The Oddest Places

I'm sitting in the parking lot at Dairy Queen. They have free wi-fi and I have a baby boy who woke up an hour before his usual nap time is over. And I have a one-page synopsis to finish for this contest. One pagers are horrible. All synopsis are bad but one pagers are particularly so because you have to reduce your 100,000 word baby down to five paragraphs. And have a hook. And have a theme. So, Dairy Queen. Normally I wouldn't go to such extremes but let me tell you, when the kid doesn't get enough sleep he goes into hyper-mode and since he has recently discovered the joys of the TV, my bookcases, and well, climbing me, hyper-mode is to be avoided at all costs. 

In other news, Happily Forever After is offering a great contest ( Barbara always has good ones) and I encourage you to visit. Free books are, after all, the best things ever. 

And in my mad search to find the answer to one pagers, I found this blog which is pretty awesome. Pirates. Need I say more?

Now, it's time to get back to that synopsis before the kid awakes. And probably get some ice cream.

Update Me Baby

Every morning when I boot up the laptop to start my job search I inevitably do a few things first:

1. Immediately hit Google Readers and check out what my fav bloggers are doing. 

2. Go to USA Today Life section and read Lifeline Live and Pop Candy

3. Check email

4. Read local newspaper online

And then I finally search for jobs. That's the worst part of my morning. But when all that is done (and the baby is fed, changed and happily talking to his favorite toys) (oh and the laundry is in and I have enough clean bottles and the grocery shopping is done) ... when all that is done I start to think about my novel. And with that comes thinking about this blog. And then I feel guilty because I really don't keep it up like I should. So I'm sorry for that. This week a few things have kept me from writing a blog post. Just a few are:

Meg Cabot

Holly's Inbox

Searching for the best book to read

And my heroine's changing personality. Suddenly she has become a tad crazy and her schemes are getting out of control. I've been having such fun plotting but the actual writing is kind of tense. I've re-written one scene at least five times and it's not working. None of my peeps are talking. 

Oh and I'm bummed because Reading Romance Books is no longer as of this Saturday. The owner of the site has decided to shut down. So no more reviews over there. I had a few coming up and one was for a great new book due out in July called A Stroke of Magic. I also had an interview planned with the author. So look for that here sometime in the next two weeks. 

For now I am off to surf the Internet while baby is busy in his swing laughing at his pacifier. Here's hoping my characters start talking and a miracle happens and I get a job. You can't have it all, but you should have some, right?

4 Points That Make A Story

Over on Argh Ink, Jennifer Crusie posted an interesting discussion on what a reader or movie goer really takes away from a story. She asserts that the structure of a story - the acts, the turning points, the black moment - is not what a reader really remembers about a book. It's something an author must constantly think about in order to keep her plot in line, but it's not what makes the reader love a story. You can read more about her theory here and her inspiration for the theory here.

She brings up a valid point. There are moments in a book that really capture a reader. And as a writer, I see those moments as being the best ones to write. I think they are the ones a writer looks back on and is most proud of. Those are the moments that MAKE a story. 

So it got me thinking - what are the four points in my current WIP? And should those moments be highlighted in a synopsis to a potential agent or editor?

Quickly thinking, here are my four favorite moments:

1. Olivia falls in love with Patrick during a knock down, drag out fight with his wife. 

2. Olivia's family - mother, father, Jeremy and Lucy - make a pact to help find Olivia a husband and the person who finds her a husband first gets a horse.

3. Olivia tracks down Patrick at the theater and confesses that she has written a book about him. 

4. The rose garden.

I see, very quickly, that all these moments are in Olivia's POV. This tells me something although I am not sure what. Several thoughts come to mind but the biggest one is that this is Olivia's story and Patrick is merely secondary. Do I want it that way? I don't know. 

Think of your favorite book or your current WIP. What four points make the story for you? And what do those four points tell you about your book, the book you are reading, and you as a person? Because I very much think that not everyone is going to have the same four points.

