Nature vs Nurture.

Hope everyone got a great long weekend to enjoy, celebrate (Easter, Passover, or simply the joy to be alive), and get a head start on your spring cleaning... which I did not. Clean, I mean. I mostly enjoyed the family and talked to friends. It was a breath of fresh air.

For my awesome friends at IWSG, it's April's time for a meeting and I hope you find yourselves welcoming a yet cold but still here spring. This time I'm taking a different approach to the meeting and instead of focusing on my insecurities, I want to share with you something a friend asked me over the past weekend.

She recently read my book, PERPETUAL NIGHT, and asked me about the protagonist, Lilibeth Royster. She wanted to know why I chose Lilibeth to be a teenager and if the story was really at its core about the age-old debate of Nature vs Nurture. Since this isn't the first time that a reader makes the conclusion that the story pitches in on the argument, I thought it'd be an interesting post to share.

Childhood is the period of time when our parents teach us everything we must know. When the building blocks are cemented in a firm foundation that'll carry our future. If we grow good or bad, at this point, depends on them. And here is where the Nurture vs Nature debate starts. 

I don't believe that one person is born evil or bad, in that sense I'm with the nurture side of the argument, but it is impossible to deny that there are genetics involved in most every psychological aspect of our personality. The depressive personality, the overachiever, the shy, the sociopath... genetics can't be set aside. But not every psychopath grows to be a killer. Not every shy person will be insecure. Where does the difference reside between your manipulating ex-boyfriend and Ted Bundy? Our environment, I think, makes a huge difference in what we do with the cards we were dealt.

For me, the trickiest part of growing up is surviving our adolescence. I made Lilibeth a teenager because that's the period of time when we become responsible of our own lives. Even with the best foundations and the best materials, a building can fail if badly built. In PERPETUAL NIGHT, Lilibeth is confronted with a world that treats her like a child, that is condescending and unforgiven. Gone are the years of fairies that'll give her money for her teeth. Santa is not real and Lilibeth, like every other teen, must accept that real life sucks and then move on.

Teens are neither kids nor adults, they feel isolated because they are. They don't know where the self begins and the parent ends.They are searching for themselves. They lash at a society that has no place for them. They oppose their parents because they need to assert themselves as individuals. 

I tell you, being a teen sucks. Then, at the risk of looking like a cruel god, what if the teen is put under extraneous circumstances? Can they be trusted to make the best decision? That's a question over which every parents looses sleep and that's where I put Lilibeth. I surrounded her with night terrors, visions, and the shadow of mental disease in the family. And a bad breakup, of course, since 90% of the worst decisions I ever took were made under the influence of a bad breakup.

So there you go, in my mind PERPETUAL NIGHT isn't a story about Nature vs Nurture. Lilibeth's neither a sociopath nor a psychopath. It is an analysis of ourselves, the 'normal' people. We all have within us a dash of egocentrism, a sense of entitlement, and can experience genuine moral conflict. And still none of us are free of making bad decisions that'll change the course of our lives. We are just lucky that our worst didn't impact our future. We are lucky to have survived our teens.

Share with me, were your teen years too hard? And where do you stand, nature, or nurture?

For more info on the book or to read an excerpt, go to Perpetual Night, ebook and don't forget to 'Look Inside'.

4 Writerly Tips From Hemingway

Writing is a private affair. Everyone has a personal style and what inspires you might be downright distracting to another. That's why I usually take every 'how to do' list with a grain of salt. However, reading this insightful work of Hemingway's stroke a cord with me in several different ways. His personna came alive to me and I could feel him, also there were a couple of points that I think I should follow. They work with my style and would help improving my connection to my stories, therefore improving my ability (however reduced) to tell them better.

So, hoping you will find your own discoveries in his words, I share with you just a few of my favorite tips in his own words.

1. To get started, write one true sentence.

"Sometimes when I was starting a new story and I could not get it going, [...] I would stand and look out over the roofs of Paris and think, "Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know." So finally I would write one true sentence, and then go on from there. It was easy then because there was always one true sentence that I knew or had seen or had heard someone say. If I started to write elaborately, or like someone introducing or presenting something, I found that I could cut that scrollwork or ornament out and throw it away and start with the first true simple declarative sentence I had written."

2. Always stop for the day while you still know what will happen next.

"The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that everyday when you are writing a novel, you will never be stuck."

3. Never think about the story when you're not working.

"That way your subconscious will work on it all the time. But if you think about it consciously or worry about it you will kill it and your brain will be tired before you start."

