Medieval Acrobats???

Historical research is tough. Even tougher than finding the right information sometimes, is knowing the right questions to ask. For example, in my first medieval novel I assumed they would have cards and coffee. But when I actually thought to check on those issues, I found out my setting was 50 years too early for either of them to have made their way to England. On the coffee issue, I just changed the drink. On the cards issue, I had a crusader bring them back from the Holy Land.

I mentioned before that my latest medieval creation has a fun acrobatic twist. I can't tell you how many times I've read about medieval "acrobats" in historical text books. So, I never thought to ask if the word acrobat actually existed at the time. But right before sending out my final version of Dauntless Love, my daughter's skepticism about the acrobats prompted me to do a little more last minute research. And...I found out the word "acrobat" actually did not exist in English at that time. They would have been called "tumblers" or possibly "aerialists" if they worked off the ground. When used in military training, acrobatics would have been referred to as "agility skills." Mind you, since they spoke Middle English in 1217, I'm fairly lenient with myself on using words from as late as the 1600s when the language stabilized. But "acrobat" wasn't around until the 1800s. 

In my last minute research I also found this cool video of medieval "tumblers." If they claim to be "acrobats," don't you believe them!

Great Endings

I just finished a new novel. We hear so much about the importance of great beginnings in the fiction world. Great first sentences, pages, chapters. True enough, a great beginning will hook someone to read your book. But you know what will hook someone to read your next book? You guessed it, a great ending. So as I was wrapping up my book, I stopped to ponder some of the rules of great endings. I'll share mine, and feel free to add your own in the comments.

1) Give the reader what they expect or something better.

This is a general rule of fiction, but it doubly applies to endings. If you give a romance reader anything less than their expected hero and heroine vow their undying love, or leave your mystery reader without solving the crime, you will have one ticked off customer who will not be buying your next book. Reader expectations must rule the day. On the other hand, if you give them exactly what they expect. Ho hum. Boring. Try to find some unexpected twist that will satisfy your reader plus give them a little extra something special.

2) Tie up loose threads.

Any published author knows that you must provide a proper climax and resolution at the end of a novel. However, a good novel will also answer all the reader's questions. It will not leave them wondering, “But what happened to such and such or so and so.” Authors must be careful to go through and make sure they have tied up all their loose ends. Of course the exception would be a series. For a book in a series, the major conflict of the plot should be resolved, but loose threads concerning subplots and minor characters can be left open to be explored in future books.

3) Properly pace the ending.

Endings should neither be too short nor too long. You don't want to rush the reader through the ending or bore them which unnecessary details. I think a general rule of thumb for an average 75-100k word novel is one to two chapters for the climax and one scene to one chapter for the resolution. Again, this could vary by genre. For a novella, perhaps one short scene for each or a longer scene that incorporates both. You never want to have climax, one paragraph of resolution because you're out of words, and done. Whew! Your reader will not feel satisfied. Nor do you want 10% of your book to be happy sappy resolution with no tension. Now for a long epic novel, the ending will also need to be longer. You might need to provide proper closure for a number of characters. And for the ending of a lengthy series, the resolution could stretch quite a few chapters as it provides wrap-up for a significant investment of time by the reader.

4) Provide emotional satisfaction.

You can tell you hit the other elements properly if you provide your reader with an emotionally satisfying ending. For a happy ending you want them to sigh, even cry tears of joy, and then put down the book feeling good about it. If it is a more realistic ending, they should feel like they've taken a worthwhile journey and have deep issues to ponder for many days to come. And if it's a sad ending...well, if it's a sad ending, move to France because we don't like those. Okay, fine, if it's a sad ending it should provide a cathartic experience with plenty of tears and teach a valuable lesson.

5) Utilize circularity.

Readers, chances are you have delighted in this feature in your favorite endings without even knowing the name. And authors, this one will really put your ending over the top. Circularity occurs when you bring back elements from the beginning of the story at the end. Particularly bringing back subject-matter, settings, words and phrasings. In my most recent book, I wrote my ending and concluded the story. Great. Job done. Reader satisfied. But then I went back and rewrote the ending with echoed words and phrases from the opening of the book that juxtaposed the character at the beginning with the character at the end. That's no longer just mission accomplished, it is mission accomplished with flair.

So those are some of the elements that I think make a great ending. How about you? What are some of your favorite endings and what makes them stand out?

