How a Book is Born: A Humorous Yet Truthful Look at Publishing

Yesterday I brought up the point that it is strange how James Patterson completes the herculean task of churning out 12 best sellers in a year.  Today I found an info graphic by Mariah Bear that is a humorous satire of what it takes to get published these days, but it is also laden with truth.  Take a look at it, then join me at the bottom for a few thoughts.

1.  Catch 22 – From the looks of things, books take a while to go through the machine of editors, designers, interns, copyeditors, and numerous other people before finally getting printed, but then if the consumers don’t like it everything ends with the editor quitting and moving off to “start a goat farm”.  It seems a bit redundant, but most systems have redundancies built in to them so that they don’t churn out poorly made products.  Makes you wonder how Twilight ever made it.

2.  404 Error – It seems like the machine might be broken.  I know it takes all of those people to ensure that a book is properly proofread and prepared for publishing, but look at how many things can go wrong with the process.  Only 10% of the flowchart leads to success, which is pretty accurate in today’s publishing climate.  There are hundreds of thousands (and with Amazon Kindle millions) of books out there that never sell more than 100 copies.  Think about the probability of someone like Amanda Hawking becoming a best selling author.  Even C-3PO couldn’t figure those odds.

3.  Better Get Busy – If this info graphic does anything to a self-publisher, it should make us wake up and smell the print ink.  This shows us that if you had any illusions about the publishing world, hopefully some reality has just set in.  At least Patterson has a team of editors (and perhaps ghost writers [wink]) who are hard at work making him look good.  Most self-published authors have their mom, a good friend who teaches English, and their cat to proofread and give advice.  Get out there and find a writer’s group, take some criticism, blog-blog-blog-blog, Twitter and do whatever you have to do to get your name out there.  Someone might be listening, but you have to yell really loud to be heard.

I hope that this info graphic puts things in perspective for you if you are writing a novel and hoping beyond hope that an agent will pick it up.  As I have said often, and it is true: writing is hard work.  As I have known all along, publishing is hard work, too.

Speed Writing: E-Publishing Demands Prolific Writers

Image courtesy wikipedia

As some of you may have heard by now, Carlos Fuentes (pictured above), Latin American literary giant, passed away yesterday of an apparent heart attack.  If there is one legacy that Fuentes leaves behind is his prolific writing career.  The man was a machine.  He would finish a novel and then start on another writing project immediately.

I read an article today in the Christian Science Monitor which posited that the e-reader market has caused writers to basically pull a double shift because of demand.  James Patterson published 12 novels this year alone and is churning out even more short stories and Kindle Singles for the growing e-reader market. “[T]he e-book age has accelerated the metabolism of book publishing,” Julie Bosman writes for the New York Times. “Authors are now pulling the literary equivalent of a double shift, churning out short stories, novellas or even an extra full-length book each year.”

What does this mean for we self-publishing novelists?  It means that in order to say ahead of the roar of other writers who may publish one book per year, we should probably be writing little short stories, poetry collections, or serialized novels in order to get more of our writing in front of readers.

I have a few thoughts on this subject that merit discussion:

1.  The Day Job – People who have to work to make ends meet (in my case, sometimes the ends don’t meet) must sacrifice evenings and weekends to write a novel and often shun family and friends to produce good work.  Will the e-publishing industry be led by those who are either independently wealthy or are supported by a spouse?  If I had all day to sit around and blog, promote my book and write my novel, I could probably turn out more than one novel a year.

2.  Quality over Quantity – Even if I were independently wealthy and sat around all day writing, not all the prose I write is the best I am capable of writing.  Sometimes my ideas are not good ideas.  Sometimes I write 1000 words of garbage.  Even if people like James Patterson can turn out best selling work it doesn’t mean it is any good (Stephanie Meyer comes to mind). I have to admit I haven’t read any of Patterson’s work, but apparently its popular enough to merit 12 books.  I know people who read Patterson and love his work. Patterson will release 7 books in the next five months and doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.  Read this interview with him where he shares how he pulls off being the most prolific writer of our time.

