Perhaps the most difficult aspect of starting the story of The Gift of the Greenstone for me was constructing a backstory for the main characters (specifically the protagonist, Jaden Scott) that would have enough heart and driving force to carry an entire narrative from the first page to the last. As a character, Jaden was pretty fully fleshed out from the beginning in terms of where he was in life when the story started. Yay!
...right?
Not quite. It took countless revisions for me to feel like I had given Jaden's past enough emotional weight and believable depth to not only propel the motivations of the main character for the entire story so that who he was and what he did felt real for the reader in a very powerful way, but to craft a character with so much heart and raw humanity that each and every conflict in the narrative not only felt genuine and potent, but life-changing. And as you can imagine, each alteration to Jaden and any other characters' backstories resulted in me rewriting their personalities and actions throughout the novel since they were no longer the same character they used to be. It was a vicious, vicious cycle, I tell you!
I think this is one of the most difficult and discouraging tasks a writer faces because coming up with a plot is relatively straightforward: character experiences something that forces them to reassess or abandon their life or world as they knew it, conflict arises because of this revelation, character must respond/confront the problem (which can be internal, external, usually both in good fiction), character overcomes the obstacle and we find satisfaction in the conclusion.
Yes, I pretty much summed up every single plot that has ever been written in some way. But that's precisely the point. That's a plot; not a story.
June 30, 2010
June 29, 2010
Sneak Peek: Chapter Two
After the responses from chapter one I figured it would be almost cruel not to give a few more sneak peeks as your enthusiastic reactions to the prologue and first chapter have certainly given even me a burst of excitement. There will be a post later today talking about the process that these first few chapters entailed and the specific issues that I experienced when it came to starting a story so tune back in if that stuff interests you.
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the second chapter.
Chapter Two
A Familiar Stranger
Jaden stared across a scarred wooden table in the corner of the dark campus coffee-house. The smell of chocolate and roasting cocoa beans should have painted an atmosphere of calm but he shifted in his uncomfortable chair, looking across the circular table at Gwen. Her pale skin seemed luminescent, ethereal in the low glow of the intimate shop.
His chest felt tight and heavy. Here he was, finally sitting across from Gwen in a cozy, intimate place. Just the two of them.
But this was not how he had imagined it.
“Jaden, I need to tell you something,” she said.
“You think?”
She eyed the front door.
“I’m not who you think I am,” she said, her blue eyes piercing his, “but neither are you. So you need to trust me because we don’t have a lot of time.”
“Um, okay,” he said shifting in his seat, not quite sure if he wanted her to explain after all, “so this is where you tell me what on earth is going on?”
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the second chapter.
Chapter Two
A Familiar Stranger
Jaden stared across a scarred wooden table in the corner of the dark campus coffee-house. The smell of chocolate and roasting cocoa beans should have painted an atmosphere of calm but he shifted in his uncomfortable chair, looking across the circular table at Gwen. Her pale skin seemed luminescent, ethereal in the low glow of the intimate shop.
His chest felt tight and heavy. Here he was, finally sitting across from Gwen in a cozy, intimate place. Just the two of them.
But this was not how he had imagined it.
“Jaden, I need to tell you something,” she said.
“You think?”
She eyed the front door.
“I’m not who you think I am,” she said, her blue eyes piercing his, “but neither are you. So you need to trust me because we don’t have a lot of time.”
“Um, okay,” he said shifting in his seat, not quite sure if he wanted her to explain after all, “so this is where you tell me what on earth is going on?”
June 25, 2010
Sneak Peek: The First Chapter
Here's the next sneak peek at my new manuscript, The Gift of the Greenstone. This is the first chapter after the prologue. I hope you enjoy it and feel free to post your thoughts!
Chapter One
One Picture Too Many
“So who is she?”
Jaden glanced over to his mother and continued setting the dinner plates. “Just a friend, mom.”
“A friend,” Jaden’s mother said, her maternal stare palpable from across the kitchen, “who just happens to be the first female friend from college that you have invited over to our house for dinner?”
“Yes, mom. Gwen is a female friend who was stranded on campus for spring break and didn’t have any plans for dinner tonight.”
“Is she pretty?”
He looked up.
“She’s attractive.”
He was lying. She was beautiful.
“And how long have you known her?”
None of these questions were unexpected or even unwelcome.
“Oh, about six months,” he said, glancing up at her with a shrug of his shoulders. “I’ve told you about her before.”
