Writing craft

May 30, 2007 Uncategorized

Plotting 101

Back to craft – Over on Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer’s workshop ( http://www.crusiemayer.com/workshop/) they discussed the great divide of writers into two camps. Those who are character driven (Jenny) and those who are plot driven (Bob). They also mention the reality that you need both to write a good story.

In an informal survey of romance writers most confess to being character driven. Makes sense since the heart of romance is character conflict – the inner barriers that keep these two meant-for-each-other lovers from professing their love and committing to the relationship. Even in character driven romance plot helps. And for those interested in writing cross genre, like romantic suspense or moving on to single title then mastering plot is essential.

Plots are the story’s underpinning structure. The heart of the story is question. Will these two people find love? (romance) Who did it? (mystery) Will good win over evil? (westerns, lots of sci-fi, thrillers) Will the protagonist do the right thing? (popular literary theme)

The plot provides the framework for answering the story question restated as a goal. In a romance the hero and heroine are usually both protagonists. Therefore the basis for their conflict should be character driven.

Hero’s GMC statement:

Dick loves Jane and wants to be with her. (Goal) Because she is a good woman. (Motivation) But he is an outcast and she would be shunned by the town that loves her (Conflict).

Heroine’s GMC statement:

Jane love Dick and wants to be with him. (Goal) Because he is a man of honor – falsely accused.(Motivation) But he rejects her love. (Conflict)

Next comes the business the showing the reader these things as the characters live their story.

There are three books I recommend, each excellent in its own way, that cover the basics of plotting in much more depth.

Vogler’s, The Writer’s Journey

McKee’s, Story

Bell’s, Plot and Structure

Writing Life

May 29, 2007 Uncategorized

The other day I took a break and cruised a couple of e-published author group message boards. Yeah, I know I’ve got an internet habit. One message caught my eye. A multi-published author responded to a promotion service pitch, which was offered at fifty dollars a month.

Now I had skimmed right over the promo pitch, having nothing to advertise. The reply mentioned politely that fifty dollars was way too high because so few writers earn that much. I know most people who want to write never get paid. Like wanting to be an American Idol or an NBA star, it is a popular dream on only a few succeed. But here were the winners, those authors who are published some of them many times over and they aren’t making diddly squat?

Karen Fox provides a report of royalty earnings for romance authors. She includes some e-publisher figures. I realize it is rude to ask individual writers about their earnings. But as a service to the aspiring please take the time to participate in Karen’s report. Because this industry segment have the same kind of general compensation data available as any other career.

http://www.karenafox.com/money.htm

Writing life

May 28, 2007 Uncategorized

Yesterday I skimmed an author message board and one response caught my eye. Promotion services offered at the bargain rate of fifty dollars a month. Seemed high to me for the scope of the product, but I digress. The established author who answered thought the price too high also. Especially considering how few authors make fifty dollars a month.

What a disappointing admission! I figured like all publishing, e-publishing paid very little to the eager throngs crowding their inboxes while there are a few fat cats at the top and a hard-working elite layer that does okay. So I was not flabbergasted by the dash of cold water reality. But definitely discouraged. The lady who posted the message has multiple titles on offer and is published with half a dozen of the top e-publishers.

In another group message board three of the members are published by the same e-press. My guess is their earnings are negative. In addition to the e-publication of the story, most opt for the additional POD (print on demand) set up fee, plus purchasing copies of the books for resale or keepsakes — who knows.

I thought e-publishers were the 21st century equivalent of small independent presses and magazines, which provided the starting point for last century’s beginning authors. Maybe they are and I failed to take into account getting published at all is an honor – I shouldn’t expect other compensation.

Before you all write me off as terminally stupid, I researched fiction writing before embarking on this venture. I found out the odds are long and the earnings small and most get discouraged and fall out of the rat race. There are superstars who receive six figure advances for each book. There is a secondary layer of hard-working mid-list authors who make a living. Then there is the bottom rung — a teeming mass of fringe writers who’ve gotten published but either didn’t get an advance or failed to earn it back.

Strangely, I failed to find much information on e-published author earnings. I’m thinking more e-published authors need to share their information with Karen Fox Show Me The Money report. What do you all think?

Publication Quest

May 27, 2007 Uncategorized

Submission number four is close! One change in how I work — expanding the type of story written — widened my horizon. The variety of formats keeps the work fresh. Each style offers its own charm. The romantic suspense manuscripts are the longest and most demanding in terms of time. The novellas include just a hint of danger — challenge enough for a plot driven writer. The shorts are dangerously sexy bedtime reading, darn hard writing. I see a pattern . . . .

Current year’s goals updated

1) Craft improvement is back – it helps tell the good story

2) Three submissions

3) In roads into the TBR shelves

Progress report

Reading the last unread craft book – it’s good!

Three submissions sent!

Working on number four (polishing)

Status: One rejection – two still waiting to hear from the publishers

Timeline:

Number Two: Two months, one week – estimated response time from publisher 1 month

Number three: One month and three weeks – estimated response time from publisher none*

*Publisher did acknowledge the submission, but included a warning not to contact them about submissions to this line. Three months is long enough for them to have an exclusive.

TBR stack is smaller

Writing craft

May 26, 2007 Uncategorized

I’m reading another craft book, sort of — actually its closer to therapy. But the author makes lots of good points. For example he contends that we need both faith and doubt in a healthy balance to succeed at writing. Too many doubts and we’ll never get off the ground floor. Too much faith and we won’t work hard enough to perfect our craft.