True Character

"True character is revealed in the choices a human being makes under pressure - the greater the pressure, the deeper the revelation, the truer the choice to the character's essential nature."                 -- Robert McKee

I found inspiration in this today, I hope you will too. 

Have You Tried?

Writers ...

Have you heard of this book?

Have any of you tried it?

I ordered and used Wiesner's First Draft in 30 Days ... I liked the book and I continue to reference it. I just wondered if this one had repeated information. I would assume not but thought I'd send feelers out there first. Thanks for any input. 

(click on the book for a link to Wiesner's website and info about the guide.)

Cue Lights and Angel Music

So. 

Yesterday was a little painful. One crappy false start followed another crappy false start which then followed one more HUGE crappy false start. Yeah, a whole scene worth of crappy. So I went to bed with a headache and I really wanted that hot bath, chocolate and cry that a very understanding co-writer suggested. 

Today I woke up, looked at my manuscript (before my kid woke up laughing - LOVE when that happens) and thought, "more crap."

Except, I was wrong. Today was not crappy. You know when you start out writing a scene and it just ... runs? Especially after trying to get it right for a whole day? Then with a fresh perspective you start writing that first sentence, then the next and the next and before you know it you have a whole page and you think: "yup, this is what I wanted, this works, this is awesome."

I mean, the awesome feeling will pass. I'll read it back later and think: "hm, OK, this doesn't make sense, this needs to be changed and this is just dumb." But all along, this scene ... it works. This is it.

Ouch! That Hurt!

So, I cut myself on the ax. Not the literal ax, no, the delete button ax. It hurt when I deleted those 200 pages. I think I'm bleeding. 

But today, I started filling out the rest of my story. I have some scene ideas and one big background factor that is going to tie the whole thing together. My poor notebook, which was about full the first time I finished my manuscript, is now bursting at the seams and I am in need of a new one. 

So today I need to get a new notebook, finish my first scene (that's actually like two chapters in), write a review of Maeve Binchy's Heart and Soul, change a million dirty diapers and do some laundry. 

Update: This scene is giving me a headache. I've written 1,300 crappy words today and I know I won't end up keeping half of them, if any. I am trying to recapture the voice and mood of this story but its eluding me. No one said diving back in would be easy. But it should be.

Cutting Off The Dead Limbs

This past January we experienced a mega ice storm. A half inch of bone chilling ice covered the roads, the power lines, our driveway (I love sliding down the hill to the mailbox) and our trees. I woke up the next morning to see half our very large pear tree laying across our fence. It had split almost entirely down the middle. That afternoon my poor husband got out in the cold and doctored the tree. It looked so forlorn with half of it gone and unfortunately, we can now see straight into our backyard neighbor's kitchen (which means they can see into ours and my baby boy's butt when he gets a bath in the sink). We were sure the tree would have to come down in the spring. How could it survive the ice damage? 

Well spring is here and as I sit at my kitchen window and look out, the pear tree is alive with green, green leaves and tiny but beautiful sprigs of white flowers. Sure, half of it is still missing but I can see a little tiny branch making it's way out. The tree has survived and it's here to stay. 

Like the tree, my current manuscript has suffered some damage. A rejection, the tearing apart of chapters, the deletion of characters and most importantly I (oh God, deep breath) have decided to chop off the entire last half. Yeah, I'm doing it. Because it needs to be done. The third and fourth acts are like those dead limbs - covered in ice, black and deadened - and they need to be removed, put out to the curb for the city to come and pick up. It hurt to do it - to literally highlight 200 pages and hit delete - but wow do I feel good about it. It's like getting a really good haircut and your head just feels so much lighter. The first half of my book was so good, I am so proud of it. When I looked at the second half, the spirit of the book had dimmed. My characters didn't seem like the same people and my voice was just off. But I've fixed that. Now I am going to go back into those first two acts, widen them out, add scenes, people, places and make the book into what I originally envisioned. Make it LIVE. 

