Writing

Flawed Characters or Human Characters?

August 6, 2014 Kara JorgensenLeave a comment

As a writer who in recent months has received several reviews, I have noticed that there was mention of “flawed” characters. Is a character flawed enough? If a character is not irreparably flawed, are they then perfect?

The definition of a character flaw is: “a limitation, imperfection, problem, phobia, or deficiency present in a character who may be otherwise very functional. The flaw can be a problem that directly affects the character’s actions and abilities, such as a violent temper. Alternatively, it can be a simple foible or personality defect, which affects the character’s motives and social interactions, but little else.”

These flaws can then be broken down into minor, major, or tragic. Minor flaws include things like scars, nervous habits, quirks, baldness, Major flaws are more encumbering on the character’s lives but are not always absolutely negative things. A strict moral or ethical code that inhibits their freedom or life can be a major flaw, and of course, the typical notion of major flaws, such as anger issues, mental problems, blindness, deafness, etc. are all possibilities. Protagonists or antagonists can often be brought down by these flaws and succumb to them, or they can struggle against them throughout the plot. Tragic flaws, which are commonly seen in Greek tragedies and epics (such as Achilles’ pride or Oedipus’s anger and suspicion), bring the character from a place of prominence to ruin when they ultimately fall victim to these flaws.

When most readers discuss flaws, they automatically think of major and tragic flaws, but in real life, how many of us are plagued with life-shattering personality traits? This leads a writer to consider whether they want their characters to be realistic or whether they want to check off the box marked “flawed”. If they choose to be realistic, one must grapple with whether everyone considers the same thing to be a flaw. The answer of course is no. For a character study, I will use my own character Eilian Sorrell, who ultimately lacks major or tragic flaws.

In terms of minor flaws, Eilian is at times irresponsible, laid back, is handsome but has burn scars across his chest, neck and arm, is missing his right arm, lacks confidence (especially around his family and formal social situations), is easily hurt and crushed by others’ comments, and is overly trusting. One might not consider being laid back or trusting to be a flaw, but in the context of the work, does it backfire on them? If the answer is yes, it is a flaw.

When working on characters, I believe that creating a realistic portrait of a human being is preferable over a character that checks off the correct boxes: neatly fits archetype, has flaws, is a “good guy” or “bad guy”, fits reader expectations. Are humans flawed? Very much so, but is everyone so horrifically flawed that they cannot function and constantly get in their own way, no. Create characters who are real and balanced, who could walk off the pages and into life, and who logically navigate through life with all their traits, good and bad.

Writing

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell You’re an Indie Writer

August 1, 2014 Kara Jorgensen6 Comments

When you are an indie or self-published writer, you come across a strange phenomena. Should you tell people you are not traditionally published unless they ask?

For several decades, self-publishing was referred to as “vanity publishing.” Vanity publishing was when a writer would pay to have their books printed in limited runs, and they would then try to sell them. The vanity aspect comes from the stereotype that self-published authors were people who were not good enough to be published by a major publishing house or were hipsters who were too good for the publishing world and wanted only limited copies of their books.

Modern self-publishing is quite different. Self-published authors are not under contract with a publishing house, but now, this is mainly because they choose not to be. By self-publishing authors maintain all artistic control over their work from the cover, to the formatting of the book, to the content. There is no interference from editors or agents telling them what to write next or what to stay away from. Some writers do fit the stereotype and self-publish because they have been rejected repeatedly by the industry, but most authors choose it for the freedom and the profit margin, which is often better than what the major publishing houses are willing to give.

Sadly the stigma of self-publishing being an act of vanity still exists mainly because most people don’t realize how common self-publishing is with sites like Amazon, Lulu, or Lightning Source. After publishing The Earl of Brass, I have found myself holding back when someone mentions the publishing process. I’ll skate around it by nodding and saying that it was a lot of work and took a while to get ready. When I have mentioned it was self-published, people who were enthusiastic suddenly deflate, as if the book lost its worth because it wasn’t chosen by a major publisher to be printed. Because I am new to this phenomena, I am still unsure how to respond to it, but I think the best way is to have people read it, hopefully enjoy it, and then say it was self-published. That way, they realize it wasn’t self-published because the quality was poor but because I wanted to do it that way. As I explore my experiences in this endeavor, I will create blog posts about what the process was in publishing in paperback and ebook form and how I prep my books for publication. If there is ever a topic anyone wants me to explore, just leave a comment or message, and I will try to write a hopefully helpful post.

The Earl of Brass is on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and Book Depository

Writing

Why Steampunk?

July 30, 2014July 30, 2014 Kara JorgensenLeave a comment

Before I go on about my preferred genre, I should probably explain what steampunk is since most people stop me after I have already begun to speak about it to ask what exactly I mean. Simply put, steampunk is a marriage between historical fiction and science fiction. It’s the Victorian Era that never was, and instead of moving toward combustion engines, steampunk stories tend to explore how the world would be if steam technology became the predominant mode of transportation and energy generation in the nineteenth century. Most stories are set in the mid to late 1800s, but that isn’t always necessarily the case with some stories being set in a neo-Victorian future.

