Tropes

I have some great news! Over the past couple of weeks I have edited two chapters of my story and it has felt fantastic. Unfortunately I am doing it as an excuse to procrastinate studying for my final exams. But this is a step in the right direction, especially since I've made time to read as well. I don't have high expectations for the coming weeks as I do have multiple finals. I want to get a lot more done over the winter break.

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The word trope evokes disgust in even the best of us. They are the cliches that pop up in every story and sometimes make us roll our eyes. Some of the most popular ones in fantasy are the chosen one, the poor farmer who rises to glory, and the evil Dark Lord who wants to take over the world. We tell ourselves that we hate these and yet we keep reading them.

Most books, fantasy and science fiction especially, are a mix of familiar and strange. We take concepts that we are used to and mix them with strange ones to create something new. As you venture away from contemporary books to fantasy and science fiction there will be more new than familiar. But there will always be ties to "our world" like riding horses and medieval elements.

The reason why we keep reading these tropes is because they are repackaged in different ways each time we see them so that they no longer feel exactly the same. It is like eating bread. It's the same ingredients but when you use the loaf to make a sandwich or use the dough to make a pizza it feels distinctly different. It isn't that the essence has changed, merely how it is dressed up. There are no original ideas anymore but the variations that old ideas can be combined are endless.

I stumbled across a specific word a while ago that I thought was accurate. A buzzword is a description word about a story that will attract people to reading it. This could be if there are vampires or a love triangle. Maybe it's the setting of the story that intrigues you. Either way, we all know what type of books we like to read and by having an eye out for specific buzzwords we are able to better narrow down what we want to read.

Basically tropes are still around because people will continue to enjoy them. While they might appear annoying in some books, if the author uses them properly they can really shine. One of my most hated tropes is the love triangle because it always feels so angsty. But there have been a few times when they are done properly. I don't remember where I first heard it said this way, but there was an author that argued that they were important. She said that the two people that the main character is vying for represents two different life paths. While I'm not convinced that this trope is necessary, when put this way I can understand some of their appeal.

Here is a link to a list of fantasy tropes.

An Interview with Lainey Kress

As I mentioned in my first blog post, the reason I was inspired to start documenting my journey to becoming a published author was watching videos on youtube by Lainey Kress (aka gingerreadslainey). She uploads videos every month of her writing life and the progress she has made. What I enjoy the most about them is how honest they are. She is confident enough to tell the world of her struggles and risks, which can be scary. But since she was able to do it, then I decided that I could as well.

This made me even more happy when I reached out to her and she agreed to be interviewed. I hope you enjoy:

Lainey Kress is a graduate from the University of Iowa BA in English Literature. She started her Youtube channel in August of 2013 where she discusses young adult, new adult, and mainstream fiction genres. 


What made you decide to write a book? Have you ever considered pursuing short stories or articles?

I've always been interested in writing since I was a teenager. I realized this was something I wanted to pursue while I was reading books and sometimes came up with different endings for the books I was reading. When it comes to short stories and articles, I'm not as interested in those forms of writing. I spent most of my college career writing short fiction for my creative writing classes, but since graduating my focus is entirely on writing novels.

Have you developed any strange habits that you do while writing?

I've recently started using a post-it note to cover the word count on my computer screen. This way, I'm not tempted to constantly look down at the word count and have where I'm at influence my writing in a discouraging way. It actually helps me out a lot not knowing how much I'm writing in a single session.

Do you get discouraged in the writing process?

I don't get discouraged from the writing process. Sometimes if I am feeling a block in the creativity part of my brain, I will go watch one of my favorite movies or go on Pinterest to recharge myself and get inspired again.

Why did you choose traditional publishing over self-publishing? 

Before I started querying with my first book, I've always known I wanted to go the traditional publishing route. I have nothing against self-published book as I have read many and have enjoyed quite a bit, but for my own aspirations, it's being able to work with a publishing team that can make my stories better and being excited about my work as much as I do and wanting their authors to succeed that allures me. Fingers crossed.

If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice before you began your current novel what would it be?

Definitely to not spend so long finishing my first draft and revising my second draft. I feel like I lost a lot of valuable time from when I finished my first draft in April of 2015 and finished second edits on the manuscript in February of 2016. I wasn't working on it everyday and I think that delayed me quite a bit. This time around, I want a much faster turnaround time in the editing process.

Now that you have completed one novel, do you think the second one will be easier to write?

I am currently working on one right now! Since it is the middle of NaNoWriMo, I have started a new project. It's another YA Fantasy, but I can already tell having that first experience of writing my first book, writing this one is pushing me farther with my creative bonds and I'm really enjoying these new cast of characters I have created, the world they live in, and the journey they are embarking on.

Coconut Cream Cupcakes Recipe

To celebrate getting five hundred views on this blog, I wanted to do something special today. Instead of talking about writing or books, I wanted to share with you a recipe that I have created. I've always enjoyed reading baking blogs, my favourites being Sally's Baking Addiction, Joy of Baking, and Buns In My Oven. Just looking at their recipes make me yearn to do more baking myself which is impossible to do at university because the first year residences don't have kitchens. (Though we did manage to bake store bought cookie dough in the toaster oven.)

Now that Christmas is fast approaching, or whichever holiday you celebrate in December, the baking season is about to start. Here is another option to add to your list, though it is more of a spring or summer recipe.