“Uh huh,” his mother said, slicing smaller slivers of carrot, “and she’s nice?”
“No, mom, she’s cruel. Vindictive, maybe even crazy. At the very least, pathologically malicious. Because that’s the kind of person I like to be close friends with, I mean, I just can’t help myself.”
“All right,” his mother said, “so she’s sweet, then?”
He rolled his eyes and smiled, glancing at the grandfather clock in the corner of the living room. Almost 6:15. He started moving a little faster.
Chapter One
One Picture Too Many
“So who is she?”
Jaden glanced over to his mother and continued setting the dinner plates. “Just a friend, mom.”
“A friend,” Jaden’s mother said, her maternal stare palpable from across the kitchen, “who just happens to be the first female friend from college that you have invited over to our house for dinner?”
“Yes, mom. Gwen is a female friend who was stranded on campus for spring break and didn’t have any plans for dinner tonight.”
“Is she pretty?”
He looked up.
“She’s attractive.”
He was lying. She was beautiful.
“And how long have you known her?”
None of these questions were unexpected or even unwelcome.
“Oh, about six months,” he said, glancing up at her with a shrug of his shoulders. “I’ve told you about her before.”
“Uh huh,” his mother said, slicing smaller slivers of carrot, “and she’s nice?”
“No, mom, she’s cruel. Vindictive, maybe even crazy. At the very least, pathologically malicious. Because that’s the kind of person I like to be close friends with, I mean, I just can’t help myself.”
“All right,” his mother said, “so she’s sweet, then?”
He rolled his eyes and smiled, glancing at the grandfather clock in the corner of the living room. Almost 6:15. He started moving a little faster.
June 24, 2010
The first step
Much like a baby's initial attempt at walking, the first step in writing a novel is often the one filled with the most excitement and splendor...and usually the one that results in a terrific fall flat on your face. In fact, you could argue that the first step for a writer in constructing a complete and gripping narrative is even more comparable to a child's first step in that it will take many, many attempts and countless mistakes that must be corrected before he/she feels secure and able enough to move on with that all-too-important second step (or act, for our screenwriting/playwright friends).
In addition, the beginning of any story is what hooks the reader and draws them in to a world you must establish, a character you must encourage your reader to invest a personal interest in, and a story in which the reader develops a stake in regarding what happens next. Plus, your entire story arc is built upon the foundation of that first few chapters, much like a baby's first step is the cornerstone of his or her development when it comes to walking, running, and jumping.
For me, there were at least eight "falls" that had to be revised with the beginning of my manuscript and it was certainly a painful process at times, as much discouragement and frustration as well as a daunting task that never seemed to have a resolution.
But as it is in life, so it is in storytelling and any creative endeavor worth doing; nothing worthwhile in the world comes easy. It's not about how many times you fall or get knocked down, but how fast you get back to your feet that measures your progress. Writing is as much patience and endurance as it is talent and imagination.
In addition, the beginning of any story is what hooks the reader and draws them in to a world you must establish, a character you must encourage your reader to invest a personal interest in, and a story in which the reader develops a stake in regarding what happens next. Plus, your entire story arc is built upon the foundation of that first few chapters, much like a baby's first step is the cornerstone of his or her development when it comes to walking, running, and jumping.
For me, there were at least eight "falls" that had to be revised with the beginning of my manuscript and it was certainly a painful process at times, as much discouragement and frustration as well as a daunting task that never seemed to have a resolution.
But as it is in life, so it is in storytelling and any creative endeavor worth doing; nothing worthwhile in the world comes easy. It's not about how many times you fall or get knocked down, but how fast you get back to your feet that measures your progress. Writing is as much patience and endurance as it is talent and imagination.
June 23, 2010
Sneak Peek: The Prologue
Here is the first look at the prologue of my manuscript, The Gift of the Greenstone. I hope you enjoy it and, who knows, maybe another sneak peek will find its way onto the site if you all want to know the next step in the story.
Prologue
William interlocked his fidgeting fingers atop the polished cherry table while others around him tapped their feet without mercy, gulping down unsteady breaths. No one dared break the silence. William stared at the antique bronze door knob, waiting for the polished metal to turn.
He had always loved the traditional touches of the mansion, like the antique bronze door knob. From the Victorian sconces and polished bronze accents to the gold and scarlet wallpaper that lined the large hall where they all sat, the century’s old manor had always felt warm and historic to William like what a home should really be, especially in these modern times. The antique woodwork reminded him of days gone by, when times were simpler and everyone had their place.