3.  Stress – I like having my own deadlines as a self-publisher.  I do not set them so that I can laze around and give myself extra time like some high school student too busy texting to do his work.  I stick to my deadlines so that I can set and reach personal goals.  I also have friends who keep me accountable.  I have enough drive to get novels finished, but I would be stressed out trying to get 12 novels done in a year.  I know that some people are taking the 12 novels challenge this year, and I applaud you, but I know too that this is not for me.  I would rather focus on one novel at a time and produce my best work by carefully crafting the prose…then revising those carefully crafted prose…and revising again.

How about you, dear novelist reader?  Could you churn out 12 novels in a year and be proud of what you wrote?  Do you think that all of this e-book nonsense will calm down and the good work will rise to the top?  Are you a reader of James Patterson and want to sound off about his work? Does writing like a Victorian produce good writing?  Post here if you have comments.  I always love to hear from you.

Shad’s Catfish Hole: An Out of the Way Restaurant Review

Friday night I ended up in Sallisaw, Oklahoma on our way to my sister’s graduation commencement at Carl Albert State College.  Everyone was going to Shad’s Catfish Hole for dinner, and we soon found ourselves a few miles off the highway at an un-assuming blue building with a large catfish painted on the front.  A horse, his head poking through the fence to get at the tall grass on the other side, was the only one to greet us in the gravel parking lot.

This home-made sign was posted to a small game of chance which had apparently seen some abuse. It added to the charm.

We entered through the swinging front door and immediately saw a dimly lit interior with country themed fishing decor on every wall.  The tables were simple and many of them had to be pushed together to accommodate all fourteen of us.  We sat at the table for a moment before our waitress arrived and took our drink order.  Soon the “fixins” arrived: bowls of roasted pinto beans, flavored to perfection, golf-ball sized hush puppies, sliced onions, pickles, and cole-slaw that was light on the mayonnaise and slightly sweet. I think the practice of bringing out “fixins” as an appetizer is an Oklahoma tradition…probably the naming convention of including the word “hole” in the title as well.  I have also eaten at The Eaton Hole in Stigler and The Rib Joint and Catfish Hole in Lexington.

The menu had all-you-can-eat catfish, but also had a selection of other seafood options such as clams, crab legs, and even trout.  I supposed that if I were to come to a place called Shad’s Catfish Hole I had better try the catfish.  Most of us ordered this dish, and we were not disappointed.  They soon brought out scores of catfish filets that were corn breaded and fried to perfection.  The catfish was light, flaky and did not taste like pond water which alludes to its freshness.  The service was fantastic and our waitress was extremely kind and helpful.

If you are out on State Highway 59 in Sallisaw any time soon on Tuesday through Saturday evening, pop on by this little hole in the wall.  It has great food, great service, is exceptionally clean and has some of the best fried catfish I have ever eaten… in a hole or otherwise.

Tolkien’s 5 Tips for Creating Complex Heroes

Tolkien’s letters are rich with information about J.R.R. Tolkien’s writing process.  I wrote a post last week about Aragorn being Tolkien’s example of an epic hero, and someone posted: “But Frodo Baggins is the hero of the LOTR trilogy, right?”  I would argue that he is not, but only one of three or four characters who together make a great hero for the epic story.  Today I will focus on Frodo.

To begin this post, I thought I would pull a quote from a letter Tolkien wrote to his son Christopher on January 30th, 1945.  In it, he discusses something quite interesting: “There are two quite different emotions: one that moves me supremely and I find small difficulty evoking: the heart-racking sense of the vanished past (best expressed by Gandalf’s words about the Palantir); and the other a more ‘ordinary’ emotion, triumph, pathos, tragedy of the characters.  That I am learning to do, as I get to know my people, but it is not really so near my heart, and is forced on me by the fundamental literary dilemma.  A story must be told or there’ll be no story, yet it is the untold stories that are most moving” (p. 110).  Throughout the epic, Tolkien is expressing this “literary dilemma” which is the idea that many of the motivations for characters are hidden in stories that will never be told.  Tolkien’s characters, particularly Frodo, have hidden purposes that do not reveal themselves right away.  The character of Frodo is indeed a mystery in that he is motivated by the smallest things, and in the end is a failure, according to Tolkien’s own words.  The following are some truths about Frodo, tips from Tolkien about creating complex heroes from the master’s own pen:

1.  Complex Heroes Must Suffer - Tolkien writes in a letter to Peter Hastings, September 1954: “Suffering and experience (and possibly the Ring itself) gave Frodo more insight; and you will read in Chapter 1 of Book VI the words to Sam. ‘The Shadow that bred them can only mock, it cannot make real new things of its own.  I don’t think it gave life to the Orcs, it only ruined them and twisted them.’”(p. 191).  Great characters need to suffer.  If the character is suffering, they are learning how to cope, and if there is one thing readers can connect with it is going through difficult things.  As Frodo suffers we all feel sympathy for him.  We watch as he is twisted by his suffering and bears up well for a great while until finally succumbing to it at the precipice of Mount Doom.  If the Hobbits are the everyman characters, then Frodo is an example of what an everyman would experience if placed in such a difficult strait.

2.  Complex Heroes are Rewarded for Suffering - Tolkien writes in a letter to Naomi Mitchison on September 25th, 1954: “…in this story it is supposed that there may be certain rare exceptions or accommodations (legitimately supposed? there always seem to be exceptions); and so certain ‘mortals’, who have played some great part in Elvish affairs, may pass with the Elves to Elvenhome.  Thus Frodo (by the express gift of Arwen) and Bilbo, and eventually Sam (as adumbrated by Frodo); and as a unique exception Gimli the Dwarf, as friend of Legolas and ‘servant’ of Galadriel” (p. 198).  Frodo is rewarded for his many sacrifices.  It is important that the character who suffers find reward for all the suffering, even if that reward is brief or small.  Death can be written as a reward.  The book I am writing at the moment has a few deaths, but those deaths are usually something of a reward for the character, a rest after a long life of trouble (I also have one senseless death which later is seen as a welcome rest).  Frodo’s passing into the Grey Havens was a welcome reward for him.  Tolkien also writes in a letter to Michael Straight (Jan. or Feb. 1956) that “though every event or situation has (at least) two aspects: the history and the development of the individual (it is something out of which he can get good, ultimate good, for himself, or fail to do so), and the history of the world (which depends on his action for its own sake) – still there are abnormal situations in which one may be placed” (p. 233).  The suffering makes for a better character that is more grounded in real world emotions and issues even if the character is from a fantasy world.

3.  Complex Heroes Fail - Tolkien writes in the letter to Michael Straight quoted above: “Frodo was in…an apparently complete trap: a person of greater native power could probably never have resisted the Ring’s lure to power so long; a person of less power could not hope to resist it in the final decision.  (Already Frodo had been unwilling to harm the Ring before he set out, and was incapable of surrendering it to Sam.)  The Quest was therefore was bound to fail as a piece of world-plan, and also was bound to end in disaster as the story of humble Frodo’s development to the ‘noble’, his sanctification” (p. 233-4).  Later, in a letter to Eileen Elgar on September 1963, Tolkien wrote: “Frodo indeed ‘failed’ as a hero, as conceived by simple minds: he did not endure to the end, he gave in, ratted.”  Tolkien goes on to write about why he had Frodo fail: He says we must “percieve the complexity of any given situation in Time, in which an absolute ideal is enmeshed.  ['Simple minded' people] tend to forget that strange element in the World that we call Pity or Mercy, which is also an absolute requirement in moral judgement (since it is present in the Divine nature).  In its highest exercise it belongs to God” (p. 326). He also writes in a letter to J. Burn on 26 July 1956: “No, Frodo ‘failed’.  It is possible that once the ring was destroyed he had little recollection of the last scene.  But one must face the fact: the power of Evil in the world is not finally resistable by incarnate creatures, however ‘good’; and the Writer of the Story is not one of us” (p. 252).  Frodo’s failure was necessary for his redemption.  Our heroes must have fatal flaws in order to make them real and engaging.