I feel good.

Sometimes we need to sit back, identify the dead branches and cut them down. Sure, we're left with half a tree, but that's half a tree ready to grow. 

Starting Over Again ...

The past few months have been nothing short of life-changing for me. There were fantastic changes, like giving life to a beautiful baby boy. And there were not so good changes like losing my job and the recent death of my grandmother - a woman I now realize I thought I knew, even judged at times, but probably didn't know a damn thing about her really. All these changes - a thousand more little ones too - have combined to slow me down and I haven't had the time, energy or creativity to continue writing. Add to that the rejection of a manuscript I am really proud of and you could say I dropped out of what I love doing. But now I think I am ready to come back. But there are some hurdles with that. 

The first - I am a different person than I was six months ago. My world view has been altered over the course of a few short months (although let me tell you, those first three felt like a LIFETIME. I don't remember Christmas ... or New Years ... or January ...). So returning to an old manuscript, I see it with completely different eyes. I don't like what I see in most spots. 

Secondly - Time: I don't have it. I've been robbed. Well, been robbed of long stretches of time. For now I have perhaps 20-45 minutes at a time to sit down and just think, let alone write. This forces me to work quickly and I don't work well under pressure.

Third - I've been out of the romance writing loop for awhile and it seems like in the time I was gone, publishing took a completely different turn. Perhaps I am wrong but I feel as though (from just a few days of surfing my favorite sites) romance has turned from historicals and veered directly toward contemporaries. Bummer for me since I have several half finished historical novels going on. 

All this combined means I have to completely re-invent myself and my writing style. So welcome back to me, now start all over lady.

Playlist

Today I had at least two hours to do with whatever I wanted. So I sat down to do some plotting (I love plotting) and instead I succumbed to temptation. I didn't plot. Bad writer! Instead I spent one hour and forty-five minutes searching for songs to add to my writing playlist. TECHNICALLY I was working on my book. Technically. Unfortunately my notepad is still empty although my iPod has an interesting list on it. A few samples ... 

LeeAnn Womack's Last Call

Duffy's Mercy

Lady Antebellum's Run To You

... Those are just three of many. I find songs so inspiring when I need to slip into the dreamstate needed for writing. My creativity ups a couple notches each time I listen to the songs that remind me of my current project. I feel a little bad about not writing anything. But not bad enough. Bad writer! 

P.S. Wander on over to Reading Romance Books to check out my review of Catherine Anderson's Star Bright ... it wasn't the best read and writing bad reviews is always difficult.

Contests

With the new year comes new challenges and experiences. I have been writing seriously for seven years now and in that time I have never once entered one of the many contests offered by RWA chapters. When I stop to wonder why I haven't done so, I'm a little perplexed. OK, sure, there is the inevitable guarantee of rejection. Some judge is NOT going to like my submission and perhaps that judge has a bad day and decides to tell me exactly what she thinks. That's going to happen, and when it does -- oooooh doggie. But here's the thing: so what? For every negative feedback I receive, I am sure to receive twice as many positive. So, positive doesn't necessarily mean praise but it does mean feedback that I can use to my advantage.

So here's the deal. This year I am going to enter several contests. I have some picked out and I am narrowing them down. I'll keep you up to date on the ones I enter. 

Also, I am working on publishing a website, so look for that in the future. 

New year, new challenges. 

In Search of That Perfect CP

Early on in my writing career ... (can I call it a career with just a novella under my belt? Yeah I can, it's my blog). Where was I? ... Right, so early on via cyberspace I met an awesome fellow writer. Beth and I developed a strong bond over the years and if we lose touch for a few weeks, we can always pick right back up. 

Bottom line, I value my relationship with Beth and yet, I find myself unsatisfied with having only one person with which I can share the ups and downs of a struggling writer. There are several reasons for this I think. 