I’ve been thinking really hard about the story that was rejected. It isn’t a perfect for their line. But it’s still a story I love. More revisions ahead. :~

Writing life

May 25, 2007 Uncategorized

Finished the first draft of the Pirate Novella so there is a small lull until my trusted critique partner fires it back with comments. Since the submission deadline is June first it’s going to be a push to get it polished in time.

All submissions face incredible odds. However sending stories to publishers is like buying a lottery ticket. Without that first step you can’t win. Wish me luck!

Reading Report

May 22, 2007 Uncategorized

No Second Chance, by Harlan Coben is a plot forward mystery thriller. The plotting is excellent, lots of nicely handled twists that keep the reader guessing and turning pages until the end. Mr. Coben writes well, handling dialogue and action with a deft hand. The characters are well drawn, three dimensional, and consistently portrayed. All and all a nicely delivered thriller.

So am I happy? No, but I take full blame for my dissatisfaction. The characters failed to engage me. The hero is intellectual, distant, and self-centered. His most sympathetic factor is that he’s aware of his short comings. The main story question; will he find his missing infant daughter, is so compelling that the sub-plot of a reunion romance seems almost intrusive. For those readers who love getting caught up in the literary equivalent of a car chase scene this is a great read.

Writing Life

May 21, 2007 Uncategorized

A week ago the mail brought my renewal notice for RWA. I’ve been a member for three years. I’ve read many informative articles. I’ve entered two contests. I’m thrilled when I see a friend’s name in the first sale column or as a contest winner.

But I’ve been thinking. What has this organization done for me lately? If my life were different and monthly chapter meetings were anticipated outings . . . if I actually made money writing and needed to stay informed about the industry. . . if I wanted to place an ad. . . . Then maybe the dues would make sense.

Join RWA is standard advice for aspiring romance authors. The membership is large and diverse, offering an unparalleled opportunity for networking. The organization is also slow to recognize or adapt to a fast changing industry.

For me, the value of the membership is not worth the price of the dues.

Writing craft

May 16, 2007 Uncategorized

A couple of different thoughts about characterization dropped into my head this week. The result made me think that I might be too busy admiring the bark and ignoring the essence of the forest.

On Monday’s blog I mused about my tendency to admire the talents I don’t possess. My friend Lori Borrill, who writes wonderfully sexy, witty romance for those of you who haven’t read her, shared her thoughts.

No, Evanne, I’m exactly the same way. I love a good horror story, and I can’t write horror for beans. I also love good thrillers and suspense plots, mysteries, all those things that feel too complicated for me.

I answered.

Earlier today I had kind of a epiphany — that what is even more important than memorable characters is a making a connection between the story world and the reader. Character is simply the most popular road.

Then Lori said:

I wouldn’t disagree with that. But how exactly do you connect with readers? (And that’s not a hypothetical question. I’m seriously interested in how to do that).

In romance usually it is through the characters. But as I perused the NY Times best seller list is occurs to me there are other routes. One is situational the hero is an average Joe caught up in something bigger than he is and has to rise to the occasion. David battling Goliath — that the situation itself makes us root for the underdog. Injustice, overwhelming odds, suffering, peril are all situational hooks. This isn’t new thinking – just me getting a better understanding of why the 2-D characters succeed in some plots. IMHO the reader is filling in the missing pieces and projecting their idea of who that protagonist is onto the deliberately rather skimpy characterization. When it works — it works better than brilliantly written protagonists.

Was my response.

The trick of course is getting the reader to identify with the protagonist. All of the examples I can think of that work effectively involve trouble (with a capital T) for the star of the story. The beleaguered protagonist suffers. Their unhappy situation is essential to the bonding process.

They are unjustly accused, innocently attacked, or unfairly accused in whatever calamity has befallen them. Rather than bemoan their fate or become bitter they battle back determined to overcome this obstacle. They are not super people, they have flaws, but at their core they are good and noble and honorable. The bad thing that happens to this character actually brings out their best qualities. The trouble forges their character, burning away all the petty parts and revealing the best part of them.

The connection with the reader is forged based upon the universal truth that each of us is the star of our own story. No matter how modest or unlikely a protagonist we appear to the rest of the world we battle overwhelming odds each day and survive. When tragedy strikes and danger looms don’t ordinary people perform amazing feats all the time? The essence of popular fiction is a world that makes sense. A universe where good triumphs over the forces of evil.

None of this is new thinking. But what did strike me was the fact that too much lovingly crafted character detail is actually detrimental to this process. The situation, the protagonists actions and emotional response to the story events are critical. What color their eyes are isn’t all that essential to the reader connection.

One of the advantages of the printed story over a movie version is the reader’s imagination fills in gaps with a richness no author could equal. In movies the only fill in are the audience’s projection of the character’s thoughts. In a book the character’s thoughts are easily shared and that’s the shortest road to making the magic emotional bond with the reader.

Now for the tricky part — putting this insight to work in a story.

Reading Report

May 15, 2007 Uncategorized

Last week I read The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. Mr. McCarthy handles words with the precision of a poet and the power of Olympic champion discus thrower. The story is a post-apocalyptic view of some near term future world where an unspecified disaster has decimated the earth. A father and son travel on foot in a ravaged landscape with minimal resources. The child is young, the father is sick, the journey is long and arduous.

In the early pages I imagined The Road ,as a prose poem version of Stephen King’s The Stand a classic examination of good versus evil. I was wrong. This novel is about love and sacrifice and hope kept alive against overwhelming odds. Brilliantly written, undeniably powerful, and certainly thought provoking.

I still didn’t like it.

Why? When I read I want to be drawn into a story world where either I learn things or am entertained. Color me shallow. IMHO Mr. McCarthy is exploring themes that interest him in a rather self-indulgent way. Perhaps this is what brilliant successful authors do. He finds an audience for his musings.