TAL E
MAGAZINE
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HOW TO HOLD ONTO CREATIVITY PAGE 7–8 Choosing a career based on your PASSIONS & DREAMS
Summer 2014
Tale Magazine Editor NICOLE BLANCHE Contributors NICOLE BLANCHE CATSI ECEER C.M. DAVIDSON Photography & Graphic Design NICOLE BLANCHE LONDON E. CHAPMAN Proofreader NICOLE BLANCHE
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR You, my dear readers, are saints. I greatly apologize for the length of time this issue took, but it’s finally here. Please note, Tale is now a quarterly magazine. Hopefully this will keep us on track from now on, and things will be less of a mad rush. I really hope you enjoy the updated design of Tale… I love the vibe of this issue. It’s brings a much more mature and sophisticated look, but still with that creative spark of fun. To all those readers who are heading to college this year (and even those who aren’t), Miss Davidson wrote a very beautiful article on the importance of creativity (found on page 11) and how to hold onto it as you grow up and life gets busier. Also found in this issue is a fun, yet informative, edition of Writing, Catsi-Style featuring clichés and how to fix them. Thanks & Enjoy, Nicole Blanche
Visit us online. Find back issues, news, profiles, and more at talemag.weebly.com!
4 Dream & Aspire: A Note 5 Wanderlust: A Poem 7 Choosing Your Career 9 The Importance of Creativity 14 Captives: A Book Review 16 Writing, Catsi-Style 25 The Tanglewood Times
WHAT’S YOUR STORY?
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NICOLE BLANCHE
Too often in life, individuals give up on their dreams. Maybe it’s because they were afraid or perhaps it was due to a wellmeaning family member who pressed a “more secure” job. There will always be people in your life who’ll tell you that you can’t do it and that your dream is impossible. Some will mean well, others won’t. But you can’t let the naysayers get in your way, stopping you from reaching your goals in life. You were given these passions for a reason. Question yourself about what really matters to you. How important is your dream? Are you willing to chase it? Don’t let the chance pass you by; don’t live in regret. You’ve only got one life. Make it count – every second of it.
I would be gone this night, my love I’d slip to the stilly night, and watch As the dew-dipped stars take flight in the burning sky And see the silent trumpets as they count the tones of time To watch, and watch; not close my eyes for watching. I would be gone this morn, my love Into the rosy strains of dawn, and list As the silver shards of light, that mark creation and the day Sing alleluias of the brimming skies, I list, and list, and cannot sleep for list’ning. I would be gone this day, my love Fly like the wind at noontide, and ne’er return to thee For this old world cries, and calls, and brims to beck me hence Graphics made with Canva.com The siren’s song of a thousand golden days; I’d wander, and I’d wander, and ne’er return from wandr’ing
HOW TO KNOW
What to Do with Your Life CHOOSING YOUR CAREER
It’s that age, isn’t it? Everyone’s asking you’re the same question: What are you going to major in in college? Well, to be honest, even you don’t know. With so many ideas and so little time, it’s getting closer to the end of the line. How do you choose? Well, get a cup of tea, sit down, and relax. Just follow these tips and hopefully you’ll be on the right track in no time! Obvious, no? Take a deep breath and calm down. Tension makes decisions harder. Keep in mind that a lot of schools allow you to enter as an undecided major. CALM DOWN
As alluring as the life of a rich, say, attorney might seem, remember that if you’re not doing something you love, money isn’t going to mean as much. Zeal is important. PASSIONS
Talk to people who have experience as professionals in the field you’re considering, as well as other adults. But remember that in the end this is your life and your decision. CONSULT
As good as it is to follow your heart, remember to take your mind with you. If you want to be an artist, great. If you decide to rent spaces out to other artists to help support you, better. LOGIC
Choosing BETWEEN Passions Make a list of your interests. Spend a lot of time discerning things you enjoy doing, but aren’t passionate about, from the things that you absolutely couldn’t live without.
Don’t choose something because of glitz or money. Make sure you pursue it because you love it, otherwise you’re likely to regret it later on in life. The novelty will wear off.
HOBBY
LURE
What would you be willing to go through hard times for? What means more to you than most anything? And/Or what feels like it’s a part of you? Books? Style? A drive to help the world?
No matter what you choose, it’s usually a good idea to have at least a vague concept of a backup. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Consider your minor or a double major for this.
