Tag Archives: Romance Writer’s Association

April 12, 2014 · 7:47 am

Are your characters motivated?

We all know that fiction is propelled by conflict. Two people  who just sit on the page enamored with one another is a very boring story that no one will read. Throw in a little conflict and it makes the story move forward. The same can  be said for motivation. What makes your characters do what they do? What end game are they interested in? What’s the goal? What lead them to this thinking?

In a phrase: what motivates them?

My favorite adult fiction book of all time is Gone With the Wind I know: it’s dated, hard to read in some parts because of the way the dialect is written, and sometimes you just want to slap Scarlet O’Hara like she slapped poor Prissy.  Scarlet is a conniving, lying, spoiled  vixen of a woman. But you want to root for her because everything she does, everything she becomes, is motivated by two central truths in her life- she loves Ashley Wilkes and she loves Tara. She will do whatever she has to in order to accomplish her goal of having both. And she does. Her motivation is to prove to Ashley that he really loves her and not  Melly. When the war destroys her family and her home, she is motivated beyond reason to help Tara rise again to the splendor it was pre-war. She marries men she does not love for their money and for the security they bring to her. She cares for Melly when she is sick and dying only because she wants to be close to Ashley. She really is a bitch in every sense of the word, but still, you root for her because she fights for what she wants, and to hell with everyone and everything else.

That’s motivation in it’s sincerest form.

What motivates your characters? Is it a desire to save the family homestead despite not having the visible means to do it? Is it revenge on the person  your character thinks did them wrong? Is it greed? Lust? Love? Whatever your characters want you need to be clear about it, because the reader wants what they want FOR them, and wants to see them overcome obstacles to get it.

There’s no motivation in a boy meets girl-boy gets girl story. Now, a boy meets girl-boys loses girl- boy gets girl in the end story is the stuff of romantic dreams. This is what romance readers want. They want to know what motivates the two characters to fall in love. What obstacles must they overcome to wind up together? Are their motivations at cross purposes and it looks like they’ll never make it? All this drives the story and what drives the character is their motivation.

What motivation do you give your characters? Is it strong enough to sustain an entire novel about it? If not, how could you make it stronger? Sit back and re-evaluate what you want for you characters and what they want. It should be the same thing. Your goal is deciding how to effectively help them attain that goal without losing sight of their motivation.

 

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April 8, 2014 · 3:24 pm

How well do you know your characters?

This is an interesting question, and one I’ve asked other writers in the past. If asked, would you be able to state your hero’s favorite food or color? Your heroine’s favorite memory from childhood? The inciting event that helped mold each of their psyche’s? This is heady stuff and, I feel, very valuable to know.

In a tangential way, this goes back to whether you  are a pantser or a plotter. I’ve admitted I plot everything, and that includes having full disclosure from my characters before I start typing. I need to know what makes them tick, what they like, dislike, loathe. What turns them on in life and what turns them on sexually. I need to be able to think in their heads when they are speaking, know what their reactions to events and circumstances would be based on past behaviors and motivations. If they have the capacity to change, and why or why not. I never want a reader to say “he wouldn’t say that!” or “Where did that come from? She’s never said she feels that way.” That’s cheating the reader, and will ultimately disappoint them.

I’m nosey. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I could talk to a rock and make it answer me. I’m that way with my characters, too. When I’m envisioning my heroine, I know what she looks like, who she got her upturned nose from, if her earlobes are attached or not. I can tell you how she felt when she wore braces and where she kept her diary hidden from her mother when she was 12. I know her secrets, her longings, her desires. With my hero, I can tell you how he felt when he was losing his virginity, who he resembles in his family tree, and how much money he has in his checking account. And I know the answer to this one very specific question for both of them: who would you die for. This sounds a little obsessive and believe me, it is. But the only way I know how to adequately show my characters to the readers  is by knowing what their actions and reactions will be, and why.

I heard someone say once that you should write up a series of questions for your characters as if you were going to be speed dating them. You can learn a great deal about people by asking just a few very well pointed questions. Like I said, I’m nosey. The more I know, the better I can draw the character.  The better the character is drawn, the more believable (s)he will be. And ultimately, the more believable your characters are, the better and more cohesive the story you can devise for them will be.

