Eneh Akpan Writes: fiction writing

Showing posts with label fiction writing. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Wooing the Muse

Have you ever been caught in that fogged up state of mind where you feel an intense need to scribble except within you, right in there, your mind is a full-page blank? Can you feature yourself wedged between such a crazy writing fix where the hunger is not, by any accounts, fed by a necessity like trying to meet a deadline or capping off a project—an appetite for words flanked by dryness beyond compare? I mean, I feel the need right there. I want so much to write but what I have is vacancy—a void that sucks away at the phrases just when one wriggles free of the bottomless pit and swims to the surface of my mind.

Try not to mix this up with writer’s block. This vagueness has nothing in common with that ever so infamous writers’ nightmare because it doesn’t hold sway for an extensive period of time, unless you let it, of course. It’s like feeling the wake of a storm within and being rid of the skill to translate it into words and you still can’t get over the initial itch.

So what do you do? I don’t know about you but what I do is write. What I do write is a bigger piece of cake. But I try. And there’s the point. I write. I may have to scrawl dry, unrelated phrases on paper for a while, struggling to make that connect with the inner mystery. It might take only a minute or it might run into hours, but eventually, I win the muse over by my resolve to write. It’s like the muse is swayed by my seriousness and he says, “There’s my lead.” And he steps in.

A unique quality of transformation attends the entrance of the muse and it puts the shine in my writing. And I sense that my muse has been waiting for me to go out on a limb; holding off until he proves my passion for writing is genuine. It’s good judgment to not wait for the flow but to let our actions unplug the flow.

Make your pen bleed.

Akpan

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Stephen King's 'Greatest' Achievement

With Tabitha (wife) & Owen (son)
Photo: loc.gov

Stephen King has sort of become a staple wherever the horror genre is discussed. It's almost impossible to not think of King when the terror-inducing genre crosses your mind. Whether you are a fan of the genre, of the writer or a torrid critic of either the form of writing or the writer. And a reviewer said, "Stephen King polarizes writers."

His name, craft and career are yet to fossilize in a stint that spans nearly five decades. From the 70s when he was known as the Prince of Horror right into the 21st century, the King of Horror has pretty much maintained up in the game that seems to be constantly undergoing organic mutation at the turn of each decade.

Stephen King who once said of himself, "I am the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and Fries" has thrown in a good measure of his genius in development of the genre for which he is widely celebrated. And his works have had immeasurable influence on hundreds of writers including yours truly repping the ministry of fear in Nigeria.

I think I'll go out on a limb and say Stephen King seems to have achieved a feat possibly, no other writer has aspired to or come close to accomplishing; he converted members of his family into a fear factory.

Tabitha King

King met his wife in the late 1960s at the University of Maine where he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper. Tabitha is quoted as saying jokingly, "He married me for my typewriter." Tabitha published her first novel, Small World at age 32; a fantasy about a mad scientist and his evil device. Stephen King was on his eighth published novel and seven years into his writing career at the time. The nonfiction book Danse Macabre had just been released.

Tabitha King has gone on to release over eight novels and two nonfiction books so far. Wikipedia lists her genres as horror, science fiction and fantasy. Seen any connection with the style of the Master?

With Joe Hill (son)
Photo: nerdsburgh.com

Joe Hill

Joe Hill, Stephen King's first son decided he wanted to succeed on his own merits rather than as Stephen King's son. Even though, online speculations about his link to Stephen King abounded since 2005, it was not until 2007 that Joe Hill acknowledged his kinship with the Horror meister. And only after he achieved considerable success on his own.

His first book, 20th Century Ghosts, a collection of 14 short stories was published in 2005 and won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection including a British Fantasy Award for Best Short Story for Best New Horror. His first novel, Heart-Shaped Box (published February, 2007) reached #8 on the New York Times bestseller list. Hill had gone on to collaborate with his dad on at least one project.

Joe Hill writes horror, dark fantasy and science fiction. Second convert towing the same line with the master.

Owen King

Owen King is the last of King's children and even he has chosen to follow his father's obsession. His first book, We're All In This Together: (A Novella and Short Stories) was published in 2005. Since then, he has published another collection Who Can Save Us Now? he has published a debut novel, Double Feature (2013). He co-wrote a screenplay with his brother Joe Hill titled Fade Away.

Owen King has had several of his stories published in anthologies and magazines and won several awards. Although, several of his stories feature what might be termed horror as one interviewer said, "Owen King's approach is more literary, and any terror contained in his stories is wholly inspired by real life." (Does that mean more gore or less gore?) His stories focus on broken families or strange relationships and edge on redemption and forgiveness.

