Karin Shah's Blog - Posts Tagged "chimeras"
My trailer for IN LIKE A LION
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iLsLAtOMmhM
IN LIKE A LION, the first in my Paranormal Romance series The Chimera Chronicles, releases digitally Wednesday 12/19/12 and in print Summer 2013.
Please like and share if you get a moment!
IN LIKE A LION, the first in my Paranormal Romance series The Chimera Chronicles, releases digitally Wednesday 12/19/12 and in print Summer 2013.
Please like and share if you get a moment!
Fight scenes, anyone?
Fight scenes are one of the hardest scenes to write. How do you write a scene that requires so much cause end effect and linear sequencing without boring (or losing) the reader?
I start in layers.
Layer 1. Setting, we have to know where we are in order to know what's going on. A scene in an alley is different from a scene in a warehouse. If the walls of the alley are made of brick and my hero gets pinned up against it, he might be scraped. Sounds will travel differently. The items in the alley are props that act as obstacles or weapons of opportunity for the hero, the heroine or their enemies.
1.a Costume, if my hero is wearing a leather jacket, he's probably not going to feel the prick of the bricks through it. He definitely will if he's wearing a cotton t-shirt. Clothing can be tricky, it's not always easy to remember what you put on your hero. Proof reading for continuity is extremely important here.
2. Blocking, who did what to whom? This should be the easiest part, but making sure actions happen in order is harder than you might think. The hero is hit, then he feels the pain/blood/whatever. Describing each action can also be difficult. Not everybody knows what a side kick is, or any of the other martial arts terms. Descriptions should be as succinct as possible, a move that took under a second, can't take more than a sentence to describe or the reader may feel bogged down. A scene with a lot of moves may require a simple bushing over like "suddenly the biker was on his knees, his arm twisted behind his back." Check out this YouTube video of British martial artist stunt man/actor, Scott Adkins doing fight choreography for the movie Wolverine. (Notice he only has a wire on in the very last move:-)) Imagine describing some of these moves! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mog-oC...
3.Emotion, this is one of the most critical parts of a fight scene. The reader has to feel something, so the character needs to react and feel, as well. Even if he's just numb or detached, the reader has to know. When writing alpha heroes emotion can be one of the hardest things to convey during a fight scene. These are strong guys. They don't feel the fear or pain the way a regular person would. A good way to bring in the reader emotionally is to have the heroine react, or bystanders. Or put the heroine or his best friend in danger, or a child, pet, etc. They won't worry for themselves, but they have to worry for others. (Even if they cover it really well.:-) )
4. (Plot)Change, a fight scene, like a love scene, should not be gratuitous. When it's over, something has to have changed, whether it's the relationship between the hero and the heroine, an elevation in the danger, or a huge plot point. In my book IN LIKE A LION Jake and Anjali get into a car chase on a highway paralleling the Mojave National Preserve. They are driven off the road. Jake fights in almost pitch darkness and in the end they are forced into the vast, potentially deadly desert.
So if fight scenes are so complicated, why do I love them? 1.I'm a total fangirl of Martial Arts movies (ask me about Undisputed III) 2. I do Taekwondo. 3. They can: keep the pace going while raising the stakes, increase rooting interest, advance the relationship of the hero and heroine, and be great fun to read.
And you? Fight scenes, love 'em or hate 'em?
I start in layers.
Layer 1. Setting, we have to know where we are in order to know what's going on. A scene in an alley is different from a scene in a warehouse. If the walls of the alley are made of brick and my hero gets pinned up against it, he might be scraped. Sounds will travel differently. The items in the alley are props that act as obstacles or weapons of opportunity for the hero, the heroine or their enemies.
1.a Costume, if my hero is wearing a leather jacket, he's probably not going to feel the prick of the bricks through it. He definitely will if he's wearing a cotton t-shirt. Clothing can be tricky, it's not always easy to remember what you put on your hero. Proof reading for continuity is extremely important here.
2. Blocking, who did what to whom? This should be the easiest part, but making sure actions happen in order is harder than you might think. The hero is hit, then he feels the pain/blood/whatever. Describing each action can also be difficult. Not everybody knows what a side kick is, or any of the other martial arts terms. Descriptions should be as succinct as possible, a move that took under a second, can't take more than a sentence to describe or the reader may feel bogged down. A scene with a lot of moves may require a simple bushing over like "suddenly the biker was on his knees, his arm twisted behind his back." Check out this YouTube video of British martial artist stunt man/actor, Scott Adkins doing fight choreography for the movie Wolverine. (Notice he only has a wire on in the very last move:-)) Imagine describing some of these moves! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mog-oC...
