Melanie Bell

Author, Writer, Editor

Tag Archives: writing style


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5 Reasons to Go to a Writers’ Conference

Last month I attended Gollanczfest 2019, a one-day celebration of science fiction, fantasy and horror writing and publishing, hosted by leading UK SFF publisher Gollancz. The conference had two separate strands. A reader’s ticket gave access to author panels and signings, while a writer’s ticket granted entry to the smaller venue across the street, where, in addition to signings and panels (included editor and agent panels), authors gave speed-advice sessions. I came to the morning sessions on a reader’s ticket and had a great time meeting people and learning. 

If you write, edit, or read avidly, a writers’ conference can be a worthwhile use of time and money. The good news is that there are lots of writers’ conferences out there, ranging from one-day events to multi-week ones, from genre celebrations like Gollanczfest to wide-ranging get-togethers, from inexpensive local dos to festivals full of international delegates and big names. If you do some googling, you’ll probably find some that will pique your interest.

You might be wondering what you can get out of a writers’ conference that can’t be found from said googling. While online learning is great, there’s no substitute for contact in the real world. Here are 5 benefits I’ve gained from going to writers’ conferences.

Meeting people: Conferences are useful for networking. You’ll meet individuals from across the industry, including authors, editors, publishers, and readers. Networking can lead to career opportunities. At the Scottish Association of Writers’ 2018 Conference, I met a new freelance client, and some writers meet their agents or editors at conferences. It can also lead to lifelong friendships. I recommend attending with an open mind and an interest in getting to know people.

Learning about the industry: Writers’ conferences are chock full of industry people talking about what’s new in publishing. You’ll learn about trends, themes, and the nuts and bolts of publication. You might also learn about related fields – one of my favorite parts of Gollanczfest was a panel where four authors whose books had been made into movies talked about the process. A takeaway point from Ben Aaronovitch (author of Rivers of London): If you want any creative control, assert your requirements from the outset and be willing to not have a movie made otherwise. Also, be clear on what price you are willing to accept.

Meeting authors and getting new books: I’m listing this separately from meeting people because, in addition to meeting authors at sessions and “in the crowd”, writers’ conferences usually bring in authors to lead panels, give readings, and do signings and other events. Sometimes it’s intimidating to approach a big-name or favorite author, or they’re too busy to chat. But you might have the chance to pick up one of their books and have them sign it, learn from their experiences, or hear them make funny character voices. And writing conferences always come with a book table full of goodies – some of which may be hard to find outside the conference, and some of which may be that next exciting read you’ve never heard of. Don’t show up with an empty wallet!  

Getting a better sense of your own writing approach: While listening to and interacting with the writing community, you’ll find some authors and approaches to writing that resonate with you and some that don’t. It’s a good chance to tune in to your own taste – that inner voice that tells you what’s worth writing about, for you personally, and how you want to go about doing it. It was illuminating for me to listen to panelists discussing worldbuilding from opposite angles – Alexander Dan Vilhjálmsson set detailed rules for himself regarding language and setting, while Ellen Kushner started by following a character around and combining elements of historical periods that seemed cool. Writing is a big industry with room for many kinds of voices, and hearing how other people tell stories can feel like permission to tell your own. 

Having fun! A big part of writers’ conferences involves business and talking shop, but when you get a bunch of people together who share a common interest, they’re also bound to have a good time. At Gollanczfest, I got to meet Laura Lam/Laura Ambrose, whose Romancing the Page series I reviewed, and chat with her and other writers during a break. At the 2018 Scottish conference, I played trivia with friends from my writers’ group and we won a round of free drinks. There were lots of hearty shared breakfasts and in-jokes flying around. If you go to a writers’ conference, be ready to jump in, don’t be shy, and you’re likely to have a wonderful time!  