DREAM
BACK UP
No one can tell you what career is right for you, except yourself. This article’s been about helping you discern your passion. If your real desire is to be wealthy, then have at it! Just be careful not to make a choice you’ll regret. Take a year off if you have to, exploring your options. Undecided major is a great advantage, because you’ll also be at the school,
THE IMPORTANCE OF
CREATIVITY a How-to for the Busy & Harried
C. M. DAVIDSON
“
But unless we are creators we are not fully alive. What do I mean by creators? Not only artists, whose acts of creation are the obvious ones of working with paint of clay or words. Creativity is a way of living life, no matter our vocation or how we earn our living. Creativity is not limited to the arts, or having some kind of important career.
” Madeleine L'Engle, Walking on Water
As writers, we understand the importance of creativity to our work. It’s the creative spirit that fuels our work; it keeps us writing day after day, it fills us up with the ache of untold stories until we couldn’t stop writing even if we wanted to. But it’s not just writers that need creativity. Each and every one of us has a basic need for creativity in our lives; as L’Engle points out, we need to be creators in order to live fully. It doesn’t really matter what your outlet is— writing or drawing or painting or baking or sewing or wood working or whatever you enjoy—but it is vital, oh so vital, that we have one.
THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATIVITY
Well, it was easy when I was a kid. I mean, I was practically made of moonbeams and fairy dust. I kept my head firmly in the clouds, and it was rare to see me without a pen and paper, sewing needle, or a whittled stick in my hands. A scary thing is happening, though, and I’m sure you can relate: I’m growing up. And guess what? There’s more to it than going on dates and being able to buy candy, which was the impression I got as a kid. False advertising is a trap, my friends. Of course, now that I know the truth, it’s too late to back out. Apparently growing up is a non-refundable process. I won’t say I don’t enjoy it sometimes, but I also can’t deny that it’s kind of getting to me, especially since it’s been summer. I miss the days when I could run free on these long hot days. Now I’m expected to have responsibilities, plans, and a job. Between working and taking classes this summer, I don’t have as much time as I used to, and I’m more tired, distracted, and unproductive when I do have free time. Not only is this a bummer to my social life, it’s also taken a hit at my writing, and—more than that—my overall creativity. As writer-in-training, I know the importance of trying to get writing in every day, and just plain as a human being, I know the importance of exercising my creativity, my ability to make and create and write and dream and so forth. That’s really important to me, and I’m afraid that as I get older, this is only going to worse. I’m going to get busier and busier, and if I’m not careful, I realize that I could lose my writing habits and my creativity. And you know what? I hate that thought. I hate it so much. So, I have resolved that, while I may not have a choice in the
C. M. DAVIDSON
decided to keep it. So I resolved and felt much better about myself, and then I was left to decide how I was going to go about nurturing my creativity throughout my busy schedule. I’ve been more swamped lately than I’d like to admit—how do I make time to nurture my creativity and keep up with my writing? And here are some of the tricks I came up with for staying creative, directed specifically at the busy and harried: FIND SOMETHING YOU LIKE This is for people who want to be creative, but don’t know what they like to do or what they’re good at. My outlet, I know, is writing. Occasionally, if I’m in the mood, I’ll sew or make jewelry, but for the most part, I write. It’s not that I’m necessarily good at it; it’s just what I like to do. If you’re not sure, or if you don’t have any creative habits, I would encourage you to take one up now. Creativity is so important! It’s therapeutic and stress-relieving and very good for the imagination. Feel free to shop around and find something you like. Writing, drawing, sewing, jewelry making, knitting, wood working, home décor crafting—the options are literally endless. Try a couple. You don’t have to be great at it, you just have to enjoy it. MAKE IT A PRIORITY Once you know what you like, you have to consciously make time for it. Yeah, there’s like a zillion things you could be doing, but you’re going to have to rule out the non-essential. If you’re like me, you probably have a really hard time doing that (my afternoons off
THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATIVITY
minutes saved is five minutes more you get to spend writing or whatever you like to do. My problem is that, because creative time itself can seem so non-essential, I have a habit of prioritizing it right out of the list. But it IS important. And I need to make time for it, or it’s not going to happen. GET ENOUGH SLEEP Obvious, much? Not for me. When I get busy, sleep is the first thing to be sacrificed. Staying up later in order to get everything done—ostensibly so I’ll have time to relax and be creative the next day—always seems like a good idea at the time. Turns out, it’s not (at least not for me). If I don’t get enough sleep, there is no way I’m feeling up to exercising my brainpower, much less my creativity. If I do wind up with extra time, I’m much more likely to spend it browsing Pinterest than actually being productive or creative. Sleep is incredibly important. So get to bed at a reasonably time. Get your eight hours or however much you can. Trust me, it’s worth it. DON’T STRESS ABOUT IT This is super important: Just do what you can. Don’t worry if it’s only a little here and there; as long as you’re making an effort to get it in, you shouldn’t have to stress about it. I know in my case, I tend to get very hung up on the fact that I don’t have as much writing time, or general creative time, as I would like. It feels like I can never fit enough in, and I get stressed trying to come up with more time, when the simple fact is there just isn’t any more. That
C. M. DAVIDSON
than I spend time actually being creative, which makes absolutely no sense, but I guess that’s just human nature for you. So don’t worry if you can only do a little bit. Relax. It’s better than nothing. Well, I wish you all luck in your ongoing creative journey. I’m sure many of you are experiencing the same things I am—growing up gets us all in the end—and I hope this was helpful to you! What are some other ways that you encourage your own creativity? Do you have any strategies for fitting it in when you’re busy? Until next time! C.M. Davidson
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CAPTIVES JILL WILLIAMSON
RELEASED 2013
In a dystopian future, eighteen-year-old Levi returns from Denver City with his latest scavenged treasures and finds his village of Glenrock decimated, loved ones killed, and many–including his fiancée, Jem–taken captive. Now alone, Levi is determined to rescue what remains of his people, even if it means entering the Safe Lands, a walled city that seems anything but safe. Omar knows he betrayed his brother by sending him away, but helping the enforcers was necessary. Living off the land and clinging to an outdated religion holds his village back. The Safe Lands has protected people since the plague decimated the world generations ago … and its rulers have promised power and wealth beyond Omar’s dreams. Meanwhile, their brother Mason has been granted a position inside the Safe Lands, and may be able to use his captivity to save not CATSI ECEER only the people of his village, but also possibly find a cure for the virus that
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I recently had the opportunity to meet Jill Williamson at the One Year Adventure Novel Summer Workshop. Before hand, I decided to read as many of her books as I could get my hands on. Captives was, and still is, one of my favorites. The differing points of view of the three brothers, Omar, Levi, and Mason, and an occasional chapter from Shaylinn, offer a great perspective on the story. They’re all so different; you’re bound to fall in love with one of them. (*hint* Mason.) The story is written from a Christian worldview, but it’s not preachy. I really can’t stand preachy Christian fiction, but Ms. Williamson put in the perfect mixture of story and faith. There is some mature content—all implied; nothing graphic— so I wouldn’t recommend it for young teens. However, ages 16+ should definitely read it. Captives is book one in the Safe Lands trilogy. Book two, Outcasts, released last winter, and Rebels is set to come out in August. Everybody says that if you like the Hunger Games, you should check it out. I’ve never read the Hunger Games, so I wouldn’t know for sure. But it’s awesome, whether or not you like said dystopian series. ;)
CAPTIVES
WRITING
CATSI STYLE On Clichés
CATSI ECEER
INTRO
The Nature of Clichés
“You won’t get away with this!” “I already have.” I hope you cringed while reading that. I did while writing it. It’s become such a common hero-villain dialogue exchange, that it doesn’t mean anything to us when we read it anymore. Sure, maybe the first time or two that it was used it made the villain seem cocky and the hero optimistic, but these days it just makes the writer seem unoriginal. That’s the nature of clichés. Someone gets a particular amazing piece of writing on paper, and then everyone who reads it uses it too, until the whole world has heard about things randomly disappearing into thin air. Or how vendors hawk their wares in the marketplace. Or how the villain is actually the hero’s father. I’m going to go over three different types of clichés in this article: plot clichés, phrase clichés, and character clichés.