3.Emotion, this is one of the most critical parts of a fight scene. The reader has to feel something, so the character needs to react and feel, as well. Even if he's just numb or detached, the reader has to know. When writing alpha heroes emotion can be one of the hardest things to convey during a fight scene. These are strong guys. They don't feel the fear or pain the way a regular person would. A good way to bring in the reader emotionally is to have the heroine react, or bystanders. Or put the heroine or his best friend in danger, or a child, pet, etc. They won't worry for themselves, but they have to worry for others. (Even if they cover it really well.:-) )
4. (Plot)Change, a fight scene, like a love scene, should not be gratuitous. When it's over, something has to have changed, whether it's the relationship between the hero and the heroine, an elevation in the danger, or a huge plot point. In my book IN LIKE A LION Jake and Anjali get into a car chase on a highway paralleling the Mojave National Preserve. They are driven off the road. Jake fights in almost pitch darkness and in the end they are forced into the vast, potentially deadly desert.
So if fight scenes are so complicated, why do I love them? 1.I'm a total fangirl of Martial Arts movies (ask me about Undisputed III) 2. I do Taekwondo. 3. They can: keep the pace going while raising the stakes, increase rooting interest, advance the relationship of the hero and heroine, and be great fun to read.
And you? Fight scenes, love 'em or hate 'em?
Should I kill him?
Being a pantser, I've come to a place in my manuscript where I added a character purely to raise the stakes. Now, I'm trying to decide if I should "redshirt" (kill him off to reinforce the seriousness of the situation) him or just put hm in a coma.
He's the police officer boyfriend of of the heroine's best friend. The friend is tied to a chair because she's possessed by a demon. The boyfriend has come to visit and caught them with his girlfriend tied to a chair. He's not anything more than a bit character, but he is a policeman, how would you as a reader feel if I kill him off?
Oh, the demon is going to attack him not the hero, etc.
Help, please!
He's the police officer boyfriend of of the heroine's best friend. The friend is tied to a chair because she's possessed by a demon. The boyfriend has come to visit and caught them with his girlfriend tied to a chair. He's not anything more than a bit character, but he is a policeman, how would you as a reader feel if I kill him off?
Oh, the demon is going to attack him not the hero, etc.
Help, please!
Am I weird?
Another day, another blog spot, another chance to win a free copy of IN LIKE A LION.http://www.roxannesrealm.blogspot.com/ and find out why I ask if I'm weird...
Another blog stop w my trailer and a short excerpt.
I'm a bit late posting today because of a morning commitment (Taekwondo pix and belt ceremony. I'm a purple belt now!)
But...Another day, another blog stop, another chance to enter to win a free ecopy of IN LIKE A LION.
Please tweet, like, share and comment!
http://bibliophilesthoughtsonbooks.bl...
Happy Saturday!
But...Another day, another blog stop, another chance to enter to win a free ecopy of IN LIKE A LION.
Please tweet, like, share and comment!
http://bibliophilesthoughtsonbooks.bl...
Happy Saturday!
Shiny Tings Today
Find out what probing questions I was asked by Bookswagger at http://bookswagger.com/2013/02/27/in-...
Looking for a YA Editor to be a final judge for my RWA Chapters contest. I keep calling, but I've only left two messages. I'm hoping my persistence is impressive not annoying.
And in Chimera 2 (still thinking of titles-- suggestions to do with ghosts most welcome) lions frolic in New York City's Central Park.
Also, my cover is in the finals at http://www.indtale.com/cover-contest please stop by and vote! You have to subscribe, but it's free and it's a great site!
Looking for a YA Editor to be a final judge for my RWA Chapters contest. I keep calling, but I've only left two messages. I'm hoping my persistence is impressive not annoying.
And in Chimera 2 (still thinking of titles-- suggestions to do with ghosts most welcome) lions frolic in New York City's Central Park.
Also, my cover is in the finals at http://www.indtale.com/cover-contest please stop by and vote! You have to subscribe, but it's free and it's a great site!
Meet Jake -- Character Interview
Today Jake from IN LIKE A LION is interviewed at
http://lauriethoughts-reviews.blogspo...
I hope you enjoy! Also, Soul Mate is having a promotion and IN LIKE A LION is currently priced at $3.99!
Have a great day!
Karin
http://lauriethoughts-reviews.blogspo...
I hope you enjoy! Also, Soul Mate is having a promotion and IN LIKE A LION is currently priced at $3.99!
Have a great day!
Karin
So you live in Gotham/Metroplolis/New York City
I love Superheroes. Probably obvious to those who have read my books. My heroes and heroines are always Superhuman.
Marvel's the Avengers, Captain America, and Thor are all on Netfilix now and after re-watching them and seeing Man of Steel in the theater, I came up with these tips for surviving the superhero version of NYC
1. When you take your young son to the theater, wait until the show is over to leave. You can hang in the lobby. I'm sure there are drinks or something available to occupy your time.