So, here’s to nosiness. In writing, it’s a good thing.

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April 6, 2014 · 9:47 am

Evil twins: Point of View and Head Hopping

I will admit this in all sincerity: I am a head hopping addict. I should really join a treatment program to cure myself of this addiction. When I write in third person the thoughts of the hero and heroine flow on the page equally. I find I want the reader to know every single thing the characters are thinking while the scene is taking place. While this works really well in visual media, where your attention is diverted from one character to another through their dialogue, not so much in written fiction.

In the olden days, publishers of romantic fiction dictated  the story be told only in the heroine’s point of view (POV). Every emotion, thought, sensation and occurrence was from her vantage point. We never knew what the hero was thinking until the climax of the story when he divulged his never ending love for our girl. Flash forward to the not too distant past and this changed. Now readers WANT to know what the hero is thinking and feeling as he is falling in love with our girl and much of romance fiction today is written from these two POV’s. Some really fabulous authors even include the secondary character’s POV as well just to give you a full rounded storyline.

I usually write in the two person scenario, and this works for me. Where it starts to come apart and be disjointed is when  I shift from one person’s head to another within a scene. For instance, I am writing this from Dylan’s POV:

He wished she’d just go away and leave him be. He was more than content, wallowing in his grief, enjoying the bottle of whiskey he’d stolen from the bar. 

Daisy wished he turn around and tell her what was bothering him so much. She couldn’t stand not knowing what she had done to make him so miserable.

Two sentences – and truthfully, not very well written ones – and I’ve hopped from Dylan’s head into Daisy’s. If the next line is back into Dylan’s again, it gets very confusing for the reader. I know who is speaking, because I’m writing the words. But the reader is jarred from one POV to the other. In a film you can do this easily because you have a visual clue to who is talking. On the page, it is difficult to keep tabs on.

My first drafts are chock full of head hopping scenes. The next read through I try to correct as many as I can find, but some do bleed through, so on the third edit I will print out a hard copy of the work and then take a blue and a pink magic marker and in the margins I will color code what character the scene is supposed to be told in. Pink – you got it – for the heroine and blue for the hero. Trite and a little sexist, but it works for me. If I’ve shifted into the hero’s head when the scene is written primarily from the heroine’s, I rework the head hopping part and try to show it from her viewpoint if I can.

Even with these safeguards I still have POV shifts, so that’s why it’s good to have someone fresh read your work when you feel it is ready to be put out there. I can read a scene 5o times and love the way it sounds, never realizing that I have subtly shifted back and forth between POVs.

My new work is being told from a first person viewpoint – something I’ve never attempted before. I must say, so far it has been liberating because I only need to be in one head at any time and if I feel the need to sneak in someone else’s  thoughts, I know it immediately. It should be interesting to see how this pans out.

MM Pollard is an amazing editor/author/teacher who is known as The Queen of English. Visiting her site will help all writers craft their work better. I learned more from her in one on-line class that I did after four years of english in college.

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April 5, 2014 · 9:28 am

Building your Author Platform

Until a year ago I’d never heard this term before. What the heck is an author platform? And more importantly, why was I being told I needed one if I wanted to be a successful author?

In the barest sense of the word, a platform is something you stand up high on – like a stage – to be heard by people surrounding you. An author platform, therefore, is how you get heard. Makes sense. In the not too distant past, editors at publishing houses and the houses themselves promoted your book. They did the advertising, arranged author book signings and tours, morning chat show visits to let the world know you had a new work out and arranged for you to be interviewed by trade and popular magazines. Not any more. The houses themselves now run very low budgets for all these things so it is basically up to the author to sell their book to the public, unless you hire a publicist, which can be costly. And let’s face it, you want more than just your family and friends to read your book. You want to reach a wide audience and build a fan base so that when your next book comes out, you’ve already got willing readers who will put down the dollars to buy your work.

And how do you do that? How do you generate the buzz needed to inform people about your book? How do you sell that book? How do you reach the multitudes of readers you want to reach? By having An Author Platform.

