And the Heat Goes On

Except for the mountains in the background, the image on the left could be of where I live and many other cities and states across the U.S., where we're experiencing a severe drought.  To say it's hot and dry would be a huge understatement.  For the past two days, our high temp has been 111--and we aren't even close to a desert.  We're setting record highs, both during the day and for our nighttime lows.  Yes, our lows have set record highs.  How's that for confusing?

Hot weather can provide a few perks.  It's too hot for my morning walk, so I get an extra hour of sleep.  (I love to sleep!)  Shopping has come to a standstill, since it's too hot to drive anywhere.  There hasn't been much of that for the past few days anyway, because my car has taken a dislike to the heat, too, and doesn't want to run.  All of this means that I'm spending more time inside...and getting more writing done.

Cornfield north of Wichita, Kansas

Who knew that stinky weather would become a prime motivator?

Writing isn't the only indoor activity.  I signed up for Pinterest and added my covers.  Okay, that's all I've managed to get done there, but it's a start.  One of the reasons I hadn't joined was that I wasn't sure where to find photos, and if I did find some, would there be a problem with copyright?  Two days after I uploaded my covers, I discovered that someone had received a legal request to remove a copyrighted photo and may have to pay royalties for the time it was used.  Yikes!  If you're a Pinterest user, you might want to read what happened.

I may have missed RWA 2012 in Anaheim last week, but I'm not the only one.  Author friend Penny Rader has a new blog post on Bits & Bytes titled Do-It-Yourself...Writing Retreat, That Is.  It not only includes several inspiring suggestions, but links to more.  If you need a kick in the pants, check it out!

Motivation is everywhere.  The hard part can sometimes be recognizing it.  If you have or have experienced something that's helpful, feel free to share here or wherever it might help others.

Enthusiasm is excitement with inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of creativity. ~ Bo Bennett

Don't Be a Snoopy: Open with a Bang!

WRITING WEDNESDAYS

We've all been there before.  We're reading a brand new book, brand new story, but it's going nowhere fast.

Whether you're a writer or a reader, the opening of a book--the first line, if you will--is as important as the characters and their GMC.  Without a snappy opening, a reader might decide it isn't worth the read, in spite of an ending that will blow them away and a middle that not only doesn't sag but soars.

A Saturday afternoon in November was approaching the time of twilight, and the vast tract of unenclosed wild known as Egdon Heath embrowned itself moment by moment.  Overhead the hollow stretch of whitish cloud shutting out the sky was as a tent which had the whole heath for its floor. (Thomas Hardy, Return of the Native c.1878)

Times have changed.  Back in the Stone Age, when I was in high school, we read quite a few classic novels, then wrote different types of papers on what we read.  While I can't recall exactly what the paper was about, I do remember being told by my (excellent!) Senior English teacher that if we were reading Thomas Hardy, we could skip the first 50 pages, read the rest of the book, then go back and read those first 50 later.  Why?  Because those first pages were little more than description of the heath he loved so well, and they were boring.  Really boring. (see above quote)   By the time Mrs. Dalbom told us that, I was already over 100 pages into Return of the Native.  No, not Hardy's most famous Tess of the D'Urbervilles.  I chose the lesser known book.  I can honestly say I had to force myself through those 50 pages, but I probably learned something.  Books need to open with a bang.  (By the way, I still have the book.  And, yes, it's printed, not carved on the walls of a cave.)

Readers today include all kinds of people who are eager for a good read.  They want to be caught up in the story from the very beginning.  While "setting the stage" is important, spending more time doing that instead of getting to the meat of the story can be disastrous.

Try these on for size:

Cooper Adams had stared death square in the face and lived to tell about it.  But his recovery from a run-in with the meanest, nastiest rodeo bull the good Lord ever blessed with the breath of life, couldn't compare with the uphill battle he faced now. 

(Cowboy Boss, Kathie DeNosky)

Her sensible black pumps held tightly in one hand, Anastasia Devereaux plastered her back to the brick wall behind her, took a deep breath and waited for the fog to clear from her glasses.  "Don't look down," she whispered when the haze evaporated.  "You can do this if you don't look down."

(Lonetree Ranchers: Brant, Kathie DeNosky) 

He wore his all American good looks like a merit badge, but the devil in his dark eyes told Erin Brailey this man was no Boy Scout.  

