Plot as you go

This seems to be my fallback position. I pants my way through a few chapter then start to write a chapter by chapter outline. Pretty soon I start making notes for future chapters, as well as add revision notes for what I've already written, usually things I thought of or my CPs suggested and often in purple. For example, after writing chapter one, this was my original summary of it:

Ch. 1 – p. 1 On the day before she leaves for the Academy, Camille’s Grandfather takes her to meet the peddler from whom she receives the watch.

Now that same entry looks like this:

Ch. 1 – p. 1 On the day before she leaves for the Academy, Camille’s Grandfather takes her to meet the peddler from whom she receives the watch.   This would be a good place to insert a bit of back story. Start with Cam’s worry over leaving Grandfather alone, even tho he has friends, thinking about his warnings about CGE, which she doesn’t believe, putting it down to fear that he’ll lose her, too, like he did her mother.

     Don’t get me wrong. I love my grandfather, more than anyone. More than the father I never knew but heard so much about, and more than my mother who thought nothing of leaving me. But he is old fashioned like a lot of old people. Always thinking things were better when he was a kid, that ‘the worlds have devolved and all that was good is slowly leaking away.’ I think he’s being a little dramatic, or maybe just remembering wrong. “You forget, Cammi, I’ve been around a long time,” Which is true; he has. He was around when Cedar made first contact (although he always says they made contact first).  I try to tell him it’s change and inevitable but he just shakes his head.

      "Then why are you letting me go?” I asked him the last time he went on about CGE.

     “Because I don’t want to lose you,” he answered.

    “You can’t lose me, Grandfather,” I said, hugging, him. “No matter what.”

As for the watch Cam receives, I imagine it looks something like this:

the way we write

If you read enough blogs and books about writing you will quickly discover that the way we write varies greatly from person to person. Some people are pantsters and can run with a single idea. Others are plotters and have everything laid out nice and neat and organized before they ever write a word of the story. Most of us probably fall somewhere between the two extremes.

Way back in the day I started off as a total pantster, just sat down and wrote whatever came to mind. But it wasn't long before I started making notes about my characters, tried to figure out who they were. Then came chapter notes, little blurbs about what would would happen, but still, mostly pantsting. Then, one day, I finally bit the bullet and outlined an entire novel, extensively interviewed my main characters and delved into theme and plot. This worked out rather well, and I thought, damn, that's slick! I was so happy thinking I'd found the perfect way to write a book. Until I tried it again with the next one.

Fail.

This led to me starting completely over with a brand new toy and a brand new way of figuring out how it works, which, for the record, I haven't. But one of these days I am going to find the method that works every time, the perfect combo between outlining and pantsting. My holy grail. I swear sometimes I catch glimpses of it.

critical factors

I was reading my Writer's Digest Magazine last night, and once again came across a superb article about why some novels become successful and others don't. Culprit number one, according to Donald Maass, is timid voices. "A snappy premise and meaty plot can hook us and keep us reading but cannot by themselves work that magic. It takes something extra: voice." Further, "voice in a novel is not the author's thoughts or vocabulary but the sum total of what her characters observe, think, feel and express in their own unique ways."

The fix is easy. Write your characters with strong voices. Let them speak in their own words and tell the story.

(Which is exactly what I've been doing with my latest wip! I know, great minds think alike, right? Me and Don? We are so on the same page when it comes to characters. It's scary.)

Anyway. Moving on. Culprit number two, according to Maass, is untested characters. If they don't do anything then what was the point? How compelling is it to read about a character who doesn't react? The best characters act bravely even though they're scared, jump to defend their principles and rise to face their deepest fears. They come out the other side, changed different, and so do we for reading about them.

But the last and best is culprit number three (Overly Interior or Exterior stories), which really hit home: "Certain story patterns are pretty much guaranteed to lead to fiction of underwhelming force," especially novels heavy with "delay, suffering, and being stuck." Fiction of underwhelming force is, of course, the last thing we want. The way to rectify this, Maass says, is to give interior stories "more dramatic outward events; by the same token, dramatic outward events need to create a more devastating interior impact."

Yeah. I had to underline that last part. Brilliant, right? Especially the devastating part.

