Nano has begun, and so has my feverish dash through a first draft of FLYNN Book II. I find writing the second installment in a trilogy much different from writing the first. Authors usually have a clear idea of the story’s beginning and end, but the middle–well–that gets kind of muddy.

When written well, second installments can be the filling in the proverbial sandwich–every bit as good and wholesome as the bread. But they need a certain blend of elements to accomplish this.

Continued conflict. First books set up the conflict. Third books bring it to fruition. Often, second books get lost in the shuffle. They end up the “catch-all” for any scenes that don’t have a home in the other two books. This

The best antidote to this dangerous trap is to devise a specific point of conflict related to (but not identical to) the overall conflict of the trilogy. Take, for example, THE TWO TOWERS. While the overall ring quest continues from FELLOWSHIP, Frodo and Sam are also occupied with the new challenge of how to deal with Gollum/Smeagol.

Continued character development. Authors feel pressure to wrap things up at the end of first books. Even if several sequels follow, that first one still needs a sense of closure. This often leads to the wrap-up of character development, leaving nowhere to go in the sequel.

But consider real life people for a moment. We all develop continually, not just at certain points. Just as fast as we gain closure on one issue in our lives, another opens up. Storytellers must take that attitude to their characters.

For example; at the end of Star Wars: A New Hope, Luke has grown from a farm boy to a fighter, Han has decided to be a good guy, and Princess Leia–well–actually, she pretty much stayed the same But their development doesn’t stop there. Empire Strikes Back finds a blossoming romance between Han and Leia, and opens the door to Luke’s ultimate struggles against the temptations of the Dark Side.

A tone of their own. I don’t know why, but most successful second books share one overarching quality; they set the tone for the remainder of the trilogy. Usually, Book III looks a lot more like Book II than it does like Book I.  Let’s take our two previous examples and add some others.

In TWO TOWERS, Tolkien began the trend of splitting up the protagonists. This increased their danger and gave the story the larger, more sweeping feel which remains constant almost to the end of the trilogy.

Empire Strikes Back introduced a dark feel to Star Wars not present in A New Hope. It also introduced the central plotline of the entire trilogy; Vader’s true identity and path to redemption.

In Robin Hobb’s Liveship Traders Trilogy, MAD SHIP plucks the protagonists from the situations they lived out in SHIP OF MAGIC, and sets them into the roles they will fulfill in SHIP OF DESTINY.

What about you? What really turns you off in a second book? What really works? I feel like there are tons of great trilogies I haven’t considered in this post that need to be mentioned. Feel free.

RHDavis

Are you a young writer looking for publishing opportunities? Writers 25 and under with unpublished short pieces should check out Survival By Storytelling Magazine, a small publication by blogger Shaun Duke and Young Writers Online.net.

SBS publishes short work of any genre by young authors. Fiction, plays, poetry and nonfiction articles are all accepted. Submission guidelines and other information can be found at the website.

SBS has no set print schedule as yet, but the first issue is currently available in print or electronic format.

Thanks to Tia Nevitt’s Debuts and Reviews for spreading the word online about this new publishing opportunity.

Boy, now I’m wishing that I hadn’t turned 26 eleven days ago!

RHDavis

Following my October vacation to the Sirens conference, I’ve fallen behind with my usual life schedule. Sadly, all of my best habits (writing regularly, exercising, cooking healthy food, blogging) have gone by the wayside.

With October nearly over and NaNoWriMo upon us, I realize it’s time to get back in shape (figuratively and, okay, maybe literally too!).

Some goals. Ahem.

This blog now has a regular posting schedule–new posts every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. T, Th and Sa feel like the “even” days of the week to me, with MWF being the “odd” days. That may sound strange, but anyway, I like the even days better, and that’s when I’m going to post.

Once NaNo starts, I’ll work on the sequel to FLYNN, which should motivate me to complete my research on medieval warfare. Also, once I’m back in FLYNN mode, I can go back for that final revision of the final chapter in book I–a task which has been nagging me for two months now.

As I have a lead on my graphic novel, I’ll also spend some time each day working on that.

Those are my main goals. I’m thinking that exercise and eating right will fall in line again once I get back on a regular schedule.

October was fun, but it’s time to buckle down and hit the work (as soon as the madness that is Halloween ends).

RHDavis

“Readalong With the Seasons” is a new series of posts offering suggestions for quality books to get you and your family “in the mood” for upcoming holidays! As Halloween approaches, I’ve hand-picked a short list of my favorite spooky tales.

Full-length novel: DRACULA by Bram Stoker

Written more than one hundred years ago, this classic horror novel became the foundation of much pop-culture vampire lore. It continues to thrill and chill modern readers. Dracula, an age-old vampire, comes to England for fresh victims, and an unlikely team of ordinary citizens fights to save the country (and one of their own members) from Dracula’s appetite.

