Thesaurus Rex

The revision process continues as I return to the notes I took while reading through the edited version of my manuscript. Though my editor made changes throughout the manuscript, there were some sections where she posed questions and possible fixes without making a change.

In most cases, these “unfixed” sections had issues with continuity or the necessity of a paragraph. In many ways, I love how my editor highlighted these areas and posed questions, rather than blatantly telling me what to do. She is essentially asking me to make sure my vision is rock solid by questioning what I’ve written or suggesting clarification. There are four sections where I’m still thinking and making decisions.  She was right to put the spotlight on these areas and I love how I’m being forced to scrutinize them.

However, other comments focused on word usage. There are several places where my editor knew a word that I’d chosen was wrong, but she didn’t want to replace it and lose the essence of what I was trying to say. She highlighted them and provided a list of replacement words or simply told me the word I’d used was incorrectly applied. For some of these issues, I chose a word from her list, but for others I’ve had to dig a little.

Hence, the Thesaurus Rex.

Grrrrrrrr! Let me find the right word with my teeny tiny arms!

Over the last week I’ve been hunting through my thesaurus collection (I have several varieties of thesauri sitting on my bookshelf) and on thesaurus.com to find the perfect word for each “hiccup” listed in my notes. So, when I saw the above Thesaurus Rex on Facebook, I just about died laughing. Not just because he’s cute, but because a friend and I have a ridiculous obsession with T-Rex memes.

Hee hee!

Anyway, the Thesaurus Rex has come in handy to change words like slur, demand, strange, inspire, shines, mistake, and precedence. I’m still working on a few of them, but I should have replacements pegged in no time. This process is all the more proof to me than one word really can make a difference!

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p.s. You can get the Thesaurus Rex on a t-shirt! Click on the image!

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c.b.w. 2014

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Mist

Rain swells, pregnant ground
she promises fortune to
wise sisters of time

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Photo: Along the Ring Of Kerry, Ireland, c.b.w. 2009
Words: c.b.w. 2014

Favorite Thing Friday: Haikubes

While poking around the sale tables at Barnes & Noble, I found what is easily my favorite thing this week. Hiding under a stuffed animal with freakishly large eyes, I found a box of Haikubes for the bargain price of $12.

What are Haikubes? They are a set of 63 word cubes meant to inspire the writing of haikus (or any form of poetry). The words include most parts of speech and cover a wide range of language. Some words are what would be considered traditional haiku fare, like peace, whisper, and pebble, while others can only be classified as modern, like hmmmm, etc., and science. 

The interesting mix of words is part of what makes this an ultimate source of inspiration. Instead of being locked into one mode of thinking for haiku, Haikubes encourage a fresh take on an old tradition. Although, I do wonder what the syllable count would be for hmmmm!

The set even includes two “theme” cubes to further guide the writing process. As if the words aren’t enough, phrases like “A dream about,” “A vision for,” and “A regret about” are sure to trigger some creative word crafting.

All I have to do is roll the dice and get writing. Seeing all those words splayed across my table is like looking at a giant puzzle. As I search through the words, it’s like I’m solving a giant riddle. The words are just waiting for me to arrange them into something that makes sense.

If there’s any question about whether Haikubes actually work, see my post from Wednesday, Thunder.

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What’s your favorite thing this week?

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c.b.w. 2014

Thunder

Gorgeous fantasy
the wind shivers sweet and slow
wild whispers thunder

 

 

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Photo: Roses in Regent’s Park, London, c.b.w. 2011
Words: c.b.w. 2014
Inspiration: Haikubes

The Genre Game

It turns out the hardest part of writing a query isn’t trying to fashion a snapshot synopsis, (although that is definitely not an easy task). The hard part comes in the “logistical” paragraph. Right after the title and word count, agents want to know what genre fits your novel. That’s a toughie for those of us who write something that doesn’t exactly fit into a precise pigeonhole.

The genre section of my query letter is a sentence with a blank space until I figure out what genre best describes my novel. I have a few choices that include sub-genres of YA: fantasy, paranormal, romance, urban fantasy, magical realism or a combination of two or more.

I decided the best place to start my research was at my neighborhood bookstores. The Young Adult section is divided into Fiction, Fantasy, Fantasy & Adventure, Romance, and Paranormal. I looked at various books on each shelf to find anything that had any sort of reference to Greek mythology or re-imagined myth. One bookstore had those books shelved under Fantasy, but another had them shelved under Paranormal. Yet another, had them shelved under Romance. Clearly, there is dissension among the ranks.

Now even more confused than I was at the start, I went online and researched general definitions for fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal and magical realism. These are the four genres I feel have the strongest relationship to my work, but after researching them I’ve discovered the line dividing them is much thinner than I previously thought.

Fantasy: commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as primary plot element, theme or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic and magical creatures are common.

Urban Fantasy: sub-genre of fantasy defined by place; the fantastic narrative has an urban setting. Many urban fantasies are set in contemporary times and contain supernatural elements. However, the stories can take place in historical, modern, or futuristic periods, and the settings may include fictional elements. The prerequisite is that they must be primarily set in a city.

Paranormal: encompasses elements of the paranormal, such as ghosts, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, and any sort of magical or otherworldly creatures. This type of fiction often goes beyond fact and logical explanations to speculate about the things that cannot be seen or proven.

Magical Realism: magic elements are a natural part in an otherwise mundane, realistic environment. Magical realism portrays fantastical events in an otherwise realistic tone. It brings fables, folk tales, and myths into contemporary social relevance.

Hmmmmmm. A story about a girl who falls in love with a male muse could easily fit into both fantasy and magical realism. Plus, the fact that the bulk of the story takes place in a modern city gives urban fantasy a point as well. Heck, we can even give YA Romance a point! The only one I think I can safely eliminate is paranormal because it seems a little darker in subject matter. Muses aren’t remotely scary like a vampire or werewolf.

The Muse takes place in the real world for the most part, but also in a fantastical world towards the end. It includes human characters and magical beings. And mythology is re-imagined and ushered into the modern era. I’ve got fantasy on one hand and magical realism in the other. Can it be both??

Why all the fuss about genre? Agents are pretty picky about they want to see in their inbox. If I don’t label my novel correctly, it could end up in the slush pile without a single look.

What’s a writer to do?

I have no idea.

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c.b.w. 2014

Genre Information courtesy of Wikipedia and http://www.wisegeek.com