(His Sheltering Arms, Kristi Gold)


"Let's have a baby, Whit."
(The Pregnancy Negotiation, Kristi Gold)


In each of the above, we get a quick glimpse of who the character is and a promise for conflict.  It sounds simple enough, doesn't it?  And sometimes it is.  There are times when it comes out perfect on the first try.  Other times, the idea is there, but there needs to be some tweaking.  Then there are those times when nothing comes to mind, and it takes a little work and a lot of thought to come up with something that will make the reader want to read more.

I've been lucky.  Most of the time the opening comes easy.  It's a good thing, because I can't move forward until I have that first line(s) firmly in mind.  I'll be the first to admit that some are better than others, and the following are the ones I like best.


THE TRUTH ABOUT PLAIN JANE
Sinking onto the leather chair behind the massive oak desk that proclaimed him head honcho, Trey Brannigan ran a hand down his face.  The day wasn’t over yet.  Plenty of time for more to go wrong.

HIS QUEEN OF HEARTS
Devon Brannigan tugged at the black leather patch covering his left eye and tried to find a more comfortable position on the hard church pew.  He couldn’t believe his good luck.  In only a matter of time, he’d finally have his hands on his no-good, greedy former neighbor.  Once J.R.’s wedding vows were spoken, and the newlyweds departed for the reception, not only Dev, but all three Brannigan brothers would taste the sweetness of revenge.

FAMILY BY DESIGN
Becca Tyler limped her car to the side of the road, the vehicle lurching every few inches because of the flat tire.  Coming to a final, slow stop, she turned off the engine and pressed her forehead against the smooth, cold leather on the steering wheel.
What now?

BACHELOR COWBOY
“Keep your hands where I can see them, and back on down that ladder real slow.”  The voice was soft and low.  Distinctly feminine.  And definitely not joking.

THE LAWMAN’S LITTLE SURPRISE
Trish Clayborne sat in the warmth of her car at the stop sign, blinking away the tears filling her eyes.  Home.  She was almost home.

THE MAVERICK’S REWARD
Pain shot up his leg and knee, radiating into every inch of his body, but Tucker O’Brien worked through it as the nurse stepped out of the examining room.  He hadn’t planned to be in the small doctor’s office in Desperation, Oklahoma, but nothing was going as he’d thought it would.

The thing to remember is that all of these openings are about the character.  While some may mention the setting or surroundings--which is always a plus--it's there only as a backdrop to the character.  Something is happening to that character or has just happened to bring him or her to this particular time and place.  There's often an urgency that will make the reader want to know more, and the only way to know more is to read the book.

Start the book where something has changed and include how the character feels about it. This is the perfect place to practice "show don't tell."  Backstory isn't needed.  There's plenty of time for that...such as throughout the rest of the book.

Now it's your turn to share.  What's your favorite opening line?  In your book or someone else's?

*Thanks to Kathie DeNosky and Kristi Gold for sharing their first lines.

Writing is a fairly lonely business unless you invite people in to watch you do it, which is often distracting and then have to ask them to leave.

- Marc Lawrence

Swimming Through Mud

That's a picture of a painting of Robert Burns, the poet, on the left.  For anyone not familiar with him, think Auld Lang Syne.  He wrote the lyrics to that melancholy ditty we sing to say goodbye to the old year, as we welcome in the new.  He also wrote the poem To a Mouse.  It contains the (paraphrased) lines, The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry... (The original lines are below)


What do Robert Burns and swimming through mud have in common?  My weekend plans were to get the final scenes of a chapter finished, then move on to write a synopsis for a proposal to a new-to-me publishing line.  Instead, I spent Friday night and most of Saturday being sick, then most of Sunday glued to the keyboard finishing those scenes.  (11 pages worth)  By yesterday (Monday) my brain couldn't string three words together that made sense.  I did manage to write a page later last night, but it was like swimming through mud:  Difficult to move those arms and legs, and impossible to see where one is going.

Quite often, life doesn't go as planned, and the writing part of life is no different.  When that happens, we adjust and move forward.  Instead of beating myself up over writing only one crummy page, I decided to look at it as one page written, with more to follow.  I have no doubt that I'll do a lot of mud swimming in the future.  We all do, whether we're just stepping into the writing process or we've been at it for a while.  That's the writing ladder, with lots and lots of rungs.