In a really good article by Ali Luke “Why You Need an Author Platform – And how to Get one, she outlines three key ingredients in how to accomplish this from your laptop:

  • build a website
  • get a really strong and involved email list
  • use social media to the fullest

By doing just these three cyberworld things you can potentially reach more people than by attending any number of author signings or speaking engagements. A quick internet search drummed up over 100 articles on how to use social media to build your platform and all of them say the basic  three things that Luke does.

So, if you’re a media virgin, get going. If you dabble a little on Twitter or use Facebook to catch up with friends, go deeper and use it for announcements. There is this saying I  heard a few weeks ago: “You have to realize if you are talking to one person on facebook, you are really talking to hundreds.” Unless you have unbelievably rigorous security settings, this statement is true. Pinterest, LinkedIn, any number of sites will get you coverage. And a website is an absolute must these days.

In today’s world we live and exist on our computers, laptops, smart phones and notebook devices. We do business on them, we keep in touch through them. Why not make that work for you by helping you build that much needed and wanted fan base.

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April 3, 2014 · 9:42 am

Finding your “Voice”

What makes your favorite author your, well,  favorite author? My answer has always been  the writer’s voice. By this I mean how the author structures the sentence, the story, the plot. About.com defines a writer’s voice like this:

  • Voice is the author’s style, the quality that makes his or her writing unique, and which conveys the author’s attitude, personality, and character; or
  • Voice is the characteristic speech and thought patterns of a first-person narrator; a persona. Because voice has so much to do with the reader’s experience of a work of literature, it is one of the most important elements of a piece of writing.

I can pick a book up off a shelf and read the first page and know instantly that it is a Nora Roberts work. Her descriptions of setting, the way her characters speak and engage with one another, even her backstories all define how she writes. The same is true for Jodi Picoult and JayneAnn Krentz.  Their writing styles define them for me and when they come out with new books I always know I am in for a literary treat.

When I write a first draft I free write it – which means I  have my story plotted out, but I write it as I would “tell” it to someone. In fact, many times I use my Dragon program and speak the book onto the page. The grammar is not perfect, the punctuation is disjointed, there are too many words for the same thing,  and I like to head hop, but this is how I “speak.” When I go through the editing process,  I fix the grammar, adjust the punctuation, delete a lot of wordy sentences, and try to fix the head hopping. This last thing is the hardest task for me for me, but I muddle through. What I’m left with is my way of telling the story. My voice. When I write in first person – with me as the narrator – you can really hear me. I’ve had people that know me personally tell me they actually heard my voice in their head when they were reading the story and boy, is that a major compliment! When I write in third person, I try to find the narrator/character’s voice through their descriptions of things, events, and emotions.  All this adds to my voice. Just as my real voice is very characteristic of me, my writing voice is as well.

Think about the authors you read and enjoy the most. I would bet the reason you like them – aside form the great stories they tell – is how they tell the story to you. Their voice.

 

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April 1, 2014 · 8:51 am

Panster? Plotter?

A few months ago I was asked at a writing meeting if I was a pantser or a plotter. The question threw me for a moment because I’d never heard the term panster before. The question meant, do I write using a designated plot line or do I wing it and write – literally – by the seat of my pants. After some thought I realized I do a little of both.

I’ve always been the kind of person that needs direction and focus.  Maybe it’s because I’m a nurse and have a scientific, logic based education. But when I look back over my life I see I’ve always been the type to want to know where we were going, when  were we going to get there, and then what were we going to do. I’m not an aimless ambler, walking about for the beauty of the walk. I like to know where I’m headed and have a course plotted. GPS was made for people like me.

It’s the same with my writing. When I have an idea for a story or a character, I imagine what will happen  and then decide how and where I want to take it/them. I write everything down, every plot point I can conceive, and I always know the ending before I begin. Now that’s easy with the romance stuff: the ending is always the happily ever after tag line. But when I write my mysteries, I always know “who-done-it,” why, and how before the words fly off my fingers and into the laptop. I do allow road stops and tours occasionally ( the pantser part of me) but I find I am more productive when I have an  end goal in sight.