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PLOT Definition CLICHES
A plot cliché is a story twist or plot type that’s been used so often we readers are able to easily predict everything that happens. It becomes boring for us (unless you have really awesome characters), and shows that you haven’t worked hard enough to make your story original. Some common plot clichés: “No, I am your father.” (Believe it or not, Darth Vader never actually says “Luke” in that line.) The orphan kid is really the lost prince/wizard/personwith-amazing-powers. Portals to another world. A combination of the last two clichés. The love triangle. The guy and girl hate each other in the beginning, but get together in the end. *ominous voice* The chosen one.
C. ECEER
PLOT Fix CLICHES
Reverse the cliché. How does it change the story? What can you apply to your story from this scenario? Remove the cliché entirely, and force your imagination to come up with something better. Imaginations are lazy things. They’ll always give you an easy way out--a cliché--rather than an original idea. If you absolutely have to use a cliché, present it in a way that’s original. One of my favorite examples of original cliché usage is from Beyonders: A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull. He uses a portal to another world, which is a cliché, but the portal is through the mouth of a hippopotamus. I can honestly say I have never before seen that particular kind of portal used before.
CATSI STYLE
PHRASE Definition CLICHES A phrase cliché is a description, line of dialogue, or any other sort of cliché that is found in the actual prose of a novel. It’s a line that’s been used so often that it fails to create any emotion in us. (The line of dialogue at the beginning of this article could have created a feeling of dread or hopelessness, if used in the right way, but because we’ve heard it so much it doesn’t affect us at all.) Some examples of phrase clichés: • Things disappearing into thin air. (As opposed to, say, thick air?) • Stars shining like jewels. • Few and far between. • Going on a “wild goose chase.” (Catch that goose already.) • The light at the end of the tunnel. • Dead as a doornail. (This one drives me insane. I don’t know why, but it does.) • Catch a few winks. (Who thought that sleeping was like catching winks? Had he actually caught one of those before?) (Okay, so maybe I’m being a little too snarky. Sorry. There are tons more clichés than what I have listed here. Just type “phrase clichés” into your search engine, and you can find websites dedicated to listing phrase clichés.)
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PHRASE Fix CLICHES Delete it. Always, always delete it. A phrase cliché shows that you aren’t properly imagining your story. Delete the cliché, close your eyes, and really imagine what’s happening. Those stars don’t really look like diamonds, do they? Maybe they actually look like fireflies. Or sparks from a fire. Or a million drops of water shimmering on a polished floor. When you’re describing something, see if you can’t sneak a little bit of your character or setting into the description. It’ll remove any possibility of a cliché from the description that way. Quick example: The sentence out of my rough draft was, “Then the memory slipped away like sand through my fingers.” I’m not always the most original writer, you see. Then, in order to make the sentence less cliché, I took out the last part of the sentence. “The memory slipped away.” Nope, still didn’t like that. I started thinking. My main character, Pitch, has never seen sand before. He’s in a totally landlocked country, and there are no rivers nearby. So... “The memory slipped away like water through my fingers.” Better... But so that it creates just a little more emotion... “The memory slipped away like ditchwater through my fingers, leaving only a damp, dirty reminder of what had once been.”
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CHARACTER Definition CLICHES
A character cliché could probably be better named a character stereotype. But for the purposes of this article, I’m going to call it a cliché. A character cliché is a kind of character that has been used by so many writers that the character fails to seem real, but more of a cardboard cutout. Or maybe a Sunday School flannelgraph character. Some examples of character clichés: The super tough warrior chick. (Josie went over this one in depth in Tale’s very first issue. Check it out if you missed it!) The big dumb guy. (It actually is possible to be both strong and smart, believe it or not.) Nerds, jocks, and snobby cheerleaders. Orphan street boy/pickpocket.
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CHARACTER Fix CLICHES My favorite subject. *rubs hands together in evil glee* Kidding. But this really is a pet subject of mine, so just bear with me if I start running off on rabbit trails. Develop the character’s backstory. Why is that warrior chick always acting so tough? People who are hurt often put up a shell, and seem untouchable on the outside, but are broken on the inside. Give them a weakness. And I don’t mean some superhero weakness--You know, copper or kryptonite or whatever. I mean real weaknesses that everyday people have. Fear of rejection, pain, or loss. Depression, anxiety, or any other problem. Most people know how it feels to be hopeless, or hurt, or afraid. When you have a character who is one of those things, they automatically become less cliché and more real. Give them a power, too! Again, not a superhero power, but just something they’re good at. A musical instrument, maybe. Or a particular school subject. Or being able to encourage others when they’re down. And every character should have a dream. They should have something they want, and it can’t just be to help or oppose the main character. They are the main character of their own story, and your MC is the one helping/opposing them.