And if that doesn't get you all fired up to write something then I'll give you a last gem I found, a question to ponder. Ask yourself, what's the biggest thing your protagonist could possibly do, but can't? By the end of the story, have her do it.

Hmm. I think I might.

meanwhile, back at the farm ...

"Old Farm Buildings" by William Henry Hunt

I believe I have chosen my next project. It's one I already have partially outlined, which I discovered during the Lightning Flashed Blogfest. I am currently doing some character interviews and asking some questions like:

Are the characters ordinary?

What isn’t being seen?

What’s the most important question?

What’s dangerous in this world? 

Where in this world is there unexpected grace? What is beautiful? What needs to be saved?

When/How will the character (s) defend, explain or justify their actions.
How is the plot’s main problem larger than it looks?

Is this story about uncommon events?

What setbacks have the characters had?

What in this story is timelessly true?

What’s mc’s lucky charm? 

Can we create a situation where the mc is unprepared? In over her head?

This is how I begin to write a story; I discover an idea, I do a little outlining to see if I might be able to write an entire story from this single idea, I name my mc, and I start asking questions.  How do you start?

the boring bits and how to make them interesting

I have read upon more than one occasion that the best way to keep your readers interested is to leave out the boring bits. Often this means description because it’s usually the one place where nothing is happening. Dialogue and action move the story forward but description is like a rest area where you’re supposed to enjoy the scenery. So the question becomes how do we make our descriptive passages interesting.

Here's an example from a book I loved:

“Alone in his flat, Marco constructs tiny rooms from scraps of paper. Hallways and doors crafted from pages of books and bits of blueprint, pieces of wallpaper and fragments of letters.

He composes chambers that lead into others that Celia has created. Stairs that wind around her halls.”

From THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern

This is a description of what Marco makes and while it might not make much sense to those who haven’t read the book (which I highly recommend, by the way) you can still see how lovely it is, hear the cadence of the words, perhaps even picture what Marco is making.

The trick then is making our descriptions come alive with voice. I don’t know about you but I can hear the longing in that short little passage and I get the feeling we’re talking about more than architecture. This is how to make your descriptions stand out, be memorable, and above all, be interesting.

How do you make your descriptions sparkle?Any tricks you'd like to share?

How to write a story - Description, cont.

"From two-thousand feet, where Claudette Saunders was taking a flying lesson, the town of Chester's Mill gleamed in the morning light like something freshly made and just set down. Cars trundled along Main Street, flashing up winks of sun. The steeple of the Congo Church looked sharp enough to pierce the unblemished sky. The sun raced along the surface of the Prestile Stream as the Seneca V overflew it, both plane and water cutting the  town on the same diagonal course."

I love the comparison of the town to something gleaming and "freshly made" and how the first sentence immediately suggests to me that our narrator may be hinting at something... interesting. Either the town is indeed like something "freshly made and just set down," or, it is not. And really, where do cars trundle? Probably ONLY in Chester Mills. Some mythical small town in some northwest corner of  Maine - my fair state.

It also happens to be the home state of the author, Stephen King, and this first paragraph is from his novel, THE DOME. If you like Stephen King I'll wager you'll like this. Both as a writer and and a reader.

How to write a story - Description

"From two-thousand feet, where Claudette Saunders was taking a flying lesson, the town of Chester's Mill gleamed in the morning light like something freshly made and just set down. Cars trundled along Main Street, flashing up winks of sun. The steeple of the Congo Church looked sharp enough to pierce the unblemished sky. The sun raced along the surface of the Prestile Stream as the Seneca V overflew it, both plane and water cutting the  town on the same diagonal course."


Here is a short descriptive passage written by someone who shall, for the moment, remain nameless. What I would like all of you to do is read it and tell me what you think. What do you like about this? What sense about the story do you get from this beginning? And if you do know who wrote this, keep it to yourself for the moment. I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on this paragraph before I reveal the author...


...which I will do on Friday along with my thoughts about this paragraph :)

how to write a story - part four

   This is pretty much how I come up with all my ideas: I play 'what if?'
   It's Stephen King's favorite game, too, and I imagine a lot of writers play it. Sometimes you don't even have to try. You'll just be driving along somewhere, like maybe to work, and your thoughts are all scattered because it's early and you're not a morning person and you're still kind of thinking about a book you read about a man who buys a magic kingdom cheap (it needs some work), which you enjoyed. The sun is out and it's early spring and you've got the windows open a crack in your old blue Bonneville. And as you come around the curve and pass Duck Puddle Pond you think, what if someone inherited a magic kingdom, except, it's not the nice kingdom of her dreams, it's the other one, the evil one everyone else would like to get rid of. What would she do?
   That's how The Way to Dendara was born.
   That's how all my stories are born. I play the game.
   What if...