2. If you are a business owner, make sure your insurance covers "smashing" and other damage from Superhuman fists or bodies crashing through your building.
3. Resist the urge to watch Superheroes battle. Stay away from the windows. In fact evacuate the building, and run. Run away as fast as you can.
4. If a superhero directs you, follow his advice. Now is not a good time to ask who he is and why you should listen to him.
5. Move.
Hope you enjoyed my tips! I'd love to hear some of yours!
Karin
Marvel's the Avengers, Captain America, and Thor are all on Netfilix now and after re-watching them and seeing Man of Steel in the theater, I came up with these tips for surviving the superhero version of NYC
1. When you take your young son to the theater, wait until the show is over to leave. You can hang in the lobby. I'm sure there are drinks or something available to occupy your time.
2. If you are a business owner, make sure your insurance covers "smashing" and other damage from Superhuman fists or bodies crashing through your building.
3. Resist the urge to watch Superheroes battle. Stay away from the windows. In fact evacuate the building, and run. Run away as fast as you can.
4. If a superhero directs you, follow his advice. Now is not a good time to ask who he is and why you should listen to him.
5. Move.
Hope you enjoyed my tips! I'd love to hear some of yours!
Karin
Hello Atlanta!
In a few short days, I will (hopefully) have wrapped up my chapter's contest, finished packing my son for Taekwondo camp, made sure my daughter has what she needs for her big dance performance months in the making, and be winging my way (metaphorically as I must use a plane, unlike my characters*g*) to Atlanta for the Romance Writers of America's yearly national convention.
The highlight of my time there (well, one of them) will be the Literacy Signing. My books are now all in print, but compared to the ebook copies, they are pretty expensive, and I am not well known, so I will have to keep my expectations of lines stretching around corners for sometime in the future. For now, I will hope I can meet scads of fellow lovers of the paranormal, science fiction, and fantasy. And that friends (both virtual and physical) will stop by and say hello.
So here's me, formally inviting you to meet me in Atlanta!
(I will try to remember the chocolate this year)
See you soon!
Karin
The highlight of my time there (well, one of them) will be the Literacy Signing. My books are now all in print, but compared to the ebook copies, they are pretty expensive, and I am not well known, so I will have to keep my expectations of lines stretching around corners for sometime in the future. For now, I will hope I can meet scads of fellow lovers of the paranormal, science fiction, and fantasy. And that friends (both virtual and physical) will stop by and say hello.
So here's me, formally inviting you to meet me in Atlanta!
(I will try to remember the chocolate this year)
See you soon!
Karin
Guess who I winged Chocolate at!
Although I almost didn’t have a hotel room Tuesday night, I ended up having a blast at the conference. Luckily, Tuesday morning I called my my close friend, roomie, and Soul Mate editor extraordinaire, Debby Gilbert, and we realized I’d gotten my wires crossed (are you surprised?) and didn’t have a room in the conference hotel that night only hours before I was due to leave for the airport. I managed to secure one, but I could have done without the adrenaline rush.
I arrived at the hotel (much thanks to the fabulous Donna MacMeans for posting intricate directions on the COFW loop for those of us taking the MARTA from the airport) Wednesday was the literacy signing.
I as expected, I didn’t sell out, but I had a blast talking to everyone. Mostly thanks to Ranger, whose pic I had up on my IPad as an icebreaker.
I was up against the windows at the end of the aisle, so I didn’t get that much traffic, but Maggie Shayne was across from me and when her line got long, I’d say, “Hey, if you like Maggie Shayne’s books you might like mine.:-)
She was a good sport and when things got a little slow and she got hungry, I chucked some Hershey’s nuggets across the aisle like it was Mardi Gras. She’s a good catcher.:-)
There is more to share from RWA, but that will have to come in a later installment.
Did you have any adventures this weekend? Who did you meet? Where did you eat? Did you throw candy at anyone?
Karin
I arrived at the hotel (much thanks to the fabulous Donna MacMeans for posting intricate directions on the COFW loop for those of us taking the MARTA from the airport) Wednesday was the literacy signing.
I as expected, I didn’t sell out, but I had a blast talking to everyone. Mostly thanks to Ranger, whose pic I had up on my IPad as an icebreaker.
I was up against the windows at the end of the aisle, so I didn’t get that much traffic, but Maggie Shayne was across from me and when her line got long, I’d say, “Hey, if you like Maggie Shayne’s books you might like mine.:-)
She was a good sport and when things got a little slow and she got hungry, I chucked some Hershey’s nuggets across the aisle like it was Mardi Gras. She’s a good catcher.:-)
There is more to share from RWA, but that will have to come in a later installment.
Did you have any adventures this weekend? Who did you meet? Where did you eat? Did you throw candy at anyone?
Karin
