Why Writers should like Burn Notice

I don't watch a lot of television, but I don't mind saying that I'm practically addicted to USA Network's Burn Notice. Not only is it great television, it's good writing, and fantastic storytelling. Today we're going to take a look at it from a writer's perspective and break down some things that make the show "work" as well as it does.

The basic premise of the show is that Michael Westen, a CIA operative, has been "burned." This is explained in each show's brief opening: When you're burned, you've got nothing. No cash, no credit, no job history. The Agency has written him off and left him, stranded, in Miami. Being a former spy gets you on a few "no fly" lists, so he's stuck. He relies on three major characters to survive: his on-again, off-again "trigger happy ex-girlfriend" and former IRA member, Fiona Glenanne; his womanizing, retired Navy Seal bosom-buddy Sam Axe who informs on him to the FBI; and his mother, Madeline Westen.

That tells you what you need to know about the show, but it barely scratches the surface. There are four categories of storytelling that make Burn Notice so enjoyable for a writer to watch.

1) Conflict
The cornerstone of any decent story is conflict, and Burn Notice has it by the shovelful. Not only is there a global story arc, Michael getting burned, but in almost every episode he helps someone. Whether it's simple private investigator work, thwarting a kidnapping, recovering stolen goods, or counter-assassination, Michael (with Fi and Sam's help) is constantly busy saving someone's ass either for money or out of pure, moral necessity.

This also lends itself well to the show's episodic nature. While it is, of course, best to follow the story from end to end, each "job" Michael takes along the way nearly always provides a satisfying resolution by episode's end. Each season brings him closer to resolving the burn notice, while the end of each season leaves a bitter reminder that it's not going to be so simple. Characters, both virtuous and villainous, move in and out of the show with charming efficacy (more on this later).

The bottom line is that, just like any book series worth its salt, there is a global conflict that the main character progresses toward resolving while resolving smaller ones along the way.

2) Characters
The closest you'll get to a one-dimensional character in Burn Notice is Michael's "clients." They are people who need some type of help, though it's not usually the simple, easy kind. Some have been marked for death by drug cartels, some have lost their entire life savings to a scam artist, some have cracked communication codes to find out spies are being outed and, subsequently, murdered. These are very minor parts and played well.

The big hitters are Michael, Sam, and Fiona. Full of personality, the way the main three interact create a lot of tension within the day to day events in the show. There is inevitable and unresolvable sexual tension between Michael and Fiona, as they have a long history together from his spy (and her IRA) days. Sam and Fiona, on the other hand, have little more than disdain for each other at the start, which eventually grows into mutual respect. Being continually thrust into deadly scenarios and having to rely on the same people can form that type of bond. As you learn more about the characters by watching them interact, you see their relationships change over time--also a great hallmark of any novel series.

Of course, throw in a few great support characters like Michael's hypochondriac mother, his unreliable-at-best brother Nate who seems incapable of staying out of money trouble, intriguing "handlers" like Carla, Barry the money launderer, Sugar the minor league drug dealer, Larry the mentor spy (who is supposed to be dead but is, actually, quite insane and rogue), and many others, and you have numerous ways to skin the proverbial cat. The way Michael, all too eager to remind us he's fallible and not invincible, interacts with the characters makes him easy to root for.

3) Setting
A show like Burn Notice just wouldn't work if it took place in Denver. Not that Denver is boring, it just has far fewer options than a tropical paradise like Miami. Speedboats and snow just don't mix well.

Miami is also close to a lot of conflicted areas, like Cuba, Haiti, and popular banking destination the Cayman Islands. It's well-known for drug and people-smuggling, and it is an incredibly diverse community. Seeing a yellow Ferrari is not out of place in Miami, whereas in Denver it would be, and even in New York it would be a little odd (depending on which side of town you were). Having lived in Florida, myself, I can tell you that the proximity of the ocean, the constant presence of causeways, and variation between sandy and swampy creates a decent environment for all kinds of shenanigans. Crime, drugs, clandestine dealings; the city is practically bulging with conflict.