4.  Complex Heroes Have Fatal Flaws - It is clear from the letters that Frodo’s decision not to kill Gollum was his fatal flaw.  In the letter to Michael Straight (quoted above) Tolkien writes: “Frodo’s own ‘salvation’ is achieved by his previous pity and forgiveness of injury.  To ‘pity’ him, to forebear to kill him, was a piece of folly, or a mystical belief in the ultimate value-in-itself of pity and generosity even if disastrous in the world of time.  [Gollum] did rob him and injure him in the end – but by a ‘grace’, that last betrayal was at a precise juncture when the final evil deed was the most beneficial thing any one character could have done for Frodo!  By a situation created by his ‘forgiveness’, he was saved himself, and relieved of his burden” (p. 234).  Of course not killing Gollum was Frodo’s fatal flaw, but the flaw was used for a purpose to bring about Frodo’s redemption.  It is important when creating main characters to give them a fatal flaw that deepens their structure and motivation and gives them greater purpose.  If a hero is flawless they are weak and worthless.  Readers identify with flawed heroes because we are all flawed in some way and it encourages us to do better in our own lives.

5. Complex Heroes are Ordinary People - Tolkien writes in a letter to Eileen Elgar (quoted above): “I do not think that Frodo’s was a moral failure.  At the last moment the pressure of the Ring would reach its maximum – impossible, I should have said, for any one to resist, certainly after long possession, months of increasing torment, and when starved and exhausted.  Frodo had done what he could and spent himself completely (as an instrument of Providence) and had producted a situation in which the object of his quest could be achieved.  His humility (with which he began) and his sufferings were justly rewarded by the highest honor; and his exercise of patience towards Gollum gained him Mercy: his failure was redressed” (p. 326).  Frodo is indeed an ordinary Hobbit, and in turn an ordinary everyman.  It is important that our complex heroes be characters that are everyday normal people thrust into extraordinary circumstances.  I think about the men who charged into the World Trade Center buildings after the planes crashed into them, and countless other real life heroes who have given their lives for something precious, and realize that these kinds of people (ordinary people) are the kinds of people who make great heroes for our novels as well as our world.  Instead of creating flat, lifeless characters for your novel who don’t really connect with the reader, why not create ordinary people and then throw them into extraordinary circumstances.  This will automatically develop a multi-layered reading experience for the reader and will be a life-changing experience for the writer as well.

All quotations taken from:

Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. 1st ed. Massachusetts: George Allen & Unwin, 1981. Print.

Happy Mother’s Day: A Tribute to the Moms in My Life

My sister Joyce Dover, mother of two, walks across the stage at Carl Albert State College to receive a diploma. She will be a physical therapy assistant.

Today is Mother’s Day, and if you are walking this earth you have a mom to thank for it.  Today I thought I would pay tribute to all of the moms in my life by telling all of you a little bit about why their praise is so well deserved.

Of course, I must thank my own mother, Rita Colby.  She is the reason I do what I do.  We lost Dad over a year ago, and she has been discovering a new life without him.  My mom did her best with us, always the level head, always the perfect compliment of love and grace to compliment my dad’s wise words and quiet resolve.  When dad passed it was hard, but it was after a long illness, and she is spending her time traveling, reading, being my greatest and most welcome critic, and working tirelessly at her local church.  She worked so hard to help my dad put bread on the table, for we did not have much growing up, but we had love, a Godly home, and many laughs and tears.  She knows how to say just the right thing, knows how to take a joke, snickers at my dry wit, and is great with my kids when they don’t deserve it.  Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.

My daughter Leigha with my wife Kristie.  They are wearing the hats not because they love Sci-Fi, but because they love the nerd who took the picture.

Next is my wife, Kristie.  She is definitely the greatest Mom I know.  She wanted since kindergarden to be a home-maker, and the proof is in her dedication.  We have four kids between the ages of 12 and 6.  They are more than a handful, and I don’t know what I’d do without her.  She now works at the elementary where my children attend, takes them all to school, does many menial tasks around our house that never get noticed, spent all day yesterday weeding our garden, has an artist’s eye for photography, takes care of her crazy writer husband and still finds time to plant flowers and love on our kids.  I cannot say enough about her.  She is fantastic, beautiful and more than I deserve.  Happy Mother’s day, my love.

My mother-in-law Debbie Berna is probably the most amazing woman on the planet.  Not only does she love her bumbling, opinionated and eccentric son-in-law, she raised two children, saw them out of the house (after also taking in foster children) and then adopted two African-American boys and with the help of her husband has raised them as well.  One is out of the nest, doing well, and the other has one more year of high school.  Both boys, born to broken conditions, live well adjusted lives thanks to her selfless love for them.  They are her children, and they call her mom.  She is full of dry wit, has a heart full of merciful gold, and is my wife’s best friend.  Happy Mother’s Day, Debbie.