I know the writers who are strictly pantser-prone will say that I take the fun out of the adventure. Not knowing where you are headed is half the fun, they will tell you,  because you get to navigate through twists and snares and struggles along with your characters. But I do that anyway because – hello! – I created those twists and snare and struggles! Sometimes, though, I will admit that the plot is revised when a point arises that I didn’t think of and should be dealt  with.

So, are you a pantser or a plotter or a combo like me?

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March 27, 2014 · 12:05 pm

Contests, finalists, and hope

Yesterday, the results of  the Romance Writers Of America annual RITA and Golden Heart finalists were announced. One of my writing group ladies referred to this is “The Oscars to romance writers.” It is an apt and accurate description. For the first time I entered this year, and no, I didn’t make the finals. I actually didn’t expect to, but the hope is always there. I entered because I have come to realize that though I call myself a writer, and have been writing for most of my life, it means nothing if I hoard the work on my laptop and keep it to myself. I need to put myself out there. This was  a way of getting over my fear of people – strangers – reading my words. I can truthfully admit I don’t even let my husband read what I write. Is it fear of being judged? Of being considered frivolous?  Or is it just that I am selfish with my words and my ideas? I don’t know the answer to any of those; maybe a shrink could help! But I do know that at this stage in my life I have nothing to fear. I am old enough and – God help me!-  wise enough to know that you can show something to ten different people and get ten different reactions and opinions to it. So, if I like my work there is no reason to think others might not like it as well. And if they don’t, well, this is still America and everyone of us has the freedom to like or not like something.

I am already at work on my next book.  I don’t think I could stop writing if I truly even wanted to.

Maybe, next year when I enter the Golden Heart, I just may do better. Like I said, the hope is always there.

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March 11, 2014 · 6:23 pm

A little conflict is good for the soul…and the book!

This past Saturday, I attended my monthly NH Romance Writer’s Meeting in Bow and the group was treated to a lecture/talk by uber-bestselling author Judith Arnold (JudithArnold.com) on the subject of CONFLICT. As writers of romance, we know that the main road to a happy ever after story is usually peppered with snags, twists and turns, until the end, where our heroes and heroines finally get together for evermore. Those snags, twists and turns are typically taken up with conflict. Conflict between our protagonists, or with other people or situations in the story.

Judith quoted one famous author who said the basis behind a conflict in a romance story is such: Your hero is a firefighter and the heroine is an arsonist. How’s that for conflict? Now of course, we all know the heroine isn’t actually an arsonist, but is suspected of being one, and the hero must discover who the actual bad guy is so he can clear the heroine’s name and they can live… you got it: happily ever after. Or maybe it just looks like the heroine is our arsonist because she is acting suspiciously. Either way, we know  our firefighter will have to do more than just fight a fire to get the girl. He’ll probably have to go through a fire to do so. This is defined as interpersonal conflict, or conflict between characters.

Conflict is also evident within our characters’s makeup. Perhaps your heroine is a strict vegan PETA  member and your hero is a died in the wool carnivore cowboy. Can your heroine come to grips with her own strict moral beliefs and come to accept another viewpoint? Can the hero? This is internal conflict, or the conflict that rages upon us internally. I once wrote a short story about a female police officer who had been abused by her pastor as a teenager. As an adult, she struggled with the professional convictions of her job to protect and serve, and her personal desire for revenge. I won’t tell you the ending, but when I wrote it, I drew on my own thoughts as to what I would do if placed in the same situation. Those of you who know me know I love me a good revenge story!

Man against the Machine is the ultimate external or global conflict. Fighting against the forces of Big Brother corporations, or deadly political regimes, government corruption and so forth.

So, when we’re writing, we need to remember that conflict is key to the romance story, because after all, the story of a guy who meets a girl and marries her is just too boring for words. STUFF needs to happen and the stuff is conflict.

What do you think about this? Drop me aline and let me know.

Until next time, I’m off. And I’m conflicted: should I nap or should I write?

Conflict.

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March 2, 2014 · 3:28 pm

Where do you get your ideas?

