identify them by writing a query.

5. Character Development and Worldbuilding

I do develop my characters and setting as I’m answering the above questions, but I also set aside time to specifically address details. I want both my characters and setting to come alive. In fact, in most of my stories, the setting is one of the main characters. The psychology, background, beliefs, and values of the characters are part of their motivation, part of that Why, How, and So What. The milieu contributes to this.

6. Write!

Now it’s time to piece it all together, to use language to craft a novel that breathes, moves, and grows.

What’s your creative process? Do you just sit down and wing it, or do you outline? Do you have specific questions you want to answer before you’re ready to go, or do you hit the ground running?

The caveat to receiving these awards is that I must share ten random facts about myself. I’m sure these will be old news to close friends, but I’ll try to pick at least semi-interesting tidbits to share. Let’s see…

1. I’m fascinated by fringe science, the paranormal, and the supernatural. More than anything else, I’m intrigued by extraterrestrials, especially stories of close encounters. The result? Unidentified.

2. You can sort of see this in my author photos, but I’m tattooed. I have a chest piece, a full back piece, and tattoos on the back of my neck and behind both ears. I have plans for a small tattoo on my right wrist and a half-sleeve on my left arm.

3. When someone asks me where I’m from, I’m not sure how to answer until I know what they mean. I have a different answer for where I was born, where I attended high school, where I attended university, where my parents live (neither of whom now live in any city where I grew up, which frequently changed) and where I live now. Sometimes someone is asking about my ethnicity, which is yet a different answer– I’m from a mixed-ethnicity household. And no, I wasn’t a military kid.

4. I’m a bit of a neat freak. I find clean, organized spaces comfortable and soothing. Fortunately, my husband feels the same way.

5. I don’t like window shopping. I find it boring just to look at merchandise with no intention to buy. Unless we’re talking about books. I can browse the aisles of any bookstore for hours.

6. I’m a nut for unsweetened iced tea and espresso drinks. My drink of choice: soy or nonfat latte, extra hot. No sugar or fancy flavors, thanks!

7. I love anything macabre, strange, or dark. New Weird? Horror? Yes, please. Apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic fiction? Dystopian societies? Gimme. You wouldn’t necessarily know it by meeting me, either; I’m quite happy and optimistic.

8. I live and breathe storytelling. It’s almost all I think about. I’m always working to improve my craft, and I’m committed to success in this career. I won’t ever give up.

9. I’m a very spiritual person, but my views on the nature of reality don’t really fit into any one pre-existing religious or philosophical tradition. I derive many of my spiritual ideas from reading books on physics and cosmology.

10. I collect gemstones and minerals. I’ve loved them since I was a kid, and now my collection is huge. I have no idea how many I have, but I’d say a couple hundred at least.

If you’d like to share some interesting facts about yourself in the comments, I’d love to find out more about my readers!

I’m supposed to pass these awards on to other bloggers, so let’s see. I’ll list six people and you can choose which award you’d like to have. List ten facts about yourself when you post the award.

• Laura Vasilion
• Sarah Diemer
• Shel Ashman
• Mercedes M. Yardley
• Damien Walters Grintalis
• Annarkie

• Writing Down The Bones, by Natalie Goldberg
• Give ‘Em What They Want, by Blythe Camenson
• The Case Against Perfection, by Michael J. Sandel
• Speculations on Speculation, edited by James Gunn and Matthew Candelaria
• Opium Culture, by Peter Lee

• Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
• Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman
• Tales of H.P. Lovecraft
• The Unincorporated Man, by Dani Kollin and Etyan Kollin
• The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
• Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters, by Kathleen Ragan
• Biting The Sun, by Tanith Lee
• Genesis, by Bernard Beckett
• Everything That Rises Must Converge, by Flannery O’Connor

I had a few requests to post my piece on my blog, so here you go. Remember, both are available in the first voice experiment post.

Hers were the only footprints winding over the otherwise pristine winter vista as she stamped her humanity onto naked land. She leaned into white winds and pressed on toward the mountains, resenting them for being stone, for being inviolable, when she was so soft and raw.

When she looked over her shoulder, her eyes ignored the hills and leafless trees. She saw only the negative space where his tracks should have been. How much does it take for the afterimage of marriage to fade? Nine months? Nine years? Obviously not nine letters scrawled on divorce papers.

Snow-laced wind cut across her face. She pulled her scarf tight around her mouth and shoved her wool-covered hands back into her pockets. Even walking weighed heavily. Simple things loom large when two pairs of hands dwindle to one. Gone were the hands that covered her pink, frozen cheeks and soothed her chattering jaw. His heat became hers; their skin had luxuriated in the laws of the universe. Thermodynamics. Gravity. God.

The last time she had come here, they stumbled into their home, boots wet, a tangle of limbs and fingers and hair, too lust-addled to care about shoe prints or unopened bills. Melted snow pooled around their discarded soles.

Now he was nine months gone, warming someone else’s skin in a stale apartment, and that was that. She wondered if he wore his shoes inside.

Her pen was quicksilver. She was an alchemist; with a few strokes of her wild, illegible script, she transmuted vows into solitude. Only her own snow prints melted in the foyer, and it would have to be enough.

I’ve run across another writer whose voice—however one defines that—is eerily similar to mine. I just get this feeling when I read Ms. Koyanagi’s blog that her mind is wired similarly, that she sees the world in much the same way I do, that we notice the same little details.

So I decided to put our respective voices to the test, to see what might shake out. We agreed to each write a very short piece set in the same location, with the same essential character and situation, in order to compare and contrast our styles. I won’t tell you which of the following vignettes is whose today—I’ll save that till tomorrow. But I will open the floor to guesses and analyses in the comments section.

Head on over to Simon’s blog to read our pieces.