Debbie’s mother Dorothy lives down the road from us.  One day she had a problem with the engine on her Lincoln Town Car and appeared on my doorstep, hair wrapped in a bandanna, clothes covered with grease, wanting to borrow some of my tools.  I offered to help, but she refused kindly, and said that she would drop the oil pan and “fix what needed to be fixed.”  Grandma Dorothy has had a hard life, lived by herself until her son moved back in with her.  She doesn’t ever ask for much, goes to bed by 8, is an early riser, a do-it-yourselfer, and has more hummingbirds at her house than there are bees in a hive.  My middle daughter, Leigha, stayed with her on Tuesday and they went to town together.  Leigha bought a very large flower for her mother and Grandma Dorothy helped pay for it.  There are secret things that Grandma Dorothy does for us that we may never know about.  Happy Mother’s Day, Grandma Dorothy.

Joyce is hurling an egg at her son Colby. He probably deserved it…or maybe he didn’t…that’s just my sis.

Finally, there is my sister, Joyce Dover.  She went back to school after her two children were teenagers.  Her oldest daughter Kiersten will graduate from high school next May, and her son Colby begins high school next Fall.  I went to her graduation at Carl Albert State College on Friday night.  Up until graduation, she and her husband were active in youth ministry at their church in Stigler, Oklahoma.  Jeff, her husband, left the ministry after 21 years to pursue a career in the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.  While Joyce was finishing up her coursework, Jeff entered the 60th Highway Patrol Academy with much promise.  He was one of the top five cadets in his class and also the oldest at 39.  Jeff came to a point where even though the mental and physical demands of the academy were not a factor (the guy runs marathons), he just “didn’t feel right about it.”  He approached the officers in charge with the news that he was resigning.  They tried to talk him out of it, but he felt that God sent him through the Academy to learn that he was best suited for ministry after all, and he is.  We are all very proud of Jeff, but I think often about my sister.  She supported Jeff throughout his soul-testing.  She has graduated with honors from her program all while raising two children and watching her husband go through probably one of the most life-changing experiences of his career as a minister.  I am so proud of them both.  Seeing her walk across the stage at the commencement was one I will never forget.  Happy Mother’s Day, Joyce.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there who do great things and are never noticed for it.  If your mom is still living and you can get in touch with her, then do so today.  She has done so much for you in her life and even if the two of you have exchanged words that are hurtful, or if your mother is angry at you for something, at least try to tell her you love her today.  She’s your mom, after all.

Call for Guest Posts

I am going to go to Boy Scout camp with my son from June 17th-24th. I will be out of internet range during this time and will need to keep the posts rolling out in order to continue building my platform. My lovely wife will be publishing these guest posts during that week in my stead. (I couldn’t ask for a better co-editor).

I am looking for posts about writing, specifically anything to do with writing techniques or tips for other writers. I am not looking for fiction or poetry. If you have a special process that you use when writing, have some self publishing news you want to shout about or tools or programs you use when writing a novel that work well for you, then this is what I need most.

If you would like to submit a guest post, simply drop me a line in the contact form with a brief description of your proposed blog post and I will get back to you.  Thanks.

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Samantha Shannon: The Next J.K. Rowling?

Samantha Shannon is being touted as the next J.K. Rowling. Time will tell.

I read an article today about Samantha Shannon who will release a novel entitled The Bone Season this year.  She is a literature student at Oxford University and many people say she could be the next billion dollar author, as her book will be one of seven books in a series.

She has everything going for her: a great premise, an education in writing, and a publisher willing to go out on a limb and publish her first book with wide distribution.  She has just now begun blogging about her experience.  I think, in her case, it has to do with the people who surround us and “who you know”.  Her case is very similar to J.R.R. Tolkien’s in that she had little success until she sent a few chapters of her manuscript to a colleague at Oxford who told her she should send it to an agent.  She went to the meeting with the colleague pen in hand, ready to receive critique, but was given advice to “publish this now.”