How to write a story - word choices

Finding the right word can be hard. Sometimes when I'm writing my first draft I'll skip this part because I can easily get hung up (I've been known to get lost in the dictionary) on finding the exact right word. I'll write in parentheses after the word - or perhaps the entire sentence - 'bw'  for better word which tells me that although the word I've used is close it isn't exactly what I want. 

Here's an example of good word choices:  

Mick climbed over the staircase railing, onto the structure of the tower itself and lowered himself beam by beam, down the outside.  The wooden framework shook in his hands, and the whole tower seemed to shimmy.  Equipment fell from the cupola. A crate plummeted past Mick, missing him by a yard or two.  It burst open on impact, throwing broken vacuum tubes everywhere.  Henry and her captor shied away from the shower of glass, and he lost his grip on her. She kicked him in the shin and ran, and as soon as she was clear, Mick let go and dropped like a stone.

This is from Voltage, Dianne Salerni's WIP. Did you notice the words she chose? Like fell, plummeted, burst, dropped, etc. I don't know about you but I could see, feel, and hear what was happening in that paragraph. That's three of my senses being engaged. That's how to choose the right words. 

how to write a story - part two revisited

write what you know. Of course, if you're writing a romance you may never have experienced hours and hours of mind blowing sex. Or if you're writing fantasy you might not have a wand or a book of spells at your disposal. That part you might have to make up. But you can use everything else you know. Like how scared you are of the dark or the nightmares you've had or the excruciating pain you felt when your dog came barreling at you at ludicrous speed and took you out and sent you to the emergency room. Every wound you ever had, every bad experience, every slight, every kiss. They are grist for your fodder. Use them.

How to write a story (part one) revisited

Originally, when I first posted this (ages ago), I spoke about the beginning and where to start your story. But really, part one is finding that perfect shiny new idea. I'm pretty lucky in that I never lack for ideas. Not only do I have all those I've found in the past and haven't had time to write but I also find brand new ones all the time. Someone said something about princesses the other day and a whole plot came to me in a matter of minutes. And then just yesterday while doing an unpleasant chore relating to cats I thought of another idea that is actually quite unlike me and my usual (first person, no magic!).

But if, perchance, you have trouble finding new ideas here are a few places to look - and if anyone can think of more please speak up!

Art
Conversations overheard
Dictionaries
Fairy Tales
History is full of stories and heroes, good vs evil, love, revenge, you name it
NYT Headlines
Magazine Headlines - especially if it's gossipy
Maps of places you've never been to
Music
Myth
The Obituaries



Where do you find new ideas?

How to write a story - (part fourteen)

But first, a huge and giant congratulations to Alex J. Cavanaugh whose book Cassastar came out yesterday. I heard it’s gotten some great reviews.

Now, as I mentioned back in September of last year, you can start your story in one of three places: the beginning, the middle, or the end. It all depends on your style and the type of book you’re writing. Lots of historical novels begin at the beginning, filling you in on characters and spaces and relationships before getting to what happened. The good writers do it in such a way you never think ‘backstory,’ because it’s far too interesting. Harry Potter started at the beginning. J.K. Rowling could’ve started at the end of book one and written only 6 books. But aren’t we glad she didn’t?

Books that start in the middle are going to have to fill in the back story as you go along, having jumped into the place where the action/conflict begins, or just before. Sometimes this is done successfully but I’ve also read books where the backstory was too skimpy and I never learned to care about the characters. These books are no longer in my library. A good example of this book is The Time Traveler's Wife which  begins in Claire's voice, telling us how her love, Henry, keeps disappearing. Then Henry tells us how it feels to disappear. And this is the very first page.

Lastly there are those books that start at the end. They tell you right off exactly how the book ends, but you are so fascinated by the revelation you don’t mind the author then telling you all how it all came to pass. It’s almost like reading the last page first with the author’s approval. Personally, I think this is hard to do. Can you think of any examples of this type of novel?