It isn't easy, this writing life.  From the outside, it appears to be something many of us think will be easy.  This was brought home to me once again while reading Kristen Lamb's Blog this morning, because I missed reading it yesterday.  If you're a writer or even thinking about writing, but not following this blog, give it a read.  No matter where you are on that writing ladder, you can learn something or, if nothing else, be reminded of things.  Her blog yesterday, The Five Mistakes Killing Self-Published Authors is a must-read, especially for those who've convinced themselves that writing a book and slapping it up on Amazon will make them an instant success.  For the rest of us it's a timely reminder of just how hard a writer must work to experience any degree of success.  It isn't easy.  Nothing good ever is.

Thanks to Kristen for sharing the video below.  I'm borrowing it. :)  It made me think.  It made me sigh.  It made me laugh.  I do love those little bears!

Don't miss Kristen's previous blog posts!  Keep current on what's going on in the writing and publishing world.

But Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy! ~ Robert Burns

Growing a Story

WRITING WEDNESDAYS

Doesn't "growing a story" sound nice?  It conjures up all kinds of words, like "nurturing" and "planting" and "blooming" and "blossoming."  Those words make a person want to dig in and start doing.

As a writer, if the word "plotting" causes you to run to the nearest corner and curl up in a fetal position, thumb in mouth, hair twisted around finger, there's a way to get around it.  Instead of "plotting," think "growing a story."  Why?  Because plotting is nothing more than the growth of an idea into a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end.

Like a garden where we prepare the foundation by turning up the soil where we'll be planting, we prepare our work area for a new story idea.  How many of you clear your desk, pull out a new notepad/notebook, or create a new folder on your computer?

I admit that I have what's become a ritual.  It begins with a new folder bearing the heroine's first name within my Manuscript folder in Documents.  Blanks of forms I'll be needing (storyboard, age chart, character list, pages written total, notes, and more) are added so I have them all in place in advance.  I fill them out as needed and as I go along.  I also put together a new 3-ring binder which contains sheet protectors where I'll keep printed copies of some of those forms, photos of the hero and heroine and anything else that might help me visually.  Yes, I probably overdo it, but it works, so why change it?

Next comes the seeds aka the ideas.  If only they came in order, writing a book would be so much simpler.  They don't, but by watering and fertilizing and giving them time to germinate, the garden begins to show signs of sprouts.  Once those start growing, we have to take care of the weeds, those ideas that don't work well with what is now the overall theme or framework of the story.  The strongest sprouts will become the 8 Plot Points of the story.  Again, those are:

1. Opening
2. Inciting Incident
3. Turning Points (1 or 2)
4. Main Turning Point
5. Black Moment
6. Sacrifice
7. Resolution
8. HEA

Those 8 are the connecting points.  The questions that need to be asked and answered to grow the story are what get the characters from point 1 (A) to 2 (B), from 2 (B) to 3 (C), and so on.  See them as the rows and areas of your garden, building from the beginning to the back end, smaller to larger as the story grows.  Pansies to Sweet Peas to Marigolds to Irises to Climbing Roses.

How to keep track of all this?  A storyboard.

(Disclaimer:  This is the way I do it.  This is NOT the only way. Take what might help, change it around, and make it YOURS.)

The average length of my books is 12 chapters.  I usually have 3 scenes per chapter.  That is NOT set in stone.  It depends on the story. ☺

Here's where I do the work... 

I LOVE whiteboards!  I can write on them or use paper and magnets.  I choose magnets and sticky note sized paper so I can move scenes around.  Sometimes they don't work where I'd first envisioned them!  (Sticky notes tend not to stick for me.)  I only need a brief idea of what the scene is about.  I'll build on that as I write the scene.  I can scribble that on the notes or when I have a good amount of scenes, I can print them on a page and cut them to size.

I was recently introduced to a new way of plotting those basics listed above, while at a writers retreat.  Author Patricia Davids used "Idea" paint on a wall, creating a huge surface that becomes a white board.  Five of us plotted a book for each of two writers, while Pat, then another wrote the ideas on the board.  From there, the writers would fill in the blanks (scenes) between those points.  I was impressed and intend to give it a try in the future.





This is the way I did it before the white board, so cork bulletin boards can work well, too!

(See the rows of seedlings and different types?)
 

Here's a basic version of a blank storyboard, created using a Word .doc, that will be filled out after I've finished plotting and am ready to start writing. Once it's filled out, it's saved and printed, then kept in a sheet protector in my notebook, so I have it on hand as I write the first draft.

Does all of this have to be done to plot a story?  ABSOLUTELY NOT!  It took me a long time to come up with something that worked for me.  I discovered the .doc storyboard above in an old handout book from an RWA conference.  (I'd love to credit the author who created it, but I don't know who it was.)  With that in hand, I changed, added, and removed until I found what worked for me. The white board and paper storyboard is only the latest incarnation, and I have no doubt that I'll be tweaking and making changes yet again before long.

