Symbolism in your writing

I came across an interesting exchange on Neil Gaiman’s Tumblr site a little while back – interesting to me because it discussed something I had wondered about myself. (Sidenote: Isn’t the internet a wondrous place? Any question I have had or will have or didn’t even know I had will somehow, sooner or later, show up somewhere out on the internet without me ever having to ask it!)

Anyhow – the actual exchange can be found at this link. But since I’m apparently not smart enough to get a screen capture so as to actually place it here in the blog, here is the content:

Q: Mr. Gaiman, when people read the stories I have written, they always ask me what message I’m trying to convey or what symbolism I have in what I’ve written. I’m never sure what to tell them because most of the time I’m not thinking about it, I’m just trying to tell a story that I think people will enjoy. Do you always have a message to convey and symbolism to think about in your stories? Or is it okay to just write something for people to read and enjoy?

A: Don’t tell them anything. Just smile sweetly and write the next story.

Figuring that stuff out is their job. Your job is making things up. And if you’re making things up properly there will themes and symbols and messages aplenty, whether you intentionally put them in or not, because you are human and alive and writing a story.

A writer gets to explode on the page. Critics and readers are the ones get to to gather up the shrapnel and examine the damage and figure out who got hurt.

I love this! You know when you read a really good book and then you read some professional review of it and they talk about all the symbolism and meaning behind all the stuff that you just thought was a really good story? It always makes me wonder if I should be trying to put more symbolism into my stories. But maybe in many of the stories where symbolism has been divined and praised, there wasn’t really meant to be symbolism at all? Maybe the author just wanted to tell a really good story. That’s what I strive for in my writing. And to do just that much and do it well is challenging enough!

How about you? Do you put much thought into the symbolism behind your stories? Or are you just striving to tell a good story?

Just For Fun

I watched Willow with my daughter last night. This is STILL a good movie! I suggest you rent it or pull it up on Netflix tonight. This was back when Val Kilmer was still pretty hot (though, to be fair, I looked better back in 1988 than I do now, too) and before Warwick Davis became Professor Flitwick.

Here I am … but for real this time. Also, I’ve got the Tweets. (But, it’s not contagious.)

I’ve thought long and hard on this subject of what name I want to use if/when I finally do publish. And, quite frankly, I’m tired of thinking about it. So, here I am. For real. This is me. Kitty Hietala. If somebody goes to the trouble of stalking me then: a) they need to get a life and 2) maybe I’m more interesting than I thought and wouldn’t that be a nice boost to my ego?

So, ahem, Dear Stalkers: I will be purchasing one of these Robot Tigers for the protection of home and family. You have been warned.

And also? I thought about using my maiden name but if, by some chance, I do something illegal and/or embarassing in the future, I’d rather do it with my in-laws last name than my dad’s last name.

I was going to do this whole grand unveiling kind of thing with a new header and all; because I actually have plans for a new header that will relate to the books that I’m working on and hopefully it will turn out as cool as I think it will. But who knows when I’ll get that header accomplished and I am planning to participate in the upcoming Platform Builders Campaign. If I’m going to work on building my platform, it seems reasonable to do it with my real name.

Another reason for the name change: I’ve now got the Twitters! (Ew, that sounds gross. I’ve got the Tweets? Nope, still gross). I’m using the real name there, too, and at some point I’ll get the fancy little “T” button over there on the sidebar so everyone can find me. I’m still figuring out Twitter but I am really liking it so far. I had been thinking of joining (for the second time) for a while, but was ultimately inspired by this great post by Jill Barville over at 3 Rs. Thanks, Jill! I joined just in time to watch #agentday play out – in which literary agents tweeted about what they do all day long! It was fun to follow along.

Any tips y’all have for me regarding Twitter are more than welcome. What hashtags, authors, agents, or writers do you follow?

And so it begins…

So, here’s the deal. I wrote a novel. It’s a young adult fantasy novel (with a little romance thrown in for good measure. Maybe more than a little.) It is the first in what will be a trilogy. I have “finished” the first one. Finished is thrown into questionable light here because… will I ever really stop tinkering with it until it is published and therefore untouchable? Doubtful. I have started sending out query letters to potential agents. However, before I even began doing that, I had in the back of my mind that I would not find an agent or a publisher for this and I would need to e-publish on my own.

Do I think my novel is that bad that no publisher or agent would touch it with a 10-foot pole? Absolutely not. I love this novel more than I should. My main character is likeable, conflicted, brave, and completely unaware of who she really is and the potential she is about to uncover. The premise rests heavily on the sad state of the environment of our planet. There is wormhole travel to another planet. There’s a gorgeous love-interest with deep emerald eyes. There are aliens with… well, I won’t throw out any more spoilers just in case you want to read it someday. I’ll write more about the novel in another post.

My point is – I’m pretty happy with the novel. I’ve had several people read it and they thought it was good, too. I’m not so cocky as to think I’m the next Madeleine L’Engle or Suzanne Collins. But I think it’s a solid first novel.

So why have I already planned for failure going the traditional publishing route? Because I’ve researched enough to know that is the nature of the beast. (“The beast” being the publishing world.) I don’t know exactly what the numbers are, but I know that a discouraging percentage of people who send their manuscripts out into the Universe get a nod on their first try, or within a reasonable amount of time.

I have also done enough research to know that e-publishing has been extremely successful for some. If, in the end, I end up e-publishing a work of literature that I happen to be proud of and at least a handful of people out there like it, then that will make me all kinds of happy, too.

If I end up e-publishing – or even if I go the traditional route - I’ll need some kind of forum to promote the book and connect with readers. Voila – a blog is born!

Not only will this be a great way to connect with folks who may eventually want to check out my book(s), but I’m looking forward to connecting with other writers out there.

So, hello out there blogosphere! Is anyone there? I look forward to hearing from you. Tips, tricks or ideas about blogging are all more than welcome!