I read articles like this and realize that the publishing industry is indeed looking for the next J.K. Rowling.  Why wouldn’t they want another billion dollar author?  They desperately want to sell millions or billions of books and make money for their coffers.  The show must go on.  Sure, publishers will publish an author who is not really a best seller and still make money, but they like the golden child who brings in the big bucks.

I am encouraged by articles like this one.  Shannon is pursuing a degree I already possess, a writer with less years experience in the game, and she just signed a big deal with a publisher for a seven book series.  I will keep at it.  I will listen to critique.  I will never stop writing.  I feel that my latest novel is the best work I have done in my life.  Possibly I will meet the right person soon, and I have some leads due to the success of this blog.

My advice to you today is to keep working.  Don’t ever quit.  Keep blogging.  Some of you I follow haven’t written anything in a while (at least on your blog).  I challenge all of you to (as my dad used to say) “Get after it!”  I will be getting after it, too.

Guest Blog: 5 Tips to Balance Writing With Childcare

Reblogged from Writing: A Conversation Without Interruptions:

Soooooo! In answer to my Call for Guest Posts I do have a selection of posts for you from various sources. These fabulous people have been kind enough to take time out of their days to write up a little something for this blog because I’m so crazy busy! You’ll see these pop up over the coming weeks so be sure to keep coming back!

Read more… 709 more words

Wrote a guest blog article about balancing writing with the demands of 4 children. Go over to ileandrayoung.com to check it out!

6 Resources for Post-Apocalyptic Novelists

Image courtesy deviantart.com

I am currently writing a post-apocalyptic novel This Broken Earth.  When creating a post-apocalyptic world, a writer needs to base the environment on events that could possibly happen in our near future.  Readers need to see the post-apocalyptic world writers show them and nod their head in agreement, not scratch their head wondering how the writer’s created world suddenly came into being.

I use several internet resources to check the science of my science-fiction.  First of all, I have a few consultants with whom I am able to ask specific questions.  I have spoken to a climatologist, an Army Captain, and my good friend Michael Dean who is a phenomenal science teacher and researcher.  I have also used some of the following resources:

1.  Meteor Strike Calculator - Do you need to know what would happen if a meteor were to crash into the earth?  Go no further than the Earth Impact Effects Program from Purdue University.  There are several fields to fill in such as how far your characters are from the impact, the size of the meteor, its density, air speed, and whether it strikes water or land.  When all information is entered, simply click calculate effects and this engine will produce the meteor’s possible effects.

2.  Nuclear Fallout Calculator – Ground Zero from Carlos Labs is another calculator that will give a blast radius and fallout radius for a nuclear blast.  Simply choose the place on earth to be nuked, choose from a wide range of nuclear devices and then click “nuke”.  Users will get a nice map of the blast radius and fallout pattern.

3.  Zombie Outbreak – Not that this is scientific at all, but Ottowa University students created a mathematical modeling of a zombie outbreak infection.  It has everything one needs to mathematically determine the results of a zombie outbreak if it were to occur in the real world.  It is complete with formulas and rationale.  The only think it does not have is a shambling gait.

4.  Plague – The City of Berkley has produced a website that details all the information at a glance about a pandemic flu outbreak.  It answers all questions one could possibly ask about the subject, including how fast it would spread, what governments would do, and all of the detailed medical information that a writer would need to tell a story set in such a world.

5.  How to Survive the Apocalypse – Of course characters will need to know how to survive the apocalypse, and Survive the Apocalypse has all the information one would need for such a task (even if the information is sometimes tongue-in-cheek).  It is full of survival tips, videos on everything from swine flu to nuclear fallout, and is also a good laugh when boredom sets in.  (Not that you should be bored, writer.  Get to writing).

6.  How Long Does It Take? – I did some research to find out how long it would take to travel per mile on foot, horseback as well as horse-drawn carriage:

Foot – 50 miles per day.  It would take 3 months to cross the United States barring injury or obstacle.