For the kids: THE LITTLE OLD LADY WHO WAS NOT AFRAID OF ANYTHING by Linda Williams and Megan Lloyd

This classic has been around for twenty years–I had it read to me at school in second grade! A little old lady who is not afraid of anything gets chased home by a full set of clothes and an enormous pumpkin head. Will she overcome her fears and put these miscreants to good use?

BATS AT THE LIBRARY by Brian Lies

When the librarian leaves the library window open at night, bats take their opportunity to fly inside and have their turn at reading books. Cunningly illustrated with a particular attention to detail, this book will delight little ones with its rhymes and adorable presentation of friendly bats.

Short story: THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW by Washington Irving

Looking for a  mood piece to read the day of, before Trick-or-Treaters show up? You have all Saturday for reading this year, so crack open Washington Irving’s classic story. Despite its old-school style and lack of gore, it creates a creepy atmosphere equal to that of any 1980’s slasher fest.

Happy reading, and Happy Halloween,

RHDavis

For the first time–ever–I’m going to participate in NaNoWriMo. I wanted to last year, but urgent revisions on my novel prevented me from starting any new rough drafts. You can’t churn out revisions on a quick schedule the way you can with fresh material.

However, before NaNo, I have a few housekeeping matters with my writing. The first being to send out the two short stories I’ve been meaning to submit to Glimmer Train. They both need to go in the October publication categories, which gives me a deadline of–eleven days. Yikes. Not long.

Furthermore, before I can start the sequel to FLYNN (which is my NaNo project) I must acquire a reasonable amount of knowledge about medieval warfare. Hopefully, this rather enormous task can bleed over into the month of November a bit, as I don’t have to write all the battle scenes right at the start of the month. And if they suck, who cares–it’s a rough draft for crying out loud!

So this is my agreement with myself. I will post regular updates every day until NaNo to keep myself accountable online for everything I have to do. We’ll see how far I get. Hopefully during NaNo I will update much more frequently because I’ll be on the computer all the time anyway.

RHDavis

I just finished up my long trek to Colorado for the inaugural year of the Sirens conference, and boy oh boy was it a week of adventure! It was an exercise in socializing, networking, intellectualizing…and survival.

The altitude alone took some endurance. Crammed into the car with my husband and parents (our luggage practically spring-loaded the trunk), we made the ear-popping climb to Vail, CO, to be hit with thin air, altitude headaches, scaly lips and aching noses (from the dry air). The town roundabout nearly got the best of our online directions, but at last we found our lodge and settled in.

The conference itself was amazing. Everyone had one big thing in common–our love of female fantasy lit. We found a library book table to tempt us with fresh fantasy releases, and a myriad of classes, presentations and keynote speeches. The danger of the conference lay in the sheer enormity of the “To Be Read” list that every attendee inevitably went home with.  And don’t forget the Night and Court Ball, at which everyone busted a move on the dance floor at least once. (Think a whole roomful of girls dancing to “Love Shack.” And singing it. Even the weird-voice-guy’s lines).

The highlight of my weekend was, of course, getting personal advice from author Sherwood Smith on writing war scenes in fantasy novels. I mean, how often do you get personal tips from a successful writer about the very thing you’re working on?

The rest of my trip has been…interesting. After the conference, we came to Estes Park for two days. Estes Park did not get the memo about fall lasting through October, so it skipped to winter instead. We did our hiking through snowstorms, narrowly avoiding hypothermia and starvation at every turn (we were on a trail for two hours with only granola bars. Oh the horror!). I have to admit, it was an incredible feeling to be literally in the middle of the wilderness during a snowstorm. Puts a whole new perspective on respecting mother nature.

I made it through the week without adding TOO many books to my ever-growing “to be read” pile. Not too many. I think.

The Prophecy of the Sisters

Mad Ship

Ship of Destiny

Fire

Aurelia

Song of the Lioness (and following volumes)

This is my last night in Colorado. Tomorrow, we’ll do horseback riding and then head home. I love the mountains, but somehow I can’t wait to see flatlands again.

RHDavishttp://www.sirensconference.org/

by Rachel Heston Davis

Ziggy Rat
Ziggy the Rat (aka Ziggurat), two-and-a-half, of Edwardsville, IL, died Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009 at Hawthorne Animal Hospital from complications of mammary cancer and old age.

Born in early 2007, Ziggy spent the first part of his life in Petco of Rockford, IL before being purchased by the Davis family and taken to Oregon, IL.

Ziggy was a quiet, unassuming rat. He served as second in command under his cagemate Krycek, and bore many months of being turned on his back and groomed against his will on Krycek’s whims. Later in life, Ziggy became co-dictator of the cage when Krycek’s aging body put them on equal footing, and the brother rats lived out their retirement as friends.

Ziggy’s favorite hobbies were eating; jumping from the chair to the couch; hopping; weaving his head at sharp noises; begging for Yogies; and climbing up his owners to reach whatever food they were eating.