1. While Beth has awesome ideas and feedback, I need the perspective of more than one person. 
   
2. At times, we aren't always on the same professional page. Life interrupts, things happen (like babies) and she can't always be there, just as I can't always be there. 
3. Sometimes I am looking for a particular type of feedback and don't receive it. This isn't her fault, she gives her all, but I think it goes back to needing a different perspective. 

Over the years I've had several critique partners but haven't been able to keep the relationships going. I'd like to think the fault does not lie with me and more often than not, I seem to be paired with people who aren't on the same wavelength. But perhaps I am wrong. Like any relationship, being a critique partner (emphasis on partner) means working at that relationship. Being a critique partner means being a friend and a co-worker. It's an intimate thing. I mean, I am putting myself out there by having someone, who is by all rights a stranger, read my work in it's roughest form. It's almost like baring your soul to that random stranger on the train during your morning commute. It's hard. Yet, I do it. Time after time I send my work to women I've met through websites and conferences and each time I am met, in the end, with rejection. That's hard to take. 

I've also tried critique groups but found them to be mostly intimidating. Usually I enter a group and everyone already knows everyone else. I begin working with these fellow writers and perhaps, because I am new, I don't always offer my most honest opinion. I sugarcoat the things I really want to say. Should I do that? I'm not sure. No matter what someone, somewhere along the way is going to get their feelings hurt. So maybe the groups don't work for me because I don't give my all. 

This post is a mess of random thoughts and I apologize for that. I am just trying to figure out if the problem is mine or if other people experience the same level of frustration and disappointment. 

Here's what I want:

1. Someone who is on the journey to publication, just like me.
2. Honesty without cruelty
3. Contact several times a week - I write everyday, I need someone to talk to about it almost everyday. 
4. Trust, humor, comfortable commiserating, support, and most importantly: 
5. A friend

Is this what others want? Am I being ridiculous? I don't know, but if you have some feedback, I'd love to hear it. Thanks for listening.

Is It 2009 Already? ... Crap

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions. I tend to cave easily and forget exactly what I resolved to do anyway. Plus I don't do things like: "I'm going to lose 15 pounds" (although this year I might to get rid of this baby weight and all the fudge I ate over the holidays) or "I am going to quit smoking" (because I don't smoke). Those are your typical resolutions, right?

I could say that I am going to be a nicer person but honestly, I am perfectly nice unless provoked. And OK, some would say I am easily provoked but whatever, I know my limitations. Other people should too.

However 2009 is a special year for me. It's the first year of my baby's life and our family dynamic will never be the same. It's so new and odd to me to be a mother, but wonderful all the same. Some days I wonder if I were crazy to embark on this journey but then I look at his beautiful face (and he smiles, its not gas, I swear!) and I know I am holding onto a miracle. 

Also this year I have several new writing projects lined up. Oh and that little, itty bitty rejection letter to consider. I know I said it didn't bother me and really, it doesn't ... except at like, you know, three in the morning when I am feeding Michael and my mind wanders into the dangerous self-doubt territory. Those 3 am doubts are particularly strong when I am tired and so I've decided to do something about them. As in, not have them. Ever. And to do that, I must resolve. 

Crap. A resolution after all. 

Here it is:

I hereby resolve to take the good and leave the bad. To see the small things as they are - realize when they are actually big and when they are insignificant. And to appreciate each gift I am given. 

Happy New Year!

The Nicest Rejection Letter

Back in April I went to the Chicago Spring Fling sponsored by Chicago's RWA. I had a lovely time, my second time attending and I even had the chance to pitch to an editor at one of my choice publishers. She was such a sweet person - very encouraging and happy and she asked for a partial and synopsis. So I ran home and tidied everything up and sent it off and crossed my fingers. Then I waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, earlier this week a package came to my house and I knew immediately what it was. They had rejected my partial. My heart sank down around my ankles. The Husband opened it up for me and began to read the letter. And as he read, my heart started to rise up back into my chest, inflate just a little bit. Because although the manuscript was rejected, the editor wrote that I was a very talented writer. Me. A Very. Talented. Writer. 

