After two weeks of fiddling and rewriting, synopsis version 6 is on its way. Thanks to the wonderful Michelle Styles, I now have a story with potential, rather than severe flaws. Of course the editors at Mills and Boon may not agree but even if they don't, I have learned SO much about conflict and action/reaction in the course of the past two weeks that the next sub will be even better. And I like my story a whole lot more than the last one which is a good sign I hope.
So what have I learned?
1. The conflict and thus the story plays out in the action and reaction of the characters.
2. The conflict happens in the present.
3. Internal conflict need not be based on tragedy.
4. Internal conflict can be simple.
5. That action is not talking. Talking is talking.
6. That rewriting one's synopsis completely six times can be a good thing.
7. That one can have too many dinners in one's synopsis.
8. That chocolate is a vital ingredient to synopsis writing.
9. That banging one's head on the table after version 4 hurts.
10. That you still feel sick when you press send no matter how many times you have subbed.
Right, so now all I need to do is write the thing! And thanks to Janette, I have a title: The Art of Attraction. Not a millionaire or a defiant mistress in sight.
Now, on with the NTAI.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Another Minor Epiphany
Yes, I know, two in one week is ridiculous but after Friday's lightbulb moment, I kind of had another. I wanted to use the whole action/reaction/consequence thing on my other WIPs but first I had to really concentrate on the essential conflict of the h&h. And it was as I was doing this that I had another realisation (cue drum roll, please):
Conflict doesn't necessarily need to be based on bad things happening in the past!
Cool eh? Now, you guys may already know this and be thinking, 'yeah, duh!' but up till this point I have been giving my characters all manner of dead families/fiancees/babies or whatever tragedy is popular right now, purely so they would not want a relationship. The thing I suddenly got was that the point is not that the h&h don't want a relationship at all, they just don't want a relationship with a particular person! Why don't they? Because that person threatens everything they believe up till that point in time. And it's only when they come into contact with that person, that there is conflict. Conflict, as Michelle is always telling me, happens in the present not the past.
Clear as mud? For example, I've finally figured out the essential conflict of my Kate and Alex story: for Alex, home is where the heart is. For Kate heart is where the home is. Neither of them have any problem with this UNTIL they meet. And as soon as they meet, there is conflict because each challenges the other. In order to resolve this, Alex must learn that having roots isn't a bad thing and Kate must learn that home isn't necessarily embodied in one place.
Now, I had Alex having lost a fiancee etc, but really, in order for him to believe that home is where the heart is, I don't need any of that. Maybe just the fact that he moved around a lot as a kid is enough. And maybe he was quite happy with this state of affairs. But it's only when he comes into contact with Kate that he feels threatened about it. And voila, instant conflict.
So all in all I feel rather pleased with myself about this. Especially as I have now got real and believable conflicts for all my WIPs. Now all I have to do is plan the stories using action/reaction/consequence, completely rewrite all of them, and Robert's your father's brother. ;-)
Oh yeah, and I signed up for NaNo too. Need to write my next sub, rather imaginatively titled Cat and Sean. Anyone else?
Conflict doesn't necessarily need to be based on bad things happening in the past!
Cool eh? Now, you guys may already know this and be thinking, 'yeah, duh!' but up till this point I have been giving my characters all manner of dead families/fiancees/babies or whatever tragedy is popular right now, purely so they would not want a relationship. The thing I suddenly got was that the point is not that the h&h don't want a relationship at all, they just don't want a relationship with a particular person! Why don't they? Because that person threatens everything they believe up till that point in time. And it's only when they come into contact with that person, that there is conflict. Conflict, as Michelle is always telling me, happens in the present not the past.
Clear as mud? For example, I've finally figured out the essential conflict of my Kate and Alex story: for Alex, home is where the heart is. For Kate heart is where the home is. Neither of them have any problem with this UNTIL they meet. And as soon as they meet, there is conflict because each challenges the other. In order to resolve this, Alex must learn that having roots isn't a bad thing and Kate must learn that home isn't necessarily embodied in one place.
Now, I had Alex having lost a fiancee etc, but really, in order for him to believe that home is where the heart is, I don't need any of that. Maybe just the fact that he moved around a lot as a kid is enough. And maybe he was quite happy with this state of affairs. But it's only when he comes into contact with Kate that he feels threatened about it. And voila, instant conflict.
So all in all I feel rather pleased with myself about this. Especially as I have now got real and believable conflicts for all my WIPs. Now all I have to do is plan the stories using action/reaction/consequence, completely rewrite all of them, and Robert's your father's brother. ;-)
Oh yeah, and I signed up for NaNo too. Need to write my next sub, rather imaginatively titled Cat and Sean. Anyone else?