4. When it's time to work again, always start by reading what you've written so far.

"The best way is to read it all every day from the start, correcting as you go on from where you stopped the day before. When it gets so long you can't do this every day read back two or three chapters each day; then each week read it all from the start. That's how you make it all of one piece."

So there you go. There are much more words of wisdom in this book but I cut it to the four that spoke to me the most. Which has been the advise that has touch you the most? Doesn't have to be Hemingway, it could be your hubby, friend, or mom. Share it if you like, I'm always open to wisdom no matter the form.

Enjoy the first weekend of spring! However cold and frozen it may be... =)

Great vs Outstanding

February was a hell of a month with tons of projects and deadlines, and I'm super proud of myself for having met all of them. I now have four stories submitted to different magazines and anthologies, I'm attending a creative writing class in my local college, and yesterday I finished the translation I'd been working on. What's left of May promises to be just as busy but completely focused on my writing, which makes me even more happy.

Part of what will keep me on my toes is that writing class. At first I wasn't too happy with it, thinking it looked more like a group therapy session than actual writing do's and don'ts. It kinda broke my heart a little. Then we started reading our assignments in class, which in itself is terrifying because I hate my accent when reading, which lead to me being completely unable to finish a sentence without stuttering, even if I knew by heart the lines on the paper. Agh!

Then, there were the other writers. In contrast with every one else, I'm in a whole different league! And I don't mean a better or worse one, just TOTALY DIFFERENT. There are a couple of poets but most of them write more literary and dramatic stuff... and here I am, sharing my bloody horror stories, what even Stephen King calls 'the McDonalds of literature.' Awesome.

Last class, this guy is telling us how he had a very complicated relationship with his dad, inspiring him to write a touching, hilarious, and poignant story on child abuse. Then it's my turn and I 'read' (more like babble) a story about the end of the world. Granted, my story deals with the existence of God and our deep faults as humans, but it's not personal. New assignment for next week, write about something that has happened to you that affected you or made you think. That brings the ball home... I don't really write about myself. Why?

King uses his experiences, takes them to the worst possible conclusion and there you go, next month's bestseller. And he isn't alone, most people use their inner demons as fodder, so why not me?

After giving it a though (and quite a few hours of my sleep), I realized that I have but two stories that come from my sadness, my pain, or my fears. One is currently in submission, I couldn't finish the other because it was too depressing. So I guess there's my answer. I write because I love it, because it makes me feel alive, because I can let my imagination free and turn my back on my problems. I don't want to prod in too deep because it hurts, it makes me sad, and it isn't fun. But most of all, because the ride terrifies me.

When my oldest daughter was two, she almost asphyxiated with a huge chunk of ice she was eating. I had nightmares for days! Now, say I write a story where she actually dies and what would be my life like. Hell no! I don't want to deal with that kind of pain for months in order to get a decent story out there. Not when I can write a decent story that has nothing to do with it. Still, I guess that's what would make a good story exceptional. Raw pain bleeding into the ink...

So I've decided I'm going to meet the challenge. I don't know if this will become a new direction for my writing, but I'll try. First order of business is finishing that truly depressing story. We'll see where it goes from there.

What do you think, is it really that the only way to be outstanding is to write about yourself? Or is it possible to deal with deep, yet less personal problematics and still be a great writer? Food for thought, indeed.

Creepy Places Where Inspiration Hides

L'Inconnue de la Siene.

This is an eerie, weird, and somewhat twisted tale where reality proves once more that it can be stranger than fiction.

The story of L'Inconnue de la Siene (translated from French, "the unknown woman from the Sienna") started in the late 1880s, when the body of a young girl was found floating on the River Sienna. Her identity remained a mystery but the Parisian pathologist in charge of the body, awe-struck at her beauty, decided to make a plaster-cast death mask. And so, where the earthly life of the unknown girl finished, the bizarre, immortal existence of L'Inconnue began.

Soon, more plasters were made of her and the bust became a fashionable, morbid fixture of bohemian Paris. The beauty of L'Inconnue inspired world-renown artists and writers, such as Albert Camus and Richard LeGalliene. People wondered, based on the mask's tranquil features, what in death the girl had found and who she might've been in live. Whole generations of women shaped their images on the young girl's (dead) face, and she became the Mona Lisa of the time.

Creepy much? Wait, it gets better.

In an ironic twist the pathologist could have never foreseen, in 1958 the first CPR doll, Rescue Annie, was created using the drowning victim's cast as a model. These days L'Inconnue is also known as "the most kissed face of all time."