He had always loved the traditional touches of the mansion, like the antique bronze door knob. From the Victorian sconces and polished bronze accents to the gold and scarlet wallpaper that lined the large hall where they all sat, the century’s old manor had always felt warm and historic to William like what a home should really be, especially in these modern times. The antique woodwork reminded him of days gone by, when times were simpler and everyone had their place.
But now the walls of his home felt like a prison.
He should have run when he first found out. Maybe they would have never caught him. He was good at masking his presence, skilled at blending in and disappearing, like he had been trained so well to do. But William knew better.
Click.
The bronze knob turned, catching flickers of light from the sinewy chandelier overhead. A tall thin man with fierce green eyes and dark black hair strode through the door. His charcoal colored suit and vivid emerald tie seemed streamlined, clean and absent of any wasted fabric. He moved to the front of the table as though movement itself was effortless, as if everything he did came easy.
William shifted in his chair; Lamont Kendrick often had that effect on him.
June 22, 2010
WELCOME TO THE SITE
So if you found your way to this site I bet you're either a family member, close personal friend or one of the loyal and rabid readers at the Daily Thunder and you're probably wondering what this website is all about. Well don't worry, this post should pretty much give you all the information you'd ever need---or even want to know---about me and The Greenstone Saga.
First things first, my name is J.G. Marking and I love to write. That's probably not a big surprise to you since, you know, my writing is probably what brought you here. What you might not know is that I actually went to school to write, getting my Bachelor's in English from Oklahoma State University and my Master's degree from the University of Central Oklahoma in Creative Writing.
My first book was published in 2005, A Voice Is Calling, and was based off of a Bible study I wrote for my church. The experience of that first publication taught me a lot about what it takes to actually construct a manuscript and about the rigors and inner workings of the publishing industry. If a study of spiritual disciplines is your cup of tea, you might enjoy it. My mom would recommend it to you, but she's a little biased.Daily Thunder, the #1 source for information and occasional (if we're lucky) insight for all things Oklahoma City Thunder on the web. As you might guess, I'm just a wee bit of a basketball fan...atic.
Now that you know a bit about me let's move on to what this site is all about. TheGreenstoneSaga.com is something that I have been working on for a good while now and is pretty much my way of giving you the inside look at what I'm working on, how the novel writing process goes from idea to paper, and as a thank you to everyone who likes reading my stuff, I plan on posting sneak peeks of entire chapters from the first novel that I'm working on, The Gift of the Greenstone, which will be the first installment of my five book, epic fantasy adventure series, The Greenstone Saga.
So if all of this sounds like something you'd be interested in keeping an eye on and you're intrigued to get the first look at everything I'm working on/going through to move a manuscript from the idea phase to the represented and published stage, then welcome! This should be fun.
And stay tuned, because there might be a nice surprise for you in the very near future.
First things first, my name is J.G. Marking and I love to write. That's probably not a big surprise to you since, you know, my writing is probably what brought you here. What you might not know is that I actually went to school to write, getting my Bachelor's in English from Oklahoma State University and my Master's degree from the University of Central Oklahoma in Creative Writing.
My first book was published in 2005, A Voice Is Calling, and was based off of a Bible study I wrote for my church. The experience of that first publication taught me a lot about what it takes to actually construct a manuscript and about the rigors and inner workings of the publishing industry. If a study of spiritual disciplines is your cup of tea, you might enjoy it. My mom would recommend it to you, but she's a little biased.Daily Thunder, the #1 source for information and occasional (if we're lucky) insight for all things Oklahoma City Thunder on the web. As you might guess, I'm just a wee bit of a basketball fan...atic.
Now that you know a bit about me let's move on to what this site is all about. TheGreenstoneSaga.com is something that I have been working on for a good while now and is pretty much my way of giving you the inside look at what I'm working on, how the novel writing process goes from idea to paper, and as a thank you to everyone who likes reading my stuff, I plan on posting sneak peeks of entire chapters from the first novel that I'm working on, The Gift of the Greenstone, which will be the first installment of my five book, epic fantasy adventure series, The Greenstone Saga.
So if all of this sounds like something you'd be interested in keeping an eye on and you're intrigued to get the first look at everything I'm working on/going through to move a manuscript from the idea phase to the represented and published stage, then welcome! This should be fun.
And stay tuned, because there might be a nice surprise for you in the very near future.
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