If you've never plotted but feel you should, or if your plotting style just doesn't seem to be working for you, see if any portion of the above will help you.  Always feel free to recreate or adjust any kind of plotting device, until it suits you.  That's the best part.  Nothing is set in stone and improvements can always be made. :)

So where do I start when the tiny glimmer of an idea hits?  I'll share that next week. :)

My stories run up and bite me on the leg - I respond by writing down everything that goes on during the bite. When I finish, the idea lets go and runs off. ~ Ray Bradbury

Swift Kicks and Whatever It Takes

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

I'm going to start by being honest.  I can talk until I'm blue about motivation, but I'm as often UNmotivated as everyone else. As proof of this, I'm doing rewrites right now, mixing old with new, and I'm wondering if bamboo under the fingernails wouldn't be easier.

The funny thing about these rewrites is that I have a close writer friend who just finished a round of the same.  Hers weren't requested/suggested changes, but something she needed to do to get a long-ago idea up to par for the here and now.  The farther into it she got, the more she questioned her sanity.  I'm feeling that same insanity.  But when it comes to her book, I have no doubt it will be fabulous.  I also know for a fact that she survived and is back to her usual lovable loony self, working on a new and completely different book.

As for me, I worked all day yesterday, on and off, to rework one scene.  Yes, that's one scene.  Approximately 6-7 pages.  Actually, it was a combination of two scenes that originally were set on two different days.  It should have been a no-brainer.  It wasn't.  By late last night, I couldn't remember what I'd added, taken out, left as it was, changed a tad, changed a lot or even what the scene was about.  I finally quit, did some laundry, and watched The Network on HBO.  Only later, when my eyes were beginning to cross and the clothes tumbled in the dryer, was I able to read through and discover I just might have gotten it right.  A miracle!

Has this small glow of accomplishment spurred me on to continue?
Are you kidding?

Just the thought of doing this for not only the next two scenes to finish the chapter, but more than likely another 3 or 4 chapters makes me want to hide in a cave--and not the writing cave.  (My friend has no idea how much admiration I have for her at the moment.)

Why aren't I simply writing from scratch?

1. Because there were a few gems among the mundane words and phrases.  
2. Because I'm getting to know my characters better.  They'd somehow taken on personalities that weren't what I'd originally envisioned, and I'm trying to make them see that their headstrong ways are not appreciated.  Wrestling is slimming, right?  
3. Because I have faith in myself that I can make this better.  I wish that was enough motivation.

In the end, it's all going to come down to meeting the goals I've set.  They're not easy goals by any stretch.  60 pages every 2 weeks.  My average is usually 20 a week.  5-6 a day is pushing it for me.  (With 5 grandkids here every weekday, writing must wait until evening, when the brain has already slowed to a crawl.)  In times of extreme duress--aka racing to a deadline--I can push myself to extremes, but only for a short time.  Like one day.  Last month, I miraculously wrote 19 pages in a day.  I'm not sure I can survive that again.

But that's way too much about me.  What about you?

• Have you set goals for the week, whether writing or life?
• Are these goals part of a long term goal you're working toward?  Or simply a stand-alone goal for something special?  (Don't worry, it doesn't matter.  It only needs to be specified in your mind.)
• Have you chosen a reward for reaching a goal, whether a mini-goal that's part of a bigger one, or a single one?
• If this is a must-reach goal, have you alerted friends and family that you will be unreachable during specified times?
• Are you prepared to force yourself to work toward your goal, when every fiber of your being cries out, "I just want to have fun!"?  (Yes, this is here because of personal experience...every day.)

Oh, and for anyone who might be following my walking-each-day goal, I walked one day last week, and it was a shortened version.  (See me grimace in shame?)  However, I did walk this morning.  With temps continuing in the 100s this week, we'll see how that goes.  Maybe a goal to return my treadmill to an exercise machine, instead of a clothes rack would work?

“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.”

Cooking Up a Story

WRITING WEDNESDAYS

There are countless articles online for writers that offer all kinds of different ways to go about plotting.  To find them, a simple search for "novel plotting" will produce a gold mine of information.  Some require a lot of detailed work, while others are simple and basic.

After almost twenty years of writing, when it comes to plotting, I've come to the conclusion that each writer must find his or her own method.  That method may be completely designed by the writer from scratch or may be a compilation by that writer of other methods or ways of plotting created by others.