As previously stated, Michael is for all intents and purposes stuck in Miami, and 99% of the show takes place there. This has to make the show a bit easier to film, budget-wise, but it also makes the show easier to look at. Call me superficial, but show me a few palm trees and hot girls in bathing suits, and you at least have my attention for a minute or two. The city provides a never-boring backdrop for whatever it is Michael needs to do, and some eye candy to make sure we're watching.

Hell, the sight of Gabrielle Anwar with a shotgun is worth it every time.

4) Execution (aka the telling of the story)
Personally, one of my favorite parts of the show is Michael's occasional narration. A little of it goes a long way, of course, but he's always there to explain something interesting a spy does to respond to a given situation. I've learned a little bit about small mechanics and wiring, hand to hand combat, and thinking strategically. Now, I'd be naive to say I was an expert in anything just from watching a tv show, but it does provide a bit of dimension to have the main character highlight these things, and it adds a layer of interaction for the viewer that they otherwise wouldn't have.

This show is no A-Team, though there are plenty of men with guns who couldn't hit the ground if they tripped and fell. The theme waxes and wanes between the outright comedic, with Sam's lines like, "You know spies, bunch of bitchy little girls," and the uber-serious life-and-death struggles of survival, torture, and loyalty to people and causes. There are problems to solve, and Michael solves them with efficiency and fervor.

5) Flaws
That's not to say the show is absolutely perfect, but I like to think that flaws taken in measure can make something better (and more believable). When dealing with something episodic, you can easily be dealing with something formulaic. Burn Notice has these moments, when Michael's clients have their inevitable doubts as to the success of his plans. At some points their impatience is even frustrating, but it's a reminder that these people are afraid for their lives and can't afford to be as patient as someone who's been in mortal danger a thousand times.

It's rare that I see a glaring inconsistency, or get sick of the setting, or tire of the way Sam and Fi pick at each other. Some people dislike "spy" shows. Some people don't want to be narrated to and break that fourth wall. There are various things you can dislike about a show like Burn Notice but, as a writer, the above items are things to pay attention to so that you can master them in your own work.

All four seasons are currently available on Netflix. I suggest you set aside some time and get watching.

If you enjoyed this post, please Follow this Blog or use the subscribe button (below) to receive updates.

Internet Killed the Video Star

Howard "Fucking" Stern

As you knew, if you've been reading this blog for more than a few days, I recently "appeared" on a BlogTalkRadio show called Back-Story. Hosted by fellow Trapdoor Books author, Frank Fiore, it was actually fairly short (compared to past appearances) though I'm not complaining.

Point is, as I commented previously, this was "not my first rodeo." Appearing on podcast shows is something I enjoy, even if I wouldn't say I'm particularly good at it.

What I find most interesting is that in this day and age people still "subscribe" to this kind of format. I may not post on this blog all that often lately, but you can still stay updated on what I'm doing if you're clever and friendly enough to follow my Twitter and/or Facebook posts (or just happen to know me). I'm not some world-famous author, gallivanting and jet-setting on a world signing tour. I write, I edit, and I lament the times where I'm not doing either one. But that's not what this post is about.

If you are fortunate enough to appear on a radio show or podcast, treat it like a pitch session at a conference. Have something to say is the first rule of any appearance of any kind. That's not to imply you need to push your work as if it's the hottest thing since the proverbial hotplate under the frog, but you don't want to hem and haw while dozens of people might be listening.

You have an audience of one: yourself. Radio is all about vocal presence, so having something to say is key, but you also need to be able to say it. Skip the ums, either lead or follow the conversation, and stay on task as much as possible. If you think you're rambling, you probably are. If you feel like you have a point to make, make it. The host's job is not to make you look awesome, but to put on a good show. You need to make yourself look awesome.

Being comfortable and confident are important, since you don't want to sound like some fledgling, afraid of their own work. You're an author, act like one. You wrote a book, and if you want other people to read that book you need to tell them so.

This is where that old Disney advice of "just be yourself" comes into play. Authors, just like artists of any kind, need to go outside once in a while and meet their public. If all you have is your voice to do that... maybe a website... maybe a blog, you're only going to handicap yourself by acting like something you're not. Being shy is also not allowed. Swallow your desire not to be an imposition, and just put it out there. People will take it or leave it as they see fit.