I tend to start at the beginning because I write what I like to read. The hard part is making it as good as Harry Potter. (Did I never mention that I think Harry rocks? For 7 books she sure managed to tie a lot of strings together nicely with a fairly happy ending – except for the loss of Dumbledore and Sirius, of course).

Where do you start your stories and why?

How to write a story - Alignment (part 3)

Lawful Evil is referred to as the "Dominator" or "Diabolic" alignment. Characters of this alignment see a well-ordered system as being easier to exploit, and show a combination of desirable and undesirable traits; while they usually obey their superiors and keep their word, they care nothing for the rights and freedoms of other individuals and are not averse to twisting the rules to work in their favor. Examples of this alignment include tyrants, devils, undiscriminating mercenary types who have a strict code of conduct, and loyal soldiers who enjoy the act of killing. X-Men's Magneto is a Lawful Evil character.


Neutral Evil is called the "Malefactor" alignment. Characters of this alignment are typically selfish and have no qualms about turning on their allies-of-the-moment. They have no compunctions about harming others to get what they want, but neither will they go out of their way to cause carnage or mayhem when they see no direct benefit to it. They abide by laws for only as long as it is convenient for them. A villain of this alignment can be more dangerous than either Lawful or Chaotic Evil characters, since he is neither bound by any sort of honor or tradition nor disorganized and pointlessly violent. X-Men's Mystique, and Sawyer of the early seasons of Lost are examples of Neutral Evil characters.

Chaotic Evil is referred to as the "Destroyer" or "Demonic" alignment. Characters of this alignment tend to have no respect for rules, other people's lives, or anything but their own desires, which are typically selfish and cruel. They set a high value on personal freedom, but do not have any regard for the lives or freedom of other people. They do not work well in a group, as they resent being given orders, and usually behave themselves only out of fear of punishment. Chaotic Evil characters enjoy the suffering of others, and view honor and self-discipline as weaknesses. Serial killers and monsters of limited intelligence are typically Chaotic Evil. Riddick from Pitch Black is Chaotic Evil.*

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alignment_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons)



I enjoyed reading about alignment again and I hope you did, too, but I don't think Riddick was entirely chaotic evil. After all, he did go back in the end and help save those last few survivors, remember? What do you think?

How to write a story - Alignment (part 2)

Lawful Neutral is called the "Judge" or "Disciplined" alignment. A Lawful Neutral character typically believes strongly in Lawful concepts such as honor, order, rules and tradition, and often follows a personal code. A Lawful Neutral society would typically enforce strict laws to maintain social order, and place a high value on traditions and historical precedent. Examples of Lawful Neutral characters might include a soldier who always follows orders, a judge or enforcer that adheres mercilessly to the word of the law, and a disciplined monk.

Characters of this alignment are neutral with regard to good and evil. This does not mean that Lawful Neutral characters are amoral or immoral, or do not have a moral compass; but simply that their moral considerations come a distant second to what their code, tradition or law dictates. They typically have a strong ethical code, but it is primarily guided by their system of belief, not by a commitment to good or evil. James Bond is an example of a Lawful Neutral character.

Neutral alignment, also referred to as True Neutral or Neutral Neutral, is called the "Undecided" or "Nature's" alignment. This alignment represents Neutral on both axes, and tends not to feel strongly towards any alignment. A farmer whose primary overriding concern is to feed his family is of this alignment. Most animals, lacking the capacity for moral judgment, are of this alignment. Many roguish characters who play all sides to suit themselves are also of this alignment. Lara Croft, and Han Solo in his early Star Wars appearance are neutral.