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These coconut cream cupcakes come from the kingdom of Asuro, the land where flamboyancy was created. Their outfits and architecture are constantly evolving to be the most extravagant and intricate creations they can possibly imagine. Nothing is ever too excessive for them.

The foods found in Asuro, especially the desserts, are always elegant and time consuming compared to other kingdoms. They enjoy sweet, clean flavours. These cupcakes are nice, but to them it wouldn’t be what you would present a guest you were trying to impress. During those special occasion they would have their cooks create a masterpiece with flames or a water display. Instead this is a quiet dessert shared among a close family.

Ingredients:

Cream Filling:

§  6 tbsp granulated white sugar

§  3 tbsp cornstarch

§  1/8 tsp salt

§  1 ¾ cups milk

§  1 egg yolk

§  ¾ tsp vanilla extract

Cupcakes:

§  ¼ cup butter, softened

§  1 cup granulated white sugar

§  1 egg

§  1 tsp vanilla extract

§  ¼ tsp almond extract

§  1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

§  ½ tsp baking soda

§  ½ tsp baking powder

§  ¼ tsp salt

§  1 cup milk

§  ½ cup shredded coconut

Meringue Frosting:

§  ½ cup granulated white sugar

§  ¼ cup water

§  1/8 tsp cream of tartar

§  1 egg white

§  ½ tsp vanilla extract

§  Shredded coconut for garnish

Start by making the cream filling. In a small saucepan mix the sugar, cornstarch, salt, milk and egg yolk on medium heat.

It will start to thicken after five minutes, at which point you can remove it from the heat. Pour it into a bowl and place plastic wrap over top. Refrigerate it for two hours or until it is cool.

While you are waiting, prepare the cupcakes. Preheat the oven to 350ºF or 180ºC so that it will be ready once you have finished the batter. Start by creaming the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then beat in the egg, vanilla extract and almost extract.

Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Then add the dry ingredients and milk into the butter/sugar mixture in alteration. First put a little bit of the dry and mix thoroughly, followed by the wet.

When thoroughly combined, gently fold in the shredded coconut.

I chose to make ten cupcakes instead of a dozen because I wanted them to be bigger but it is entirely up to you.

If you make a dozen, expect the cupcakes to be about 25 minutes. If you make ten like me, add 5 more minutes of baking time. They are ready when they are golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

To make the frosting, combine the sugar, water and cream of tartar in a small saucepan on medium-high heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. At which point remove it from the element and allow it to cool. 

Whip the egg white and vanilla extract together until stiff peaks form. Then add the sugar/water mixture in small amounts, beating it until it forms stiff peaks each time.

Cut out a hole in the top of each cupcake with a serrated knife and scoop the filling inside. Put the top back on. 

 

Use a piping bag to swirl the icing on top. If you don’t own one you can take a Ziploc bag and cut out a small hole in the corner instead. Then garnish the top with some dried coconut.

Chapters (Part 3) - Length

While I still haven't gotten that much writing done, if you don't count my English essay, I have been starting to read again so that is a step in the right direction. There is nothing that motivates me to write more than reading other people's work. I have high hopes for next weekend because it will be after my midterms and it's a three day weekend due to Remembrance Day so I should have plenty of relaxed time to get some writing done.

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When you are starting a new project, the easiest way to get bogged down is by reading the numerous threads and articles on the internet that claim to tell you the perfect secret to writing a book. People like formulas and steps to follow so we like to have guidelines that we can check off to ensure that we are following the right path.

But the joy of writing is the feeling that you can do whatever you like. There is no right or wrong answer. For whatever you choose to write, there is always an audience somewhere who will enjoy it. (Unless it was poorly written, in which case the only audience is their mother.)

Even knowing this, I like to keep my eye out for people who claim to know the proper word count or chapter length. Since I have already touched on word counts in my first post, I am going to concentrate on chapter lengths today. The number commonly thrown around is 2500 words, and I agree with it. The majority of my chapters fall between 2000 and 3500 words. I have found with my style that anything shorter doesn't allow me to fully explore the scene, while anything longer is drawn out and overdone. Sometimes I will even separate a chapter with a line break and have my character immediately transported to a different location.

But there is no hard and fast rule for all of this. In George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, the average length of his chapters are 5145 words, whereas in William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying the one word chapter is used. It is as though each book that is written gets its own set of rules created by the author. You can decide to have 10000 word chapters and then your last one is one sentence if that is the effect you want. As long as your story remains interesting then it's fine.

One thing to consider is length of novel. If the novel is really long, longer chapters are to be expected. If it is a short novel, the reader will expect shorter chapters. For a fantasy, it is normal to have longer chapters because author's usually spend a lot of time world building in the genre. For thrillers, shorter chapters will make the reader feel like a lot of happening and that the plot is racing along.

But like every aspect of your book, there should be variation. There is nothing more tedious than reading the same sentence length over and over again because it develops a pattern that becomes monotonous. While chapters aren't quite so easy to detect, the same effect will occur. If you keep fluctuating the length of the chapters, extending one scene long past the reader's expectations or cutting it off shorter than they were expecting, it adds an element of uncertainty and surprise to the story.

If you are still having trouble figuring out how to proceed, the best way to move past it is to pick up a novel that falls within your genre, or follows a writing style you enjoy. Flip through the book and see how that author does it.