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SFF Book Recommendations and Aristotle’s Building Blocks of Writing

Writing is a holistic activity, but when it comes to honing our craft, it’s useful to break it down into parts. The June 30 episode of Writing Excuses, a podcast about the craft of writing that focuses primarily on fantasy and science fiction (SFF), introduced Aristotle’s elements of tragedy. These six aspects of writing apply to modern storytelling as easily as they did to ancient Greek plays. While Aristotle placed these elements in a specific order of importance, the authors on Writing Excuses argue that their relative importance changes based on what an author is trying to achieve. In my opinion, there’s no better way to make use of this theory than by looking at how it applies to books that do each element well. Below, I share how each element is used in an SFF book I recently read and loved. Take these examples as a starting point rather than a be-all and end-all. And, if you’re writing a work in progress, think about how Aristotle’s elements apply to it and which ones you want to emphasize. 

Aristotle ranked plot as the most important element of tragedy, and a tightly plotted yarn certainly keeps us reading. In Children of Blood and Bone, the divîner caste in the West African-inspired land of Orïsha have been brutally oppressed since the king eliminated their magic. Young Zélie finds a scroll that temporarily reignites these powers and gets caught up in a plan to bring magic back for good. This novel is tightly plotted and action packed. Each chapter ratchets up the tension, with gladiator battles, kidnapping, and an epic hero’s journey.

Three women take turns narrating this loose retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, and protagonist Miryem has the standout character arc. The daughter of a Jewish moneylender who is too softhearted (and frightened of persecution) to ask for his money back, Miryem resolves to turn around her struggling family’s fortunes and takes over her father’s job. She teaches herself to be relentless and drive a hard bargain. Her skills attract the attention of the mystical Staryk king, who wants to make use of her ability to “turn silver to gold.” Miryem’s evolution from daughter of a struggling family to skilled and hardened moneylender to strong-willed leader is a delight to witness.     

The Tensorate universe is founded on ideas. It has a carefully crafted magic system that involves entering the “slack” and “tensing” different elements to achieve effects. It’s a world where children choose their own gender in their own time and are considered genderless until then. Yang’s two novellas follow the twin children of this world’s dictatorial leader as they choose divergent paths, Akeha (Black Tides) becoming male and leading a rebel faction, Mokoya (Red Threads) becoming female and hunting monsters in the wake of personal tragedy. This intricacies of the magic and gender systems are fascinating and thoroughly explored. What happens when someone falls through the gaps, or thinks they know the rules but might be missing something? Yang has thought of that, too.        

One of the joys of an odd-couple cop story is the interplay between the pair. This novella’s two space sleuths are Long Chau, a consulting detective with a drug addiction and a hidden past, and The Shadow’s Child, a sentient spaceship traumatized from past military service who now makes a living (barely) by brewing and selling tea blends that keep customers’ minds clear in deep space. Long Chau approaches The Shadow’s Child for two things: tea and transport into the deep spaces that still trigger her trauma in order to find a corpse to study. The mysterious circumstances of said corpse’s death lead the pair to investigate. De Bodard’s dialogue is understated, with formal tones conveying the characters’ wariness around each other. Gaps in conversation show where they leave things unsaid and where Long Chau misses social nuances. At times, the characters are edgy and snarky:

 “I’m writing a treatise on decomposition. How the human body changes in deep space is a shamefully undervalued area of study.”

“I can see why you’d be a success at local poetry clubs,” The Shadow’s Child said, wryly.

There’s a lot to appreciate in this story, and the dialogue is one element that works to show evolution in the characters’ fragile trust.

Astrid has spent her whole life on the Matilda, a spaceship that has carried humanity’s survivors for generations towards a promised land. It’s a brutal milieu, divided by nation-like decks, where the lower deckers (intersex people of color) are subjugated and forced to work on the revolving plantation deck. Astrid discovers that the journals of her late mother, an engineer, hold a secret code and that the Matilda’s bouts of power loss and illness may be more significant than anyone realized. Astrid is a nuanced and brilliant protagonist on the autism spectrum whose formal diction sets her apart from fellow lower-deckers, and the inhabitants of each deck in turn are distinguished by their language. Solomon imbues each shipboard culture with its own turns of phrase, use of pronouns, expressions, and cadences. The music that gives shape to this novel’s worldbuilding is exquisite.