Chaotic Neutral is called the "Anarchist" or "Free Spirit" alignment. A character of this alignment is an individualist who follows his or her own heart, and generally shirks rules and traditions. Although they promote the ideals of freedom, it is their own freedom that comes first. Good and Evil come second to their need to be free, and the only reliable thing about them is how totally unreliable they are. Chaotic Neutral characters are free-spirited and do not enjoy the unnecessary suffering of others, but if they join a team, it is because that team's goals coincide with their own. They invariably resent taking orders and can be very selfish in their pursuit of personal goals. Captain Jack Sparrow, and Al Swearengen from the TV series Deadwood are examples of chaotic neutral characters. *

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alignment_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons)


next: alignment part 3 - evil
previous: alignment part 1 - good

How to write a story - Alignment (part 1)

Before wicked fun games like Oblivion and Fallout existed, my brothers and I used to play Dungeons & Dragons. And before any of us could go dungeoning we had to create our character, and one of the most important aspects of the creation was deciding alignment:

Lawful Good is known as the "Saintly" or "Crusader" alignment. A Lawful Good character typically acts with compassion, and always with honor and a sense of duty. A Lawful Good nation would consist of a well-organized government that works for the benefit of its citizens. Lawful Good characters may sometimes find themselves faced with the dilemma of whether to obey law or good when the two conflict - for example, upholding a sworn oath when it would lead innocents to come to harm - or conflicts between two orders, such as between their religious law and the law of the local ruler. Indiana Jones is a lawful good character.

Neutral Good is known as the "Benefactor" alignment. A Neutral Good character is guided by his conscience and typically acts altruistically, without regard for or against Lawful precepts such as rules or tradition. A Neutral Good character has no problems with co-operating with lawful officials, but does not feel beholden to them. In the event that doing the right thing requires the bending or breaking of rules, they do not suffer the same inner conflict that a Lawful Good character would. Spiderman is a neutral good character.

Chaotic Good is known as the "Beatific," "Rebel," or "Cynic" alignment. A Chaotic Good character favors change for a greater good, disdains bureaucratic organizations that get in the way of social improvement, and places a high value on personal freedom, not only for oneself, but for others as well. They always intend to do the right thing, but their methods are generally disorganised and often out of alignment with the rest of society. They may create conflict in a team if they feel they are being pushed around, and often view extensive organisation and planning as pointless, preferring to improvise. Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica is a chaotic good character as is Robin Hood.*

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alignment_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons

tomorrow: alignment - part 2 - neutral

how to write a story (part thirteen)

Practice.

Because the more you practice the better you'll get. It will likely not make perfect since very few things are perfect - except for the Bailey's Irish Cream Cheesecake at the Anchor Inn in Round Pond - but I guarantee the more you write the better you will get.

It's just like playing a sport or an instrument. You cannot become proficient unless you practice. Why do you think they have practice after school for band and field hockey? Because if the band is going to be any good they've got to practice together, learn their craft. Likewise the field hockey team. There are rules to the game, ways to work to gether successfully. And for you and me? We have to write and read and study others who have been successful at our craft in order to see and understand what is good and what is not.

As an example I give you Terry Pratchett who writes the Disc World series, which I like to call satirical fantasy. His first book was fun - if not great - and he went on to write over 30 more books in the series. However, two of his more recent books in the series, Monstrous Regiment and Night Watch, are practically brilliant and it was while reading them that I saw just how much Mr. Pratchett had improved his game.

Yes, you have to have some innate talent, I suppose, and if you're writing fiction an imagination is definitely a requirement. But after that, well, all you have to do is practice.

Because while practice may not make perfect it does make pretty damn good.

how to write a story (part twelve)

I didn't always do this but I read about it being a helpful tool and I finally went out and bought myself a little black recipe box (cheap, cheap, cheap at the local grocery store) and a package of 3x5 index cards, lined. But of course, instead of recipes for food, I have recipes for stories, necessary ingredients, flavor, and spices. Some of them may never be noticed or mentioned, like a character's date of birth. Others are visual, for example, an actual picture I drew of my character's room on London - that's where Arlen is right now, just arrived and just met her third ghost. The recipe for this particular tale (Grimoire in case you wanted to know) also includes historical notes for the time period (~1806), Arlen's family tree, and a list of the books she owns, one of which is her grimoire in disguise.

I used to write primarily in notebooks and then transfer everything onto my computer but now I write primarily on my computer. Having this recipe box helps me be organized, gives me instant access to information I might need and doesn't take up a lot of space on my already overcrowded desk.

meanwhile, it's good to be back - I missed my blog (sad little person that I am) and my followers. Tomorrow we'll play another round of the word verification game and in the hopes of getting lots of people to play I'll give you the word today so you'll have plenty of time to think.