So thank you nameless editor. You rejected me, but you did it in such a way that I didn't even cry. 

A Bit of Inspiration

Wandering through blogland yesterday I stumbled across Word Nerd's prolific blog and had to stop to read. Boy am I glad I did! Not only is Bethany infinitely diverting, she also offers keen insight to the writing life. What caught my attention, though, was a picture she had posted of a blackboard in her living room (um, how cool is it that her apartment is part of an old school building?). On the board a written message offers inspiration whenever it's needed (passed on from mystery/thriller writer Marcus Sakey). I immediately emailed her and asked for permission to post the picture here. It's also now part of my "writing notebook", printed out and taped inside. And really, no more explanation is needed. 

Thank you, Bethany. 

NaNo ~ I had to stop today and do a little re-vamp on my outline. I don't count it as a day lost but days saved. I know the whole point of NaNo is to write without thinking but I don't work that way. If I don't think, I end up thinking too much and going back and unpicking pages upon pages of work. 

I also went through what I had already written to highlight just dialogue. I do this to make sure my characters are still speaking in the same voice they had from the beginning and to ensure they were progressing in their relationship, becoming more comfortable with each other. I think I'm on the right path. 

Happy Friday!

An Alternate Universe (or NaNo Day 5)

Ever have one of those days when nothing seems like it's normal? 

Like you are driving to work, minding your own business and suddenly you snap to attention to realize that the light you sit at for a good 3 minutes every day is actually green this time and you go right through? And then you get to work and pull into the parking lot next to a car you've never seen before. In fact, you've never seen any of the cars around you. The people walking in with you aren't the usual faces either. And the whole day goes from there. It's your life, it's what you do every day but each encounter seems a little ... off. 

That's been my day today. I don't think I should drive anywhere else. I'm liable to end up west of the Mississippi without any idea how I got there. 

Anyway. 

Today I wrote and worked on my writing playlist. I find that music gets me into the heads of my characters. Here is a small sampling of the songs I listen to while writing Enchanted Temptation. 

(I would provide links to these songs, or at least the artist website but I'm afraid I'll hurt myself or worse, my laptop which is my lifeline these days)

Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now - Joss Stone

Upbeat tempo about two people who find themselves in love but aren't quite sure how to proceed now. 

Temporary Angel - Pat Green

What do you do when you enter into a relationship you thought was a fling and suddenly you're in so deep, you know you won't ever leave? 

Bubbly - Colbie Calliet

This is a "every time" add for me. It's about the moment you realize exactly how the other person makes you feel. It's that perfect moment, before doubt creeps in. 

Songbird - Eva Cassidy

Slow, sultry, Eva. You should just listen to it. 

I realize that's only four songs but I have at least 35 on my list. These are the most prominent though, the ones that really describe Philippa and Finn for me. 

Do you have certain songs you listen to while you write?

 

NaNo Word Count: 4,316

Am I A NaNo Cheater?

This year, after lots of serious thought and introspection (yeah, right), I decided to make a decent stab at NaNo. I’ve signed up in the past but always something has prevented me from finishing. Really important things like freaking out because Thanksgiving is at our house and I can’t remember how to cook a turkey (the easiest thing in the world) and so how can I POSSIBLY devote myself to writing 50,000 words in a month when I have to learn how to make a turkey? Or the fact that November is sweeps month on network TV and hello, who has time to write when the mysteries of Jim and Pam are about to be solved? (Which they weren’t, by the way … that was 2 years ago. I think). But this year I am totally seriously devoted. Seriously.

Except I have a problem.