Who's up for some Medieval Fun?

It's rare to find Christian novels with a medieval setting. For a number of reasons, medieval novels are not "trendy" in the CBA, and even when written by well-established authors, sales numbers are low. The new exception to this rule seems to be in young adult fiction, which of course is why the medieval series I'm working on is intended for a cross-over teen/adult audience. Melody Dickerson has had a lot of success with this genre, and I hope to follow in her footsteps.

Christian medieval novels can also be found through small presses (like my Dance of the Dandelion with WhiteFire) and through self-publishing venues. Recently I discovered an awesome new series that has been self-published by Tamara Leigh. Tamara is a well-established author in both CBA and ABA romantic fiction. I've previously read and enjoyed her novels written for both audiences, and her new series offers the best of these two worlds.

The back cover reads:

12th century England: Two men vie for the throne: King Stephen the usurper and young Duke Henry the rightful heir. Amid civil and private wars, alliances are forged, loyalties are betrayed, families are divided, and marriages are made.

For four years, Lady Annyn Bretanne has trained at arms with one end in mind—to avenge her brother’s murder as God has not deemed it worthy to do. Disguised as a squire, she sets off to exact revenge on a man known only by his surname, Wulfrith. But when she holds his fate in her hands, her will wavers and her heart whispers that her enemy may not be an enemy after all.Baron Wulfrith, renowned trainer of knights, allows no women within his walls for the distraction they breed. What he never expects is that the impetuous young man sent to train under him is a woman who seeks his death—nor that her unveiling will test his faith and distract the warrior from his purpose.

I loved everything about this book. As an author and editor, I have a hard time these days finding a novel that will actually hold my interest. This one kept me riveted. I read it straight through in a day. I loved tough, scrappy Annyn, and the book brimmed with excitement. I personally liked that it was a bit sexy for an inspirational novel, but that it also had a lovely thread of forgiveness and redemption woven throughout. I also found the author's historical research to be very accurate. For those who love the energy of secular romance novels but would prefer something cleaner, this one should make you as happy as it made me.

And for a quick compare/contrast between Tamara's writing and my own...

This novel is fairly different than Dance of the Dandelion. It follows a typical romance formula and includes a lot of action and suspense. My novel follows more of a coming of age format and is focused on character development more than action. In addition, my novel is set almost two centuries later. However, I think both Tamara and I have a lovely flowing writing style full of awesome description. The books are also similar in that they are both very romantic and even a bit edgy for Christian novels.

Comparing it with my still-in-process young adult novel, Dauntless Love, there are many more similarities. I truly hope that I captured the same excitement and energy that Tamara has brought to life in her action-packed novel. Dauntless Love follows the same romance structure and features a heroine in a man's role, just like The Unveiling, and the settings are only about 60 years apart. The heroines even go through similar journeys of giving up on God after tragedies in their lives and finding their way back within the pages of the book. The main difference is, I avoided any overt sensuality and kept the book more innocent for my teen audience, although there is still plenty of romantic tension. While I would not call Dauntless Love "edgy," there is an innate grittiness to the medieval culture that keeps it from being "sweet."

I highly recommend The Unveiling for older teens to adults who like an edgier, more realistic read. It's a lot of fun and will keep you turning pages late into the night.

Just for Fun - An Acrobatic Twist

Little known fact, in addition to dance, I also love gymnastics and acrobatics. Since Dauntless Love, the novel I am just finishing up, takes place in the medieval period, I thought it would be fun to add an acrobatic twist.

I pretty much hung up my personal acrobatic hat a few years back, but all three of my children are incredible acrobats. Just for fun, here is my farewell acrobatic performance. I'm guessing this was around 2008. My two kids are the ones doing the fancy tricks. Gymnastics fans, notice the lovely back flip by my son at about 2:16. :) My youngest was still too little for choreography at the time, but he is following right in their footsteps.

Everything About You from danzingfool on GodTube.

Enjoy a Fun Sneak Peek at Dauntless Love!

I've been buried deep in my writing cave for the last week finishing up my new young adult, medieval novel, Dauntless Love. I just put a super fun sneak peek up on pinterest. Go check it out. http://pinterest.com/dinasleiman/dauntless-love/

And here's a sneak peek of the sneak peek. LOL. This is Keira Knightly in Disney's Princess of Thieves, but she could just as easily be my heroine, Merry Ellison.

Enjoy!