Horseback/Horse-drawn carriage – It depends on the pace but most horses pull a carriage at 3-6 mph. from New York to California is roughly 3000 miles. At a slow pace that is 1000 hours or about 41 days. At a faster pace that is about 21 days if traveling non-stop. Horses must also stop for the night and rest. Figure that it would take at least a third of the time in rest, feeding, and care. 1/3 of 41 is about 13 days so it would take about 45 days. Factor in that by horse it can take 1-3 weeks to cross a mountain range since pace can be as slow as 1 mph or less and would be roughly 51-66 days of travel. It would be about 2 months of travel stopping for rest only assuming nothing goes wrong. Old wagon trains of the west had to stop for hunting, cooking and crooked roads, etc. The straight roads help such as highways (if they haven’t been destroyed). Without a straight cut path, a trip across the United States would take 4-6 months.

Tolkien’s 10 Tips for Creating Epic Heroes

Image courtesy i09.com

One of my most popular posts is Tolkien’s 10 Tips for Writers, in which I glean from J.R.R. Tolkien’s letters of his wisdom about writing.  Today I will delve into his letters again, but will focus on the epic character Aragorn and ask Professor Tolkien how he created great characters.

1.  Motivational Mirrors – Tolkien writes: “I think the simple ‘rustic’ love of Sam and his Rosie (nowhere elaborated) is absolutely essential to the study of his (the chief hero’s [Aragorn's]) character, and to the theme of the relation of ordinary life (breathing, eating, working, begetting) and quests, sacrifice, causes, and the ‘longing for Elves’, and sheer beauty” (p. 161).  Tolkien says that the motivation of Aragorn’s character was driven by his love for Arwen just as Samwise was driven by his love for Rosie.  Rosie and Arwen were people who anchored the characters in something so that there was something at stake.  Tolkien mirrored the two sets of lovers in order to emphasize the stronger of the two, namely Aragorn.  It is important to give your hero something that motivates them, and then as an added emphasis, mirror that motivation in another character that most would consider minor.

2.  Create Opposites - Tolkien writes: “Gandalf’s opposite was, strictly, Sauron, in one part of Sauron’s operations; as Aragorn was in another” (p. 180).  Sauron is Aragorn’s opposite in that one is destined to be King of Gondor while the other is desperately trying to rule over all of Middle Earth.  Aragorn is pure, noble and brave while Sauron is evil, deceptive and has others do his dirty work for him.  In a way, Sauron’s evil shines a light on Aragorn’s goodness, even when he is known as Strider and seems like a rogue.

3.  Give the Hero a Past With Purpose – Aragorn’s love for Arwen is something only told in the appendix of Tolkien’s text, but it becomes a secret motivation in his past for his fight against the darkness.  Also, Tolkien writes that because of Aragorn’s Elven past, he has abilities that a normal Man would not: “a difference in the use of ‘magic’ in this story is that it is not to be come by by ‘lore’ or spells; but is in an inherent power not possessed or attainable by Men as such.  Aragorn’s ‘healing’ might be regarded as ‘magical’, or at least a blend of magic with pharmacy and ‘hypnotic’ processes” (p. 200).  Aragorn’s past, only hinted at in the text, adds a richness to his character that we see come to fruition at the end of the epic.  His use of “magic” is a hint at his past and gives us a clue as to his secret regal nature.

4.  Give Your Hero Something to Restore – When writing about the White Tree of Gondor, Tolkien writes: “It later appears there had been a ‘hallow’ on Mindulluin, only approachable by the King, where he had anciently offered thanks and praise on behalf of his people; but it had been forgotten.  It was re-entered by Aragorn, and there he found a sapling of the White Tree, and replanted it in the Court of the Fountain.  It is to be presumed that with the reemergence of the lineal priest kings (of whom Luthien the Blessed Elf-maiden was a foremother) the worship of God would be renewed, and His Name (or title) be again more often heard” (p. 206-7).  This passage of the letters not only shows that Tolkien had sometimes a biblical purpose for his narrative (although he denies it elsewhere) it also shows that Aragorn was intended to restore something that was lost.  Aragorn embodies a hope that he will restore the glory of Gondor and bring about peace.  The suspense lies in his internal struggle to become king.  Will he shirk his title to run with the Elves in the forest or will he rise to the challenge?  The restoration of the White Tree is something that gives Aragorn a destiny.