I might have to “cheat” at it. See, the good people over at NaNo have a few rules. Really good, reasonable rules. But one of them is in direct conflict with what I need to accomplish. Here it is:

Do I have to start my novel from scratch on November 1? Can I use an outline?

Yes.

This sounds like a dumb, arbitrary rule, we know. But bringing a half-finished manuscript into NaNoWriMo all but guarantees a miserable month. You'll care about the characters and story too much to write with the gleeful, anything-goes approach that makes NaNoWriMo such a creative rush. Give yourself the gift of a clean slate, and you'll tap into realms of imagination and intuition that are out-of-reach when working on pre-existing manuscripts.

Outlines and plot notes are very much encouraged, and can be started months ahead of the actual novel-writing adventure. Previously written prose, though, is punishable by death.

Punishable by death! Yikes! I can understand their reasoning. When I am in the second draft of a novel, my writing really slows down because I get bogged down by details, have to go back and check voice/tone/humor, have to research all those facts I put notes by in the first draft, etc. But that’s the second draft. In the first, it’s really a free for all, write by the seat of my pants kind of experience. And that’s where I am now - on the rollercoaster. (I really wish it were like June or July or something so I could go to Six Flags and ride the rollercoasters. I know, I know, Fright Fest is going on but I don’t do cold. Ever.) I am experiencing the creative rush now in the first draft of Enchanted Temptation and I am scared to stop. If I stop, if I work on something else for the month of November, I am afraid I won’t be able to rediscover the flow of images, voices and ideas that come with writing the first draft of something in a crazy frenzy. I’ll forget. I’ll forget Philippa’s prickly humor and Finn’s unmasked honesty. I’ll lose all the loose plot threads twisting about in my brain. Right now I have them in my fist, held tight so they fit before they are sewn together. But if I stop, I’ll never remember how they all twisted together before and made sense. Do I have notes? Of course. A huge notebook devoted (I even have a Table of Contents … I’m strange, I know this, but it works for me) to the manuscript with everything I’ll ever need to know jotted down on some random page (hence the Table of Contents people). Unfortunately the notebook can never take the place of the vision in my head. I don’t want to lose my vision.

Do I have other manuscript ideas? Oh yes, hundreds. And I even have another notebook made up entirely of plot ideas. (I really should put them all into a Word Doc. Do you know how badly I would freak out if I lost that notebook?) I know, if I were absolutely FORCED to abandon Enchanted Temptation in the month of November which idea I would work on. But that’s the point. THERE ARE NO REFERRES! I could break all the rules and no one would ever know. Except me. And I hate keeping secrets. So I confess them all in a blog so it’s out there for everyone to see. I am starting to notice a slightly self-destructive pattern here. Hm … .

When I first began writing this post, I was torn. I don’t want to be a cheater but I also need to do what’s best for me. So in the writing of this post I have decided to break NaNo’s rule and become an official NaNo Cheater. At least I am upfront about it though. That has to count for something, right? I’ll enter my word count, and I’ll cheer everyone else on, but I’ll be cheating each and every day too. And I’m OK with that. Seriously.  

Foray Into Ghosts

I'll tell you right upfront I do not write paranormals or fantasies. I tend not to read paranormals or fantasies. This does not mean that people who read/write these kind of books aren't fabulously intelligent people, it just means that world building, vampires, werewolves etc. don't do it for me. And yet ... about a year ago I got an idea. From a song actually. Sugarland's Fly Away. One line in particular ...

"I could walk away and leave behind my family or get buried alive in this legacy."

... just hit me the right way and suddenly I had a character in mind with a solid back story and possible scene ideas bubbling up in my brain so fast I couldn't keep up. And of course I was in the car going 50 in a 35 so I couldn't exactly write everything down. Once I got home though, thankfully, most of the things I had thought up were still with me and I quickly jotted down a rough outline. At the time however, I was working on another manuscript and was at a point that pausing, even for a couple of days, to work on something else would have been extremely foolish. Well now that project is out of the way and so now it's time for Enchanted Temptation (the title needs work, but all titles need work).