The word for tomorrow is chuni (which I found on my sister's blog). All you have to do is use this 'word' in a sentence or paragraph that conveys the meaning of the word. So get your imagination in gear and have fun with it :)

how to write a story (part eleven)

While while driving up and down the Biscay Rd more times than I'd like to count, it occured to me what a crappy road it is, how badly it needs to be paved, and how many frakking pot holes there were. I hate pot holes. My car hates pot holes. Everyone hates pot holes. And whether we're driving or reading none of us like to be interrupted in such jarring fashion.

Pot holes are easy to recognize in a car; you can usually see them assuming you're paying attention. But when you're reading you don't see them until you stumble upon:

a) bad grammar
b) the character who says something that doesn't ring true
c) the all too convenient way out of a particular dilemma 
d) the sentence you have to re-read too many times before you understand it.

As readers, I'm sure we've all experienced these unfortunate reminders that we're reading a story rather than living it. Sadly, there is nothing to be done about it. We didn't write these stories so we can't change them. However, we can eliminate these pot holes from our own work and there are lots of easy and fun ways to do this.

The most obvious and fun way is to read. Read who does it right and who does it poorly. Take notes. Discover characters you feel like you know and hate to leave at the end. How did the author do it? Read some of those how to books. Acquire the tools of the trade. I'd start with a couple of dictionaries (the bigger the better in this case and one older and one newer), a thesaurus, and some foreign language books to start. Then I'd add Sin and Syntax, By Cunning and Craft, The Weekend Novelist, Bird by Bird, Writing Down the Bones, and Writing Fiction. You'll probably want to add a few that have to do with the genre you write in. There's lots more but that's a pretty good foundation.

Try getting a tape player and record yourself reading your story out loud. Notice when you stumble over your own words. Oops. Of course, some us cannot stand the sound of our own voice, which makes having a writing partner or joining some sort of group even more important. Get someone who doesn't know you to critique your query/WIP. Team up with a buddy and exchange work like Sheri (writersally) and I did. Get involved in the writing community at some level. It will be well worth the time spent.

But the most important thing is to keep writing and remember that it doesn't always have to be about something. Write about nothing. Write about your favorite color. Write about the way the light comes in your kitchen window. Is it bright and blinding? Or is it grey and dim? Pick any random thing and write a paragraph about it. Just write.

And avoid the pot holes :)

How to write a story (part ten)

I haven't done one of these in a while so I thought I'd share my thoughts on how important balance is in a story. I was thinking about the book Incarceron and how nicely the author created a balance within the tale. There were no lengthy paragraphs of description, but rather short snippets interspersed with dialogue or inner thought or action. It was just enough to let me see the place, smell it, imagine a little before the story moved on in one way or another. Incarceron is a fairly long book (for YA) 448 pages, hardcover, but it read like a dream.

Additionally, the characters in the book are fairly well-balanced, except maybe for the Queen who is just plain evil - I might've liked a little something different - but her son, though hateful, is too lazy to do any real damage. Claudia's father, on the other hand, is just simmering with anger and I was never sure exactly what he might do. The 'good' are equally real; Claudia knows she's priveleged but can't help acting imperious and Finn is no angel either. I won't go into details because I don't want to spoil the book for anyone but when I find a book that does so much right I can't help but want to share it as well as learn from it.

How to write a story (part nine)

The title is the one of the first things a person will notice about your book. That and the cover design is what will draw people toward your book, make them pick it up off the shelf, note the author, and turn it over or open the flap to see what the story is about.

My favorite titles are ones that intrigue, like The Poisonwood Bible or The Time Traveler's Wife. If a book has a title that doesn't interest me, I don't go anywhere near it unless someone else tells me about it and gives me a reason to read. Usually I know exactly what the title of my book is but sometimes it changes and a few of my works in progress have only working titles, titles I have no intention of keeping, like Shalott.

I remember some years ago going to an all day class on writing through MPWA and the instructor told me I should change the title of my novel, Keys to the Kingdom. I insisted the title would stay. Well, smack me upside the head and call me stupid but she was dead on right. Keys to the Kingdom turned into The Way to Dendara, a much better title which also plays into the last title in the intended series.

meanwhile, I've come up with what I hope is a good one to my latest - but we'll see whether it pans out. Sometimes the first title you come up with is just fool's gold.