It's an amazing story, yes? The influence, and I might add positive inspiration a man can execute over the life and career of his family. With the Kings writing is indeed a family business. You think you ought to go and do likewise?

Keep your pen bleeding!

Akpan

Saturday, January 19, 2013

15 Tips On Adding Suspense to Your Scenes

An indispensable tool when amping up your plot, suspense can make your story memorable or prove it to be totally penny dreadful. It is unarguably a very important part of writing fiction. And it's no wonder, a lot of experienced insiders have spoken about the necessity of adding suspense to your scenes and allow it to carry the story to the heart of the reader. Read on, you might learn a thing or fifteen but it sure won't hurt.

Photo: nashvillearts.com

The courage to imagine the otherwise is our greatest resource, adding color and suspense to all our life.

― Daniel J. Boorstin

Suspense is like a woman. The more left to the imagination, the more the excitement. Although I do not profess to be an authority on women, I fear that the perfect title [for a movie], like the perfect woman is difficult to find.

― Alfred Hitchcock

In suspense novels even subplots about relationships have to have conflict.

― Jeffery Deaver

There is nothing like suspense and anxiety for barricading a human's mind against the Enemy.

― C.S. Lewis

For success, the author must make the reader care about the destiny of the principals, and sustain this anxiety, or suspense, for about 100,000 words.

― Ken Follet

We all live in suspense, from day to day, from hour to hour; in other words, we are the hero of our own story.

― Mary McCarthy

Show me a character whose life arouses my curiosity, and my flesh begins crawling with suspense.

― Fawn M. Brodie

Even cowards can endure hardship; only the brave can endure suspense.

― Mignon McLaughlin

Suspense is very important. Even though this is humor and they're short stories, that theory of building suspense is still there.

― Sergio Aragones

As for suspense, I like to write books that draw you into the hero's plight from the opening pages, where people put their lives on the line for something - a belief, a family member, the truth.

― Andrew Gross

The rules of suspense are that you do know, and you just don't know when.

― Gus Van Sant

Tradition is the enemy of suspense.

― Steven Moffat

You have to go out of your way as a suspense novelist to find situations where the protagonists are somewhat helpless and in real danger.

― Nelson DeMille

Tension and suspense come from characters whose goals conflict with each other.

― William G. Tapply

I'm fortunate to be a coward, to have a low threshold of fear, because a hero couldn't make a good suspense film.

― Alfred Hitchcock

Akpan

Saturday, November 17, 2012

The Top 10 Best-selling Fiction of All Time

Photo credit: residentialmarketingblog.com

Have you ever wondered which one of your favorite novels (fiction books, in this case) has the highest number of sales ever? Just in case you ever wondered, here are the books with messages which have resonated throughout history and have delighted wo/men’s hearts with their treasured secrets. Here are the 10 best selling fiction in any language of the world. This list omits some books like The Three Musketeers, The Adventures of Pinocchio, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and any of the books considered to have attained bestseller status but have unreliable sales figures.

In some cases, there are ties. I have placed books with similar sales figures in the same position so other bestsellers (which include childhood favorites like Heidi which has sold over 50 million copies to date, and Peter Rabbit, over 45 million) deserving mention may be a part of the countdown.

Number 1.

Number one is a tie.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Publication date: 1859 and

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Pub. Date: 1943, have sold over 200 million copies each to date.

Number 2.

You probably know The Lord of the Rings as a fantasy trilogy (that is, three separate books) but since J.R.R. Tolkien originally published them as one fantasy book; they are regarded as one volume for the sake of this countdown. The book has sold over 150 million copies since its publication in 1954-55.

Number 3.

Selling a little over 100 million copies these three books tie at number 3:

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Pub. Date: 1937;

Hong lou meng (Dream of the Red Chamber) by Cao Xequin. Pub. Date: 1751/1791 and;

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie Pub. Date: 1939.

Number 4

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis Published in 1950 has sold over 85 million copies.

Number 5

At number 5 and with 83 million copies sold worldwide is H. Rider Haggard’s She. This masterpiece published in 1887 has come to be regarded as one of the bestselling books of all time.

Number 6

The Da Vinci Code, some really controversial novel written by Dan Brown in 2003 holds forth at number 6 going over 80 million in sales.

Number 7

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (1951) ties with

O Alquimista (The Alchemist) by Paulo Coelho (1988) with over 65 million copies each sold.