Spectacle means putting on a good show. Kuhn’s fantastically fun urban fantasy, the first in a trilogy (with a follow-up novella and more to come soon), is full of flash and dazzle. Evie is the put-upon personal assistant to superheroine Aveda, her longtime best friend. But when Aveda is injured in a demon fight, Evie is called on to impersonate her, and the fire power she’s worked so hard to hide may be the very thing that saves the day. In SFF, spectacle can happen through worldbuilding and description as well as through action scenes. The heroes in Heroine Complex fight fanged cupcakes, and one of the pivotal battles takes place during a karaoke contest. Bring on the popcorn!  


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Finding Your (Writing) Style

Orange is not my color!

When I was first learning about the Enneagram (the personality system I teach and have written a book about), one conference presenter surprised me by handing out style questionnaires. I was a little perplexed – I’d come to learn about people’s inner worlds, not to talk about what types of clothing I preferred to wear! But her point was that people with similar personalities tend to use similar language to describe themselves, and this can be seen in how they think about their fashion choices. Style is more important, and multifaceted, than I’d given it credit for. And writing style is the same.

Learning some color and style systems recently, I’ve seen that their lessons can be applied to writing. Rather than being as superficial as I’d first imagined, they have brought about tangible transformations and solicited the type of feedback that many writers seek. Allow me to explain.

I’d started this hobby hoping to find clothes that were flattering, rather than spending money on garments that ended up sitting in the drawer because I felt like a frump whenever I walked around in them. I found out that my color season is true summer, which means that delicate cool tones with some richness suit me best. I picked out some makeup and clothes in those colors, including a white and deep pink sundress. To my shock, whenever I put that dress on, I get compliments. I’ve even had checkout clerks gasp and tell me how beautiful I was! That was certainly a first. Applying style principles such as the Kibbe system has been helpful as well. Swapping looser garments for tailored ones that suit my petite, narrow frame has led others to take me seriously rather than overlook the “tiny person.” I’ve had other clothes and styles that I liked over the years, but none of them had the same level of positive public response.

Just as color and style systems identify guiding principles for your best look, finding stylistic guiding principles for your own writing can be useful in choosing projects that tap into your strengths. Below are some questions I’ve borrowed from style and color systems that equally provide insight into writing style. (Feel free to use them the next time you’re clothes shopping, too!)

  1. Cool or warm?

Just as some skin tones favor cool colors and others are flattered by warm tones, some writers favor analytical, meditative, or descriptive prose, while others naturally tend towards action-oriented or direct styles. Where do you fall on the cool-warm continuum in your writing?

  1. What size and structure work best for you?

Just as different people look best in different shapes of clothes, different writers gravitate towards differing genres, project lengths, and structures. Not every memoirist will be happy as a science fiction writer, and not every novelists will take to poetry. In terms of word count, I’ve found it easiest to write either short, tightly crafted poetry or lengthier, full-length manuscripts. Both lengths rely strongly on inherent structure. It’s more of a challenge for me to get through the middle ground of a short story: to both create a plot and finish it concisely. What genres and project lengths are in your own comfort zone?

  1. How much detail suits you?

Similarly to length, it’s important to consider detail. Some writers love crafting intricate sentences, while others want to get to the point. Read through your old writing to get a sense of where you fall on the detail continuum. Where you put the detail is also important. Maybe you’re a writer who describes the landscape lavishly but wants to skip past the dialogue (or vice versa). Note your strengths and capitalize on them, while seeking feedback from beta or alpha readers to help fill any gaps.   

  1. What “feeling” do you convey most naturally?

Take out your old writing again and read for tone. What emotions are conveyed most strongly? Do you come off as a friendly and trustworthy teacher? Do you have readers on the edge of their seats in suspense? Identify your strengths in this area. Next time you begin a new project, think of a way to focus on the feelings and tones that you excel at conveying.   

  1. How can you make your aspirational styles work?

Out of the writers you admire, your style may bear resemblance to some of theirs and be completely different from others’. Maybe you’re a Hemingway-type who dreams of writing a magical mystery like J. K. Rowling’s. Here’s where your uniqueness really comes into play, because no matter what similarities your style may have to other wordsmiths’, no one else in the world writes quite like you. Strategize ways to write that thing you want to write your way, letting your talents shine. Take inspiration wherever you find it, and adapt it to the things you do best.

Just like with fashion, don’t be afraid to experiment with different writing styles. It’s a great way to find what works for you. Have fun discovering your most stylish writerly self!