Books inspired by this story: The Worshiper of the Image by Richard LeGalliene, The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge by Rainer Maria Rilke, The Recognitions by William Gladdis, The Drowning Girl by Caitlin R. Kiernan, and Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk, among many others.

But the question is, where will inspiration catch you?

Just for the Fun or The Things a Mom Does for Her Kids

This weekend the family will go skiing. A few months ago a dear friend asked me if we would like to go with them to Okemo, Vermont. We did it a couple of years ago and had a blast, so I jumped at the chance. Believe me, it couldn't have been better timed if I had tried. I mean, my brain is about to go belly up and my new crime story is making me sweat bricks. Who knew writing outside your comfort zone will be so hard?

Anyway, I'm happy and positive that the brake will work wonders on me. I can already picture myself going down the slope. Yeah, you read that right, I said slope. The shortest, easiest, like one degree more of inclination than the kiddy slope. That's my ride. Nope, I don't really sky that well and nope, I'm not ashamed that my eight-year-old will son go down harder rides than mine. I'm self-assured like that.

In fact, I'm terrified of heights, reason why the lifts make my heart pound like crazy. I also have a mini heart attack every time I have to go off the damn thing. I mean, would it take too long if you just stopped the thing for a second so I don't have to jump off with everyone still in my way? Also, why would you put a blue slope, or sometimes a black (!!), so close to the landing spot? I can picture myself stumbling to my death down a hill designed for Shaun White.

The worst part? I've seen both things happened to friends of mine. No, no one died on a black slope! But he had to slide on his behind aaaall the way down. On the other hand, we--his 'friends'--had a lot of fun watching him from the lift. You'd think he'd hide in the car after that, but no. He got back on the lift and waved us a very colorful hand sign.

That same weekend, another friend of mine, this time a girl, just never gather up the nerve to jump off the lift. It wasn't her first time that day--though it was her first time skiing--but she just couldn't make it and as the lift took her back down, the guy controlling the thing stopped it for her. Very entertaining for us again, not so much for her.

Oh, and my sister! Paola is a menace to every skier on the hills. We took classes together the first time she tried, my future husband, her, and me. After two hours, we decided we were ready and wanted to try an easy hill. The future hubby went first and stopped midway to check on my sister and me. Paola, who was before me, realized she couldn't move sideways to zigzag down the hill, so she went in a straight line like a comet. As she passed by my future hubby she screamed: "I don't know how to stop!" A second later she was on the snow with both skis off, somehow.

We helped her up, told her how to zigzag, and there she went. Again in a straight line at light-speed. A poor lady that was going from right to left just happened to turn at the worst possible moment and her skis tangled with my sister's. That didn't end well, obviously, but you know what they say, if at first you don't succeed... Well, they shouldn't have told that to my sister.

She tried once more and this time she missed collision with the same lady! Sadly, the woman got toppled over anyway when my sister went on top her skis. Paola couldn't stop, so she simply went on, fast as a bullet. And even though she yelled "I'm sorry!" I doubt the lady appreciated it. That was it, my sister never tried skiing again. Thankfully.

With all that in mind, I really don't mind going down the greenest of the slopes and would even consider using the kids' slope, but they don't let me. And despite all this, I do have fun, and the best part is spending time with the family. Looking at my young offsprings all excited heals my heart of every mini-arrest and puts a smile on my face.

Ah, the memories...

Best Five Movie Taglines and Why You Should Have One

We are always selling something, our abilities to do a job, our version of an argument, the movie that we want to see this weekend, the fruits of our work, our books, our stories. Marketing and negotiating are abilities that should be ingrained in us, they should come naturally. Instead, we struggle to make those sales.

Few areas instill more horror into regular folks than Marketing (if you don't do that for a living, that is), specially for authors. The world of Literature is a complex world where you're in for the love of the art, hoping you might become the next JK Rowling, or simply because the voices compelled you (I'm with the latter if you wonder).

Those who view Literature as an Art are a very selective, posh, tiny group of writers and critics that will pretty much pander everyone who makes money out of their books; which, by the way, do not require of a dictionary to read. They are elitists against every form of marketing because Art is not for sale.

But if you're reading this, you probably aren't with them and so, you need to learn how to sell your work. An awesome blurb, a killer cover, a few nods from some better-known fellas, and a tagline are your best weapons. Today we'll focus on the last one there.