Once you've found your method and use it for a while, you may discover it isn't working as well as it has been and that it needs adjustment for a particular piece of work. Sometimes the entire process needs an overhaul. The main thing to remember is that if whatever you're doing or whatever you're using isn't working, change it or don't use it.  There's nothing worse than trying to wrestle a story using a method that isn't doing the job.  It's a waste of time and energy.

So what are the basics of plotting that a writer uses to build on?  Here's my list:

1. HOW THE STORY BEGINS - An interesting opening that introduces the major characters, the setting, and the conflict or at least a strong hint of it for one of the major characters.  (My focus is romance, but if yours isn't, simply adjust specifics--hero/villain/heroine/protagonist/antagonist, etc)  This does not necessarily mean the opening line, but the gist of the first few pages or scene.
2. THE INCITING INCIDENT - This is where the major conflict comes into play.  It may have been introduced earlier, but something is revealed or learned that makes it the focus of the characters and begins their--always bumpy--journey to their HEA.
3. TURNING POINTS - Something happens that causes a shift or change in the story.  In romance, this is often where one of the characters realizes their feelings for the other character have changed.  Maybe there's a kiss...or more.  Maybe a small secret is revealed.  Maybe the character learns something about the other that makes a difference in how that other character is seen.  The amount of turning points may depend on the length of the story.
4. MAIN TURNING POINT - This is where there's a big change in the story.  In a romance, this change is in the relationship between the hero and heroine.  Everything that has come into play up to this point is now going to shift.  The conflict will change or be seen in a completely different way, as if through different eyes.  The story is about to kick into high gear for the race to the finish line.
5. THE BLACK MOMENT - The brakes come on and everything (the relationship) comes to a screeching halt.  This usually occurs a chapter or two before the last chapter and is where all seems lost to the main characters.  Something irreparable has occurred for at least one of them.  In romance, these two characters are not going to get together for that HEA.  Or so they believe.
6. THE SACRIFICE - One character (or both) must realize that they are not willing to walk away from "what might have been" and they'll do whatever is necessary to make it happen.
7. THE RESOLUTION - Something happens or a characters makes something happen that changes everything, and that HEA is within reach.
8. HEA - Happily Ever After.  The hero and heroine have done whatever is fix any problems they've had in the past, then pledge their love and commitment to each other.  In a mystery, the mystery is solved and the bad guy is caught.

Do I know all of these things at once?  Oh, I wish!  My story ideas usually start with an idea of an opening and a vague idea of the conflict.  At least one of the characters or the personality of one of the characters is a major part of that idea.  Sometimes I'm blessed with luck when the opening scene plays out in my head to tantalize me and make me start asking questions.  It's those questions and the answers that begin the fill-in-the-blank process of plotting.  What happens if even the questions aren't coming along as they should?  That's when I start dialing the phone for some brainstorming.  And while we may not come up with an entire plot, there are enough ideas generated to kick-start the creative spot in my brain to fill in those blanks and move forward with the story.

It's a crazy system and may not work for everyone, but it can be a starting point if you're new at plotting or have hit a brick wall and aren't sure where to turn.  Keeping track of everything and how it plays out can also be crazy time, and because I'm a visual person and need to see where I've been, where I am, and where I'm headed, I use a storyboard.  I'll share my version of that next week.

If writing by the seat of your pants isn't working, or if you simply want to try something new, stick around.  Whatever you do and however you do it, enjoy the journey!

“You are the embodiment of the information you choose to accept and act upon. To change your circumstances you need to change your thinking and subsequent actions.” - Adlin Sinclair 

Taking Stock

Trying to stay on a normal schedule while working to  meet a deadline usually means something has to give.  Around here, there are dozens of somethings, too many to list and too embarrassing to share.  But that deadline is the reason (aka excuse) why I'm not always on time here at the blog.

I've forgotten what weekends are like, except g-kids aren't arriving at 8:30-ish.  The term 'nose to the grindstone' makes me grumble and growl, but it's an apt assessment of what the last days or weeks of a deadline are like.  The work comes first.

Yesterday was D-Day.

Yesterday, the revised book sprouted electronic wings and made its way to my editor.  Relief.  It's over. At least this much is.  Breathe a big sigh, sit back with feet up and smile.  But not for long.  There's another deadline looming in the background, ready to take a grip on life.