There's only one problem. The book features a ghost. Yeah. A ghost. I don't do ghosts. I don't know anything about ghosts. OK, that's a lie, I do know all about Casper. And Ghostbusters. But what I don't know is ghosts in romance novels. I've read a few books here and there (especially Christmas anthologies ... always back to Christmas
Anthologies) that have ghosts and a few Halloween related ones too (though I can't think of any right now). But what I really need is a list of books to use as a point of reference. These books should feature ghosts that don't take over the entire story, that are sweet(ish) and are believable. So, in my first attempt to reach out to the readers of this blog (anyone out there?) I have a request ...

What are your recommendations for romance novels that feature ghosts but in which ghosts are not the overriding element to the novel?

Oh, and P.S. my heroine does not get buried alive ... maybe figuratively, but not literally. I'm claustrophobic, I couldn't do that to ANYONE.

P.P.S For your reading pleasure, here is the first paragraph to Enchanted Temptation. Which will change in the final form in one way or another, possibly scrapped completely.

It was happening again. Philippa tore the light sheets from her legs and sprang up from bed. The blasted light bounced twice on her window sill, delighted she was up, and then dropped down into the courtyard. An interesting development since the previous times the little ball of golden-y pink light had stayed in her bedroom. Twice now it had woken her. Glittering and flickering like an almost-gone candle before her eyes, her dreams were soaked in a weird sort of pale gold color before she jerked awake, startled. It would then fly away from her before she could reach a hand to touch it to land on a spot in the room and stay just long enough to force her from bed before disappearing.

The Writer's Heart

In a recent post, Belinda over at Worderella asked:

“… when you write, who do you keep in mind as you write? The characters? Your overarching plot? Your theme? Your reader? Or all of the above?”

As a writer, I think it’s important to keep all these things in mind because they are all tied together with the same bow. The characters you create are defined by the plot and how they react to the events (therefore the theme) that propel them forward. The only thing missing from that equation is the reader. And I believe that was the point of Beilnda’s post. The writer should create plot/characters/theme in the hopes of eliciting a reaction from the reader. But what kind of reaction? Belinda provides that answer:

“ … an author can touch me in such a way that I feel as though my very soul was burned, I’m much more likely to recommend the book to a friend. That is what I strive for, something so…fierce, I suppose, that my reader is scorched, forever changed by my writing.”

TOUCH ME IN SUCH A WAY THAT I FEEL AS THOUGH MY VERY SOUL WAS BURNED.

Whew! That’s a tough task for anyone, not to mention authors who are expected to turn out novel after novel. So how does an author touch the reader? Through emotion. Everyone knows the old adage “write what you know” and I completely agree. Write the emotions you know. And if you don’t know them, get to know them. Talk to people, read articles, read books, watch movies, and put your heart into EVERYTHING you write. Your heart is the single most important tool available to you as a writer. Because if YOU don’t believe in what your characters feel, the reader sure won’t either. Put yourself in your character’s soul (not shoes, soul). When you write, BE your character. Listen to the little nuances of your heart and expand on them, as your character.

Speaking in terms of writing Romance:

Making an impression on the reader doesn’t always mean sadness. Though one of my goals is to write a book that make readers just BAWL through at least one scene (unlike the movie P.S. I Love You in which I sobbed through the entire thing and hated every minute of it … I like to be happy. Most people do). But in the end, leaving the reader with a smile and a warm, fuzzy feeling in their heart and maybe a bit of laughter on their lips is something romance writers should strive for.

I write romance for the happy ending. As I posted in the comments on Belinda’s blog, there is enough emotional smog in the world, shouldn’t we strive to make the world a better place by injecting joy into the lives of others? That is my goal in writing, to make someone happy. Happiness, like tears, comes from the heart. When you write, use your heart and write what you know.