Taglines are nothing new in the marketing world. They have been proven to be an effective way to make a brand memorable. Think of Nike's "Just Do It," or Loreal's "Because You're Worth It." Movies, of course, were the natural progression; now, books, on the other hand, have not embraced the idea all that warmly. Once again, the elitists run the show by saying that your story should sell itself--if you so want to cheap your art, that is--so taglines are a sure sign of tackiness. Then again, we've stablished you are no snub. So, why haven't you written one?

There are genres that lend themselves perfectly for taglines, like Horror, Romance, and Young Adult in particular. Span-attention-challenged teens will have a hard time choosing between a bazillion Post-Apocalyptic sagas, or Paranormal Romances, and remembering titles/authors is just out of the question. This is how a tagline can set you apart and incline a reader toward the cash register with your book in hand.

Ok, so I got your interest now. But how to write one?

Well, it has to be short, powerful, intriguing, and memorable. It needs to reflect the style of your story and the atmosphere. I would make it two lines at the most. If there is comedy in your piece, make it sassy; if the language is that of young people, use idioms; if it is a mystery, ask questions. The closest thing that can give you an idea of how it is done are movies. So, I recommend you check the most memorable taglines in the genre of your book and used them as inspiration.

In this spirit, I have here the Five Most Memorable Horror Taglines I've found. Let's analyze them...

5. "It started in May in a small town. And every month after that whenever the moon was full... It came back." ~Silver Bullet (1985) 

This one tells you it is a werewolf story and that a whole town is involved somehow. Not the brightest, but still effective in setting the suspenseful atmosphere.

4. "They will make cemeteries their cathedrals and cities will be your tombs." ~Demons (1985) 

This one I like in particular because I hated the movie. You see, the tagline is so good that even if I couldn't handle the movie, I still remember it. It is dark, scary, and paints a bleak future for the human race. Bestselling features all.

3. "The last man on earth is not alone." ~I am Legend (2007)

Holy cow! Eight little words say so much! Now, this uses 'antithesis', a resource that will punch your brain and force you to re-read and think about the hidden meaning. The last man, but he's not alone?! Oh, shit! Elegant, simple, and effective.

2. "Between the world we see and the things we fear there are doors. When they are open, nightmares become reality." ~A Haunting. TV Show.

Now, this one appeals to our inner demons. We all have nightmares and we are thankful they stay like that, but messing with reality and blurring the line between dreams and our everyday lives is a scary prospect where going crazy, ironically, would be the best case scenario.

1. "When there's no more room in Hell, the death will walk the earth." ~Dawn of the Dead (1978) 

This movie is a classic and its tagline is just as memorable. Its prophetic kinda statement is scary as hell and it manages to put a grotesque image in our heads that has endured for decades. It is the reason zombies are at the top of the scary machine.

So, I hope these inspire you to go write an awesome tagline for your book. Do you remember a tagline that has stayed with you for years? Which one, and why?

Remember, research within your genre and go for it. Be bold, be different, don't be afraid.

About Editing and Insecurities. February's IWSG

February has arrived, another IWSG is here, and I'm still up to my eyeballs in things to do. And though I'm feeling less overwhelmed by all my tasks, my insecurities have flared up.

For two weeks now I've been working in a story I wrote about a year ago. Back then I wrote and rewrote, edited a third time and sent it to my editor for a final check up which ended in a fourth and final version. The story was on the long side with 7000+ words but I was happy with it. I submitted it and received seven different rejections, so I decided to read it once more. And I was horrified by the thing. Which brings us to the present, to the new editing process and to the old insecurities.

It doesn't matter how much I work on it or how many times I rewrite, I always feel like there's something wrong with it. After two weeks now, I dread the moment I'll go back to work on the thing. But I know that's the way it is, I'll never be sure about how good it is, not even if it gets published. I just have to keep giving my all and hope I'll know when to let go.

Which brings me to a question. Fellow insecure writers, what do you think of editing programs like Autocrit, Editminion, and Pro Writing Aid? I'm using the latter and it has been of great help but no matter what I do, it keeps finding 'mistakes', like I use too much "like" or that my median sentence is 10.5 instead of 11... This last thing is a big problem for me because my published novella has been accused of runaway sentences, so I tend to be more concise now. Then comes this program and I'm supposed to be ok with 35 word-long sentences? I just don't know... Help, please!!

The story is down to 5900 words, which is a small success in itself, and at the end of the week I think it'll be ready for someone to read it. It is a horror short with strong Italian folklore elements. If you feel like reading it and give me your harshest critics, I'll be happy to pay in the same token.

Well, I guess it is time to get back to work. Wish me luck!

Have an awesome, insecure-free month of February!