Ziggy is survived by a mamma rat Rachel; a dadda rat Jaron; four grandparent rats; aunt rats Holly and Christy; many friends; his favorite plastic igloo; and a bucket of Yogies. He was preceded in death by his cagemate Krycek.

A private ceremony was held late Sept. 29 at The Pasture cemetary, Heston Residence, IL.  The family has requested that all memorials be made in the form of spreading the word about the evils of feeding live rodents to snakes.

I got another article published over at Friends of Lulu. If you’ve ever wanted to know the five most important things about creating graphic works, read it here.

Things are getting exciting around here! I’m checking out contests for a couple of my short stories, querying FLYNN, and a friend of mine just launched a small publishing company which is desperately seeking submissions. Just what every writer wants to hear. If any of you ever write short stories geared to the Christian market, visit her site at Written World Communications.

Meantime, I’m on my way to the Sirens conference in Vail, CO, a conference dedicated to women in fantasy literature (authors, characters, and readers alike). I’m writing this from Hays, KS, in a Motel 6 where I just paid a little under four dollars to access the Internet.

RHDavis

I’m about two-thirds through THE WARRIOR HEIR and enjoying it pretty well. The middle dragged a bit, and for awhile my attention flagged. In fact, I almost lost interest in the thing and stopped reading entirely. Here’s why.

*spoilers!*

Teenage warrior Jack is on the run from two wizarding Houses, the Reds and the Whites, both of whom wish to catch him and force him to participate in the dangerous Tournaments on behalf of their House. He must also avoid the Traders, who want to capture him and sell him to the highest bidding House. About midway through the book, it looked as though the Traders were going to get him. I expected the rest of the story to play out as follows: 1. Jack is shuffled through the grim slave trade world, and all escape attempts fail. 2. One of the Houses buys, trains and manipulates him, and all escape attempts fail. 3. Jack is forced into the tournament, and all last-minute escape attempts fail.

The bottom line is, I cannot stand stories that revolve around heroes in captivity.

Captivity is such a common theme that you really have to do something innovative to impress me.  A proud and patient hero suffering a thousand little indignities at the hands of gleefully cruel enemies sends me to sleepy land faster than tranquilizers.

Now, stories which begin with the hero in captivity and go on to chronicle their escape interest me. Think Maerad at the start of the PELLINOR series, or Harry living with his cruel relatives in HARRY POTTER. They go on to bigger and better things, making us think that maybe we can, too.

But when the hero’s capture and imprisonment interrupt the middle of the story, I begin to suspect the author of falling asleep at the wheel. First of all, nothing much happens plot-wise. Secondly, what does happen plot-wise is just a series of events constructed to prove to the audience just how trapped/humiliated/impotent the hero is. Such incidents pile up to ridiculous proportions, as if the author worried that he hadn’t accurately portrayed the utter hopelessness of the hero’s situation, and so added in “just one more” scene of failed escape/villain humiliating hero/hero being frustrated at own impotence. Think third season LOST (come on, writers, where were you?).

But I’m happy to say that THE WARRIOR HEIR did not disappoint. Thank the sweet heavens Jack escaped his would-be captors, and we actually got to see more action in the storyline–rather than a long exposition on how cruel the magical slave trade is.

I hope to be done with this book soon and post a full review.

RHDavis

It’s Sunday! Head over to www.smblooding.blogspot.com for today’s guest post by yours truly!

RHDavis

The winner of the Happy Endings Writing Contest is:

Fishy, for her beat-the-odds, did-lots-of-things-someone-in-my-economic-and-life-bracket-shouldn’t-be-able-to-do happy ending.

Congratulations Fishy! You can expect to see your  new YA book soon.

RHDavis

I’m reading a YA fantasy series (I won’t say which one to avoid spoilers) and one of the two main characters died suddenly in the middle of the second book (it’s a four-book series).

It’s a rather disorienting sensation. In the realm of fantasy and adventure, most main characters make it to the end, or at least until the final battle. I can’t tell if it’s upsetting or refreshing to have someone break that pattern.

I can’t help seeing it as a little random, though. It did ratchet up the tension for the main character (who is now alone on her journey), but other than that, the death served no purpose–except to go against the norm, which in and of itself isn’t always enough to make a plot twist fly.

However, the plot twist did work in terms of shock value. I found myself more attached to that character than I’d realized, and grieving his loss on behalf of the girl. It spiked the “heart-wrench” factor.

Of course, there’s always the chance that he’s not really dead. No dead body–he was buried under an avalanche. If he comes back, I would be happy for the characters but sad for the plot line. It would be too predictable and too derivative of Gandalf.

Wow. Here I am actually criticizing the possible return of a character from the dead. What’s gotten into me? Normally I’m all for everyone being alive. I stayed mad at George Lucas for about a week the first time I watched Return of the Jedi and saw Vader croak.

RHDavis