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THE END
The Nature of Clichés
And one last note about all the different kinds of clichés: Don’t get paranoid over every little thing. So your fantasy characters use swords, and your MC is an orphan. Who cares? Nobody is going to label it cliché because of something like that. Just remember this: How can I make my story unexpected? How can I make my story mine? The best of luck and originality to you, Catsi Eceer
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“Whe n w riting a no v e l a w rite r s ho uld c re ate liv ing p e o p le ; p e o p le no t c harac te rs . A c harac te r is a c aric ature .” ― Ernest Hemingway, Death in the Afternoon
Welcome back! We all know that character development is probably the most important element in a story, especially in terms of gaining and keeping your reader’s interest and attention. It can also be one of the hardest things to develop as a writer and especially as a young writer. I guess it’s about time that we had a post discussing some facet of character development, but to be honest, after I chose this topic, I sat at my computer for days, paralyzed with the enormity of the task I had chosen. Character development is hug e . And what makes it doubly hard for me, is the fact that it is one of the elements of writing which I, personally, am most particular about, both in my writing and in others. I mean, I can forgive you if your descriptions are a little shaky or if your plot
HANG DRAW AND QUARTER IT AND STEP ON THE PIECES!!! Of course, character development is an extremely broad topic: what I actually want to talk about are some strategies for Testing Your Hero. Testing the hero is something that every writer incorporates into the story in some way shape or form. All things considered, it’s probably the number one way to advance a character’s development. Testing of the hero can occur at any point in the story, and should happen often enough that the reader feels constantly engaged and worried for his wellbeing. There are a thousand and one ways to go about this testing, and yours will probably be determined by the parameters of your plot and your hero’s specific needs and shortcomings. However, here are a few basic guidelines that might help you with developing challenges for your hero (your own personal copy of “Hero-Testing for Dummies”, if you will. Hey, it works for me!) :
- Why I like to make my challenges purposeful. Recently I’ve been in an obsessive storyplanning phase, so by the time I get around to developing challenges for my hero, I already have an idea of his or her strengths and weaknesses, and have developed the beginnings of a plan for said character’s development. That way, I can tailor my challenges to my hero’s specific needs, strengths and weaknesses, which helps keep my story focused and avoid unnecessary scenes. The first question I ask myself is, “Why do I need to test this character? What weaknesses does he need to recognize or overcome? What virtues can I bring out in him? What can I do to point him in the direction I eventually want him to take, developmentally?” Obviously, this method may not be for everyone, but personally, I think it’s the best way to develop both your challenges and your characters.
- What Next step. What is your challenge? Is your hero going to get at tacked by a dragon, or is his mother dying? What exactly is going to happen? This will be largely dependent upon your answers to the question above. If you think your hero’s best quality is his bravery, put him in a scene where he is forced to face something that he’s afraid of. If his development depends on him learning to forgive others, have someone he loves betray or hurt him and see how he deals with it. If you didn’t have an answer to question one, you can feel free to just go with it and see what happens. You might end up with a lot of revising to do, but I can’t promise that wouldn’t happen either way, so don’t worry too much about it.
- When The placement of challenges in your story can also be strategic, used to reinforce the consequences of your character’s decision, test their will at key points, and reaffirm their commitment to their goal, whatsoever that may be. Often a challenge will mark the start of your character’s (mental, emotional, or physical) journey. This kind of challenge is called the Thre s ho ld Guardian, and it serves to mark your character’s entry into a special world of growth, danger, and adventure. Sometimes a challenge can come to reaffirm the hero’s purpose after the hero has begun to doubt himself and his journey, or to redirect him after he has begun to stray from the path. Tests and challenges are a useful way to keep the excitement of the story going, and should be used judiciously. Don’t overdo it, though—not every book can be a Se rie s o f Unfo rtunate Ev e nts !
- How How will this affect your hero? Again, this is largely dependent upon your conclusions about your hero at the beginning. How he reacts to the challenge and how it changes him will be dictated by his character and his intended development, which of course will ultimately be decided by you. That’s about all I have for you today. ‘Til next time!
C.M. Davidson.
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