5.  Give Your Hero a Mysterious Nature – Tolkien writes “Strider sitting in the corner of the inn was a shock, and I had no more idea who he was than had Frodo” (p. 216).  The character of Strider/Aragorn was a character that Tolkien created as a mysterious protector.  He begins to build his story as an afterthought and then makes him a central character in the novels.  His backstory came in pieces, and when we read the text we find little bits about him as we go, unlike Frodo who is known intimately.  Little details about Aragorn’s past emerge slowly and carefully, as if Tolkien is tossing bits of bread out to the gulls.  This creates a mysterious nature for Aragorn that is effective and powerful, and when we see him at the end of the tale as king we are amazed at how Tolkien strung us along.

6.  Give Your Hero a Life Without Guarantees – Tolkien writes: “Here I am only concerned with Death as part of the nature, physical and spiritual, of Man, and with Hope without guarantees.  That is why I regard the tale of Arwen and Aragorn as the most important of the Appendices…” (p. 237).  Tolkien’s inclusion of the story of Arwen and Aragorn’s love is never guaranteed to work out.  When it does in the end, we are relieved and we can finally stop holding our breath.  If we guarantee that our hero will make it to the end of the story without any peril or any stakes, we will have a flat hero indeed.  The reader needs to fear for the hero’s life.  They need to wonder if things will ever work out with their interpersonal relationships.  There must be an overwhelming element of risk.

7.  Keep Readers In the Dark – Tolkien writes: “Obviously the chief problem of this sort, is how to bring up Aragorn unexpectedly to the raising of the Siege, and yet inform readers of what he had been up to.  Told in full in its proper place (Vol III, ch.2), though it would have been better for the episode, it would have destroyed Chapter 6.  Told in full, or indeed in part, in retrospect would be out of date and hold up to the action (as it does in Chapter 9)” (p. 258).  Tolkien did not tell us everything about what happens to his heroes, only what is necessary to move the story along.  Here he is an advocate of keeping things simple and not boring the reader with all the details of what happened to Aragorn along the way.  Cut huge unnecessary sections of your novel that give tedious explanations of what happened along the path in order to move the story along and not “destroy chapter 6.”

8.  Let the “Message” Worry About Itself – Tolkien writes: “As for ‘message’: I have none really, if by that is meant the conscious purpose in writing The Lord of the Rings, of preaching, or of delivering myself of a vision of truth specially revealed to me!  I was primarily writing an exciting story in an atmosphere and background such as I find personally attractive.  But in such a process inevitably one’s own taste, ideas, and beliefs get taken up” (p. 267).  Tolkien sometimes seems contradictory, swearing that he did not mean anything by his narrative but at the same time acknowledging its allegorical nature.  He does acknowledge here that even though he was simply trying to write an “exciting story”, his own personal beliefs and ideas rose to the surface in a way that was unobtrusive or obvious.  Sometimes writers try too hard to preach to us about the way they think we should live.  Tolkien did not worry about that, but let the narrative subtly waft the message to us on a cool Rivendell breeze.

9.  Stay True to Your Characterization – When writing about the scene where Aragorn and the Hobbits flee the Prancing Pony, Tolkien writes: “Leaving the inn at night and running off into the dark is an impossible solution of the difficulties of presentation here (which I can see).  It is the last thing that Aragorn would have done” (p. 272).  Tolkien is responding in this letter to his editor who did not understand why the hero Aragorn would flee the Black Riders and not attack them.  Aragorn is not afraid of the Black Riders.  He would face them in a heartbeat.  It is the safety of the Hobbits for which he has concern.  Not once does Aragorn go outside his nature in this epic tale.  He is always stalwart, brave and wise even in the face of danger.  When we think he is doing something cowardly, he is actually doing something necessary.

10.  Your Hero Must Be Willing to Sacrifice – Tolkien writes: “It was also the Elvish (and uncorrupted Numenorean view) that a ‘good’ Man would or should die voluntarily by surrender with trust before being compelled (as did Aragorn)” (p. 286n).  Aragorn takes huge risks throughout the epic, facing off against the Black Riders on Weathertop, seeking the help of the dead warriors, charging into the depths of Moria, galloping toward the gates of Mordor, and countless other tasks.  If your hero is not willing to sacrifice their life for their goal (even if that goal is simply a life of happiness or a goal set more in the real world) then that hero is not strong enough and needs work.

All quotations taken from:

Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. 1st ed. Massachusetts: George Allen & Unwin, 1981. Print.