Number 8

The following have gone over 50 million each in sales:

Heidi by Johanna Spyri (1880);

Anna of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery (1908);

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (1955);

Il Nome della Rosa (The Name of the Rose) by Umberto Eco (1980);

The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins (1975);

Watership Down by Richard Adams (1972)

Number 9

Two children favorites draw a tie with an adult fiction at number 9. With over 45 million copies each sold, together these three rank as one of the bestsellers in history:

The Gingerman by J.P Donleavy. Pub. Date: 1955

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. Pub. Date: 1902

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams. Pub. Date: 1952

Number 10

The literary phenomenon, J.K. Rowling, creator of the Harry Potter series brings up the rear on this list of worldwide bestselling books.

Presently, at a little over 44 million copies sold, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling stands at number 10 of the all time fiction bestsellers.

Bonus:

It would probably be a thrill for Nigerians and Africans all around the world to know that the Nigerian sweetheart, Dr. Chinua Achebe wrote one of the bestselling books of all time.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe has sold over 11 million copies and has been translated into over 45 languages of the world and that makes it the bestselling book written by an African residing in Africa!

If you were in any way, touched by the outcome of this list, you can get the rest of the bestselling books of all time on Wikipedia. That’s where I borrowed this wonderful info from. Of course, you don’t think I sell books, do you?

And while you’re at it, remember to donate a little something ($5 isn’t small) to keep Wikipedia running.

Read with passion!

Akpan

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Fiction Writers Write Fiction

Writers write!

Fiction writers write fiction!

It’s as simple as that.

Unless, you are doing this (writing fiction, that is) you can toss your dreams of becoming a fiction writer.

There are other privileges to savor besides mastery. Mastery, without a doubt, is important. But familiarity is almost as crucial as the former. You have to be head over heels in love with your craft or you’re nuts to be messing around with it in the first place.

Time invested building yourself up in your art–honing your craft–deepens your connect with your inner personality. Committing a large portion of your time to writing fiction eventually makes fiction one of your deepest needs. You learn to make time for your writing, to focus your thoughts and energy on fiction.

You can’t fall in love with a thing and not be stuck on it–not be emotionally attached to it. Your emotions are arguably, the best transport for your art. The same is true about your art; it is the greatest vehicle for channeling your emotions.

Staying on your grind, keeping at your fiction creates a space you gradually become aware of and you grow familiar with your craft as a direct process. In this place, everything is possible. It’s the magic in fiction and it works like . . . well, magic!

All your dreams, your hopes and fears attain a level of intelligence and adopt unique and personal expressions. Your fictional people come to life to a point you hear their very heartbeat and operate on the same frequency with them. It all comes down to the intensity of your dedication to fiction; you can switch in and out of this zone at the snap of a finger.

It’s the way things will always turn out when you make time for your talent, your art and your career. You gotta write a whole lot of fiction (probably, beginning with the short fiction) and keep at fiction writing if you want to come out as a writer of fiction.

Writer’s write.

Fiction writers write fiction.

Keep this thought always, at the top of your mind and you’ll be alright.

Let your pen bleed!

Akpan

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Your VILLAIN is Someone's HERO

Photo credit: Flickr

Yeah, and why not?

They all seem to be fighting for a cause.

Here’s a striking example from personal experience:

From a different P.O.V, Thomas Harris’ famous character, Hannibal Lecter would have been a formidable villain.

I had the misfortune, or whatever you might call it of reading ‘Hannibal’ first before any of the other books in the series. I ended up disappointed when Dr. Hannibal was not caught or gutted (not necessarily in that order) at the end of the story.

I was rooting for Clarice Starling and completely ignorant the whole time of the fact that Dr. Hannibal was the main character of the book while Agent Starling was tagging along for the ride! Imagine the surprise when Hannibal annihilated everything in his path and successfully kidnapped the FBI agent (Starling) assigned to his case.

The most fearful villains are the ones amped up with a reason for their actions. Morality issues are added boosts for these ‘bad guys’. Most of them believe their actions are for the good of humanity.

When you arm a villain with feelings and concrete emotions and throw in a bit of history in the mix, the reader either despairs for the hero of the story or falls in love with the ‘bad guy(s)’.

Villains do not understand why people hate or fear them. Many are driven beyond the lip of sanity because of the way people react(ed) toward them. You might need to remember this when you create villains for your story.

Making your villain(s) formidable and lovable involves giving them:

1. A history

2. A cause to live or die for

3. Concrete emotions–may involve making them fall in love, probably with somebody who doesn’t know who they really are. (This makes your reader see them as humans and as people going through rough times.)

Of course, your heroes do not always have human or superhuman enemies but when they do have ‘em remember your villain is the next guy’s hero.

Love them or lose your readers!

Keep your pen bleeding!

Akpan