That's not to say I'm batting a thousand with my appearances. I get nervous just like everyone else, and, like everyone else, I just have to work through it. You will, too.

So, armed with my crack-shot advice, you're ready to hit the world. To any of my subscribers and readers, if you're going to have an appearance please let me know. Not so I can critique you, so I can support you. You've all been supportive of me, in one way or another, and I want to make sure I'm holding up my end of the two-way street.

Alright, I've mixed enough metaphors for you for the day. Off you go, and good luck.



If you enjoyed this post, please Follow this Blog or use the subscribe button (below) to receive updates.

The Fate of Thomas Redpool (or ...I feel violated?) @chuckpalahniuk

The Illegal Cover

Some of you have wondered what's to become of this religious satire novel of mine, Thomas Redpool Goes To Hell. To be completely honest, I've wondered that myself.

I'm a Fantasy author at heart, but I had been working on this particular idea for almost ten years before I wrote an entire novel around it. Religion, the ritual and draw of the whole thing, has fascinated me despite my history of unsubscription from the concept. While religion plays an important role even in my Fantasy novels, I don't plan to address the topic as directly as I do in Thomas Redpool possibly ever again.

Still, it's a fun story, a different perspective, and it deserved to be told and read. It's that very last part where I've run into a bit of a snag.

The publisher of The Ninth Avatar, Trapdoor Books, has read Thomas Redpool. They like it, however, it doesn't fit into their target market of "geek fiction." I've put some half-hearted (some might say half-assed) effort into shopping it around, contacted a few agents and publishers directly, but as with most querying it's a silence-or-rejection game. Just finding a publisher who will consider "religious satire" is an exercise in itself.

Add to that, the manuscript needs another round of edit and polish before it can truly shine. I haven't put the work into it because I've been writing other novels, namely Scions of the Shade and Rise of the Carrion. The core of the novel is strong, it's just cleaning up the description, tightening the narration, and other various minor tweaks that a novel goes through to become a Third Draft. I've been reluctant to do this, also, because my perspective (me feelings on the Christian religion) have shifted since I finished the first two drafts. I don't want my current views to disrupt what my previous views created.

A few weeks ago, a friend informed me that Chuck Palahniuk beat me to the punch in this regard. His new novel (series), The Damned, reeks of the same whimsy, the same satire, and the same subject matter as Thomas Redpool, though mine still has the darker themes between the two. Where his is more like your run-of-the-mill, Satan is the "bad guy" romp (and not in a bad way), mine relies more on an originality of character and villainy that plays with common tropes rather than harnesses them directly.

Still, the similarities are such that I was a bit shocked. And before you go pointing fingers and shouting me down, I'm not accusing him (or anyone) of stealing ideas. That's just ridiculous, and I won't have it, you hear? Nevertheless, it's a bit of a question now as to whether his book has paved the way for mine or stolen a bit of its thunder. The jury will be out on that indefinitely, I'm afraid, since this is so far on Chuck's periphery that I couldn't even begin to imagine he cares.

So, the question remains about what exactly to do with Thomas Redpool. I could continue to shop it around to a publisher, hoping someone will bite now that a world-class author has gone down the religious satire road; I could self-publish it, after a round of edits and design work, and assume that more people would be interested in reading it than have already read it (you few, brave, cherished souls); I could continue to sit on it as I've been doing, bringing it up as my adventurous second novel that was never published, a semi-secret-sample of my work and charming disdain for the Catholic Church. I have options.

Based on past and recent feedback, I think the self-publish route would be best, at least for the foreseeable future. It's a short novel, something you could blast through in a weekend even if you read slowly, and I have no doubts it will either offend you or make you laugh (but probably both). It is a fun novel, this wonderful creation of mine, practically oozing cynicism and sarcasm and all things wonderful that keep you coming back to listen to me drone on here at Initial Draft.