While it may sound like I'm complaining, I'm really not.  Deadlines are good, because it means I'm working and will be able to pay bills for a while longer.  Deadlines keep me from procrastinating about things, except those deadlines.  The closer it gets to D-Day, the more everything else that's being ignored begins to call to me.  Currently, the kitchen sink is overflowing with dishes waiting to be washed...again.  A never ending cycle, right?  It wouldn't hurt to get a little laundry done, but at least there are still a few clean clothes in the closet and drawers, so that can wait a few days.  We won't talk about the disaster area called my bedroom that could rival the aftermath of the London Blitz, but since all I do is sleep there and change clothes, it's last on the To Do list on any given day.

We won't talk about the state of my office.  It stays neat for two or three minutes every few months.  Sometimes not that often.  I'm lucky to find anything I need...and sometimes don't.  Hey, at least I'm honest!

So one would think that with all that normal-person work awaiting, I'd be making a list of what to do first or at least getting the dishwater ready.  Well, yes and no.  You see, although yesterday was D-Day, there's another book due in September, and the darn things don't write themselves.  Therefore, I don't get to play or get caught up much on the everyday things.

This is the perfect time to procrastinate and, oh, how I would love to do that!  Instead, I'm going to finish creating the revised writing schedule I'm going to need to reach D-Day 2.0 on time, in spite of life's interruptions, hopefully catch up on a few emails and other things I've put aside over the past few days, start the plotting process (more about that on Wednesday), and get words on paper.

D-Day 2.0 is exactly two months away.  Yes, exactly.  Here's how it breaks down.

• My typical average manuscript length for a 55,000 word book is 240 pages.  
• I have nine weeks, but I need at least one week of that for read-through, revising and polishing, so I'm saying eight weeks.  
• Divide those 240 pages by 8 weeks, and I need to write 30 pages a week.  
• That's 5-6 pages a day, depending on how many days a week I want to write.  A couple of days off is nice--they're called weekends, by the way--but that doesn't happen often, so I'm saying 6 days at 5 pages a day.  That gives me that extra day to catch up, if needed.  To be honest, it's often needed, thanks to life and family demands.

Are deadlines great motivational tools?  Most of the time.

Does taking stock of time deadlines and what's needed always work perfectly?  Of course not!  And there are reasons around here that the goal isn't 50 or 60 pages a week, but I'll save those for another time.

“How soon 'not now' becomes 'never'.” - Martin Luther

If At First You Don't Succeed...

WRITING WEDNESDAYS THURSDAY

Holidays can be good...and not so good.  While the sound of fireworks filled the air yesterday, I spent the day making changes aka doing revisions on A NANNY FOR THE COWBOY.  And because I was determined to get them done--which I did--it also meant that other things had to be put aside.

One of those things that was put off until today was a blog on plotting.  The truth is, I did start that blog today, but I decided that it might be even better if I shared something related, but not directly about plotting.

Let's face it.  None of us is infallible.  That includes me.  Yeah, it really includes me today.  You see, I sent off the proposal for the next book following the one mentioned above.  The working title for this new book is DESIGNS ON THE COWBOY.  First, let me state upfront that I am not good with titles, so if your first reaction is blech, that's okay.  More than likely that title will change.  

Second? Read on.

I received an email from my editor this morning with some suggestions to strengthen the story.  Changes will include a bit of an overhaul on the hero and fixing/changing some major plot points. Ooops!  There's that word.  PLOT.  You see, sometimes no matter how much time you put into it, plotting doesn't always come out the way you'd planned.  Sometimes we leave questions unanswered, sometime our plots have sagging middles, and sometimes a plot just needs to be punched up to keep it from being mundane and...dare I say it?...boring to the reader.  You see, while the story wasn't bad, it definitely could be made better.  Luckily--and thanks to suggestions from my editor--I can do that.

There are so many things that make a book a good read.  From plot to characters to pacing to author voice to sentence structure to setting and more, writing a book is like creating a recipe.  It takes the perfect amount of the right ingredients to make it tasty.  Not enough salt, and it can be bland.  Too much and...

Nobody is perfect.  (That definitely describes me!)  Not every book is a bestseller.  But as writers, we want to write the best book we can, and that can mean making changes we hadn't planned on making.  I'll be thinking of the changes I need to make, and on Monday I'll start working on them.  While it puts me behind on my writing schedule (see anything related to GOALS), if I work steady, I can still make my deadline and turn in a better story.

Look for "Cooking Up a Story" next week.

If at first you don't succeed, do it like your mother editor told you.  ~ Author Unknown (edited by) Roxann Delaney