The other day a woman I know asked me, very innocently, “where do you get your ideas for your stories?” This is a question EVERY writer in history has probably been asked. The follow up to the question was, “I mean, you live a pretty sheltered life. You don’t travel much, you’re not famous, and you’re middle aged.”  (See what I meant by innocently?!?) “Where do you find the inspiration for your stories?”

No, I didn’t deck her. Wanted to, but didn’t.

I realize that for people who don’t write, either for a living, or because to them – like me – writing is their oxygen, this is a valid question. I can only answer for myself and no other writer, so I will.

Inspiration for my stories usually starts with character for me. I read about someone, or see an interesting face on the street, and I start to wonder about them. Who they are, what job do they have, what tragedies have they suffered. Then I concoct a little life scenario in my head about them. If they’ve suffered a loss, how has it affected them? Did they just leave a long-term relationship, and if so, why?  Do they have children, or do they even want them. What is interesting about them? What kinds of foods do they like and dislike? What would it take to make them happy? All these things run through my mind by just seeing someone with a thought-provoking face.

Once I have that person figured out, I look for their foil. If my main character likes Chinese food, this one may hate it, etc. Core values are very important to me because people basically don’t change. Behavior can change, but deep down we stay pretty much the same unless something so drastic happens in our lives that causes us to fundamentally change who we are. I’ve had people say to me, “wow, are you a cynic or what? People change everyday.” To that I usually respond, just because an alcoholic isn’t drinking, it doesn’t mean they’re not an alcoholic anymore. It means they are controlling their behavior, but deep down, they will always be an alcoholic. You can agree or disagree with me, but that’s what I believe, and it’s how I build my characters.

So, after I have the two main people in my mind I want to write about, I run plotlines in my head. This is where being a chronic insomniac is a good thing. I lay awake most nights, trying to sleep, but usually having it allude me. To pass the time, I think up scenarios to throw the two people I’ve imagined up into. Recently, I wrote a story about an Olympic figure skater. Guess where the inspiration for that came from? I love TOP CHEF and never miss a season. I wrote a story about a chef with the tagline Top Chef meets The Bodyguard.

Inspiration is all around us, every day, and everywhere. I guess I just hone in on the facets that mean the most to me, imagination-wise, and go from there.

So, that’s where the ideas for my stories come from. Where do yours come from? Let me know. I’m really interested in hearing about that.

 

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February 4, 2014 · 8:07 pm

The origin of “TAWK TO ME”

Those of you who know me personally and have heard me speak, know there is little doubt that I grew up in Brooklyn, NY. My diction, the way I can’t pronounce the letters “er ” at the end of words ( I say “mutha” for “mother”) and my oft times nasal twang all give my birthplace a shout out.  So instead of calling  part of this site “Talk to Me,” I wanted you to really hear my voice when I said it, so “Tawk to me” is how it would sound if we were face to face.

This got me to thinking about my writing and writing in general when you want to bring your characters to life. The United States language is a huge mix of  accents, colloquialisms, and  cliched metaphors all melded together to form our wonderful country.  No one speaks the same way as someone else, and neither should your characters. They can share phrases, accents, and even diction, but each character should “sound” different even if they are from the same place.

I lived in Wisconsin for seven years and the natives called a water fountain a “bubbler,” and soda, “pop.”   In Brooklyn, my aunt called “Oil”, “Earl,” as in “they delivered some earl to the burna ( Burner!) yesterday and now I’ve got to pay for it.”

Wouldn’t you recognize someone who was from Ireland, if they said, “aye” and ‘Tis?” Or our neighbors to the north when they end every sentence with “eh?” Valley girls in California  spew “Oh, m’Gawd! and “Fer sures!” to this day. In the U.K. the words “Brilliant” and “bloody” are descriptive staples. Australians call each other “Sheila” and “Mate.”

Southerners say “Hey,” while northerners say “Hi.” Highly educated people wouldn’t think of saying “Gotta” or “lotta,” and my cousins would never end a sentence with “Don’t you agree?” They’d be more likely to say, “ya know?”

I live in New Hampshire now. Wicked weather, eh? (Get it?!)

So, “TAWK TO ME.” Tell me something, ask me a question, give me some needed guidance.  Just “TAWK TO ME.”

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