There are three reasons I write steampunk stories (each of these reasons will be explored further in this post):
1. Playing with the past
2. Exploring modern social issues out of context
3. Victorian aesthetics

Playing with the Past
Some of the most fun I have writing is utilizing real people and places within my work. Several historical figures make an appearance in The Earl of Brass or The Winter Garden, including Lord Carnarvon, David Hogarth, Queen Victoria, Prince Albert (as a corpse), and in the future, I can see many other real people making cameos. More importantly, places are key to creating a richness in a story that delves into the past. A good chunk of my research is scouring Victorian maps and texts for places my characters can go and how they looked in the 1890s. The research can be fascinating and lead to more plots or simply a nice place for your characters to go to for a night on the town. Creating a realistic landscape even with the changes I have set up in my universe has been something I have worked on throughout my writing career, and about halfway through the second book, I realized how their world would really be.
To wrap up this section on playing with the past, I have to mention technology. Most people tend to think of carriages, coal, factories, and horse poop when thinking of Victorian technology, and while that isn’t far off, science and medicine were just about to take off. The Victorian Era is a launching point from which many of the things we have today began. Medicine is a topic I work with quite often, and part of the reason is because the Victorian era was half in the superstitious past and half in the modern world. In The Earl of Brass, the main character, Eilian Sorrell, has a prosthetic arm that can flex when he commands it to. Obviously there were prostheses, but they were not nearly as advanced. In the world of steampunk, I can sprinkle in modern ideas but only use materials that were available in the Victorian Era (no stainless steel, no biotechnology, no aspirin).

Exploring Modern social Issues out of Context
Another way to bring mingle the past with the present is to focus on issues that are prevalent today but set the story in the past. Some of the issues I have explored are: climate issues, humanism v. capitalism, LGBT rights, and equality. some of these issues were present in the 1890s, especially LGBT issues with the Oscar Wilde trial and the brief movement in Germany around the same time. Part of the reason I like to do this is because it allows the reader to see what they might not notice in the modern world they take for granted. Working these issues into the Victorian Era breaks the common misconceptions, and by approaching it through a creative rather than preachy or academic way, people are more likely to listen. My hope is that my LGBT characters will capture the reader’s hearts and that you will feel for them because they are humans who hurt and are victims of the world’s prejudices by no fault of their own. As a writer, integrating modern issues into the past helps me deepen my understanding of the issue by having to research it, get into the characters’ heads, and make sure the theme is coherently coming through. By having a purpose, you make a judgment of that issue and take on both sides by creating conflict between opposing characters or between characters and society.

Victorian aesthetics
This reason is a lot more vain and visual. I love the pictorial representations of the Victorian Era. The tug and pull of artisan lace and fabric with the utilitarian mass-marketed goods of the working class always thrills me. When I think of the Victorian Era, I always think of fog rolling in off the Thames as a woman in a bustle and corset walks between gas lamps. There is something sinister yet romantic about the era. The Victorians were a pretty morbid bunch with their postmortem photography and momento mori usually made of human hair. When you contrast any “wild” place with London, the grime of the era becomes so apparent, but the civility and rigid manners still outshine any detractors of the era. Then comes the next question, what lies beneath the starched shirts and laced corsets? To understand the Victorian person, one must understand the culture and why there was a need for structure and decorum, yet it is imperative to remember that they were humans just like us. No matter where they lived or what they wore, they had the same desires as we do now, and the universal humanity in all of us, ties the modern steampunk writer to the likes of Oscar Wilde or Dickens.

Writing

What I Have Been Up To Recently

July 29, 2014July 29, 2014 Kara JorgensenLeave a comment

I have not been a very good blogger recently. Keeping up with posts is never easy for me, but I have a grand announcement, I published a novel.

The Earl of Brass began as a project for my undergraduate classes, and it is finally out in the world for all to read. The story involves adventure, a little swashbuckling, traveling to distant lands, Victorian England, and a hint of romance. The synopsis is as follows:

When Eilian Sorrell, a promising archaeologist and the eldest son of the Earl of Dorset, loses his arm in a dirigible crash, he fears he will face a bleak future among London’s aristocracy. On a quest for normalcy, Lord Sorrell commissions a prosthetic arm but finds the craftsman is not what he seems. After the death of her brother, Hadley Fenice takes over his prosthesis business but knows it will be an uphill battle as women are discouraged from doing man’s work. In return for building Lord Sorrell an automaton arm, he offers her a chance at freedom by following him to the Negev Desert under the guise of a man. But what lies beneath the desert is more precious than potshards or bones. As they venture deeper, they discover a society where the path of life is not governed by gain but by passion. When imperialistic invaders come in search of a new colony to pillage, Eilian and Hadley are forced to defend their fleeting glimpse of paradise.

The story is available on Amazon in paperback or ebook, Smashwords , and Barnes and Noble

In the coming weeks, I will be writing on self-publishing, my current and future work, and how it is to be a somewhat struggling writer looking for an audience.