I suppose that means you should keep your eyes peeled for purchase links. Who can say when I'll set aside the time to do the cover and map design (hint: this is a cry for help to people who are better at this than I am), not to mention pore over the 78,000-some-odd words with a red pen and an Exacto knife, but I think my mind is made up.

If you support this idea, please let your voice be heard.



If you enjoyed this post, please Follow this Blog or use the subscribe button (below) to receive updates.

Upcoming Event - BlogTalkRadio with Frank Fiore

If you're not busy this Saturday morning, have a listen to the Back-Story show on blogtalkradio. I'll be joining fellow Trapdoor Books author Frank Fiore, live, for some book & writing discussion.

The show begins at 09:30am Pacific Time, Saturday, November 5th.

Back-Story is usually a discussion of the novel writing process and how a book came into being. If you haven't heard "the creation myth" of how and why I started writing The Ninth Avatar, this is probably your best opportunity.

I do believe the show will also be recorded/podcasted, in case you miss it.



If you enjoyed this post, please Follow this Blog or use the subscribe button (below) to receive updates.

I have an idea ... and so should you

We writers are all talk. Everything we do involves words, and we talk a big game. But, when you get right down to the heart of things, writing is about ideas.

Ideas are the writer's currency. They can be worthless and priceless simultaneously. Good and bad, big or small, ideas drive writing like nothing else can.

It's very difficult to write without an idea of what you want to write about. Especially when it comes to novels, it's not as if we already have each word written (or chosen) in our heads before we sit down at the keyboard. In one sense, we make it up as we go along, but we're also adhering to our original idea.

You can't copyright an idea, though one writer's interpretation of an idea will be drastically different from another's. The thing, too, is that "an idea" means different things to different people. To me, an idea is a place to start. My approach is simple like that. To some, however, an idea is synonymous with the entire story. To illustrate:

I say, "I want to write a story about the fifth son of a national hero, whose squandering of the ancestor's wealth and reputation have brought so much dishonor to the country that a war begins." I don't know how this will end, but right there I have a main character who is interesting to me and a few conflicts that need to be resolved. I can write that.

Others may say, "I want to write a story about a boy who goes to a magic school. He is picked on but finds good friends, and a villain seeks to kill him for reasons related to his parents' death. As he grows up, he learns how to rely on others as well as himself. With cunning and bravery, he defeats the villain and makes the entire world a better place." This is a bit much for me, really.

I mean, sure, I know my "good guy" is going to win before I start writing. We always know the good guy is going to win. It's the how that makes a difference, right? That's the part I prefer to leave for later, since it's going to depend upon what I've written up to that point. It's going to depend upon what kind of character he or she turns out to be, and what obstacles I've put in his or her place along the way.

I've talked on numerous occasions about where ideas come from, so I'll table that for the moment. The point is that how you use your ideas will dictate what kind of writer you are. If you need a complete idea, then you are an outliner and you should head in that direction. Sometimes it even helps to start at the ending and work backwards, so that your writing is merely filling the empty spaces where things need to happen to connect the dots.

For my part, I prefer to start at the beginning and see where the story takes me. I like to explore, and am willing to backtrack if necessary, even if that means it takes additional work and time. To me, the idea turns into the story, but I get the impression that to some others the idea needs to already be the story. I just can't work under those conditions. It would be like trying to write someone else's idea. There's no mystery to it, no wonder, no exploration.

This is extra important on a day like today, when Nanowrimo is set to begin for thousands of would-be novelists. Even the nano handbook says to spend a few days planning out your idea, rather than just launching right into writing (which means all you folks who predict your 1,667 words per day are already a bit off). However, planning can mean finding a place to start or charting the entire course. It all depends on what works for you.

I'm also prone to saying things like all it takes to write a novel is effort and time. This assumes you already have an idea. If, however, your struggle is that particular prerequisite, all the effort and time in the world will just frustrate you further. What you might need is some outside assistance, if you're stuck, or a different angle of approach, or a mental reset button. Generally speaking, I have more ideas than I know what to do with at any given time, but to me ideas are small things.

If you need a big idea, you might have to actually go out and search for it.



If you enjoyed this post, please Follow this Blog or use the subscribe button (below) to receive updates.