Pace Yourself, Agnes (Thank You Jenny & Bob)

Have you ever picked up a book and found yourself setting it down immediately? (NOTE: This won't happen when you read Agnes and the Hitman - the picture means something, I'm getting there). You put down the book because there’s something better on TV. You could check your email. The cat needs some attention. All these things intrude on your favorite reading hour when, most times, once you begin a book, it’s really hard to set it down. Why do you suppose that happens? In most cases, I think it has to do with pacing. When you pick up a book, it needs to hook you immediately. The

action has to start RIGHT NOW, not on page 13. Or, god forbid, 35.

In every writing reference book or article you’ll read, the first thing people say is start the action on the first page. This is so important in catching the reader’s attention. AFTER THAT though, you need to keep the reader’s attention. So keep the action going. I know, I know,it’s so hard to resist the temptation to fill in the background gaps (info dumping = bad) but ask yourself: would you rather read two pages of AND THEN, AND THEN, AND THEN or do you want pages of dialogue/action with the most necessary information woven into the scene? Woven so skillfully that half the time, as the reader, you don’t even know you are picking up the information until it becomes necessary to know it? I vote for dialogue. I vote for action. I vote for a book that moves FAST in which every scene somehow propels the book forward. Something happens in EVERY SCENE that is important to the story and moves the character forward.

That is good pacing. The protagonist never stops moving forward (either through action or growth).

The death of a good book? A scene that stalls. A scene that (eek!) loses the reader’s attention and she wanders away to watch Gray’s Anatomy (which also has excellent pacing, btw … but then, they only have to keep your attention for an hour long show, not a 100,000 word novel … TV writers have it so easy (KIDDING TV WRITERS)). 

Here are some examples of books with excellent pacing:

• Agnes and the Hitman – Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (actually JC is the Queen of good pacing, hence the title of this blog post… and it sounded cute)
  
• The Lost Duke of Wyndham – Julia Quinn (soon to be followed with Mr. Cavendish, I Presume)
  
• Size 12 Is Not Fat – Meg Cabot (1st in the Heather Wells series)
  

Now, in the case of Agnes and the Duke, I believe the pacing works really well because the whole of the story takes place over just a few days. Admittedly this plot device could get tiring after awhile but in these books, it works like a charm. So when you are plotting or editing, take a look at the timeline of your book. Does your WIP stretch over months or years? And if so, could it reasonably be reduced to a shorter time-span? In most cases, I would assume not. It’s probably part of the story that events take place over a long period of time. But take a look at the necessary gap between events. Would shortening these gaps speed up the pace?

Other Ways To Increase Pace:

• The dreaded SHOW NOT TELL. Really, do we much more explanation here? Yes? OK, check out this website: http://www.hodrw.com/tell.htm
  
• Ask yourself if dialogue would work better in the scene than narrative
  
• Intersperse internal thought throughout dialogue or action. Don’t let your heroine sit on the couch and “think” for three pages when she could be talking to her mom on the phone or mucking out an icky horse stall (and venting her emotions through hard labor – see? You are SHOWING her anger).
  
• Make sure each scene is important to the story
  

ALL THAT SAID … There are still books and movies where a slow pace absolutely works and defines the story. These are usually epic novels/movies. However, they don’t sell well these days (which is a shame). Here are a few examples:

• Dr. Zhivago - Boris Pasternak (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Zhivago)
  
• Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell (http://www.franklymydear.com/)
  
• Cold Mountain - Charles Frazier (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0159365/)
  

Notice how all 3 of these have been turned into movies? If you’re REALLY interested and have A LOT of time, go back and compare the books to the movies. Which scenes were cut? Where they necessary scenes? Or where they merely interesting? Because you can bet the movies move a lot faster than the books. (Which is not always a good thing … books are 10 to 1 better than their movies … hello Harry Potter).

Ok. Enough rambling. I can see the pace of this blog post has stalled. Happy Writing!