Friday, October 23, 2009
A Minor Epiphany
After a week of banging my head against a brick wall with this new synopsis I have finally - with the help of the perspicacious Dr Jax and the wonderful Michelle Styles - figured out my problem. I simply could NOT get my characters to act without exaggerating my conflicts. And I had to exaggerate the conflicts in order to give them motivation to act. I was STILL getting them to act in the way I wanted them to.
The reason is that they were still passive. They were not taking action. And the reason for that is I have been thinking about my stories in terms of scenes. I think, okay, need a love scene, put one in here. What about a 'save the cat' moment here. And black moment here. And when I think about the scenes I want, I try and move my characters towards the scenes, which is NOT letting them act.
It's like a play. The play opens with the characters on stage. They do the scene, the scene ends, the stage goes dark. Then the next scene opens. How have the characters got there? Where are they going? The scene ends, the stage goes dark. What happens next? We don't know and neither do I!
I have been treating my stories like this play, opening with a scene, then jumping to the next scene etc, etc. Episodic in other words. Great for a play, not so great for a story.
So I've cut it right back. Concentrating on the most essential conflict - my hero wants to control and so has to learn to let people go, my heroine needs freedom but has to learn it's okay to lean on someone. So what happens when a guy like this meets a woman like this? Forget flirtation scenes, think about action. The external conflict puts him in the situation of having to look after her so what does he do? He's all about control so says she has to come with him. Her reaction? She's all about freedom so get lost buster. What is the consequence? Does he force her to go? And if so, what action does she take in response? And right there is where the conflict is driving the story through the actions of the characters. No need for exaggeration because their reactions are based on their essential conflict. Who knows when they'll need a love scene - I'm not sure - but it will be because one of them makes a decision and the consequence of that is making love.
Dunno if this makes sense to everyone or if everyone is goin 'well, duh, I already knew that!'. But this is certainly why I have been having so many problems with conflict. I have already got a plan for the new story based entirely on action, reaction and consequence. Hopefully it'll make a good synopsis but if not, it's certainly been a HUGE learning curve to take!
The reason is that they were still passive. They were not taking action. And the reason for that is I have been thinking about my stories in terms of scenes. I think, okay, need a love scene, put one in here. What about a 'save the cat' moment here. And black moment here. And when I think about the scenes I want, I try and move my characters towards the scenes, which is NOT letting them act.
It's like a play. The play opens with the characters on stage. They do the scene, the scene ends, the stage goes dark. Then the next scene opens. How have the characters got there? Where are they going? The scene ends, the stage goes dark. What happens next? We don't know and neither do I!
I have been treating my stories like this play, opening with a scene, then jumping to the next scene etc, etc. Episodic in other words. Great for a play, not so great for a story.
So I've cut it right back. Concentrating on the most essential conflict - my hero wants to control and so has to learn to let people go, my heroine needs freedom but has to learn it's okay to lean on someone. So what happens when a guy like this meets a woman like this? Forget flirtation scenes, think about action. The external conflict puts him in the situation of having to look after her so what does he do? He's all about control so says she has to come with him. Her reaction? She's all about freedom so get lost buster. What is the consequence? Does he force her to go? And if so, what action does she take in response? And right there is where the conflict is driving the story through the actions of the characters. No need for exaggeration because their reactions are based on their essential conflict. Who knows when they'll need a love scene - I'm not sure - but it will be because one of them makes a decision and the consequence of that is making love.
Dunno if this makes sense to everyone or if everyone is goin 'well, duh, I already knew that!'. But this is certainly why I have been having so many problems with conflict. I have already got a plan for the new story based entirely on action, reaction and consequence. Hopefully it'll make a good synopsis but if not, it's certainly been a HUGE learning curve to take!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Rebound Submission
Yes, that's exactly what my rejected sub was. I had the rejection on the revised full and then, so desperate to submit again was I, that I quickly fiddled with a new story and sent it away without thinking it through properly. Or rather, I over-thought it. I was trying so hard to get it right that in the end I got nothing right, even the stuff I normally do well.
So it's back to the drawing board. Somehow I've now managed to overboard with internal conflict and have to bring it back to the middle ground. Hard? You betcha. But I have been slowly learning even more. Especially about the dangers of too much sex in Modern Heat! Is that even possible? Oh yeah! I tried to do a one night stand story but even as I was writing it, I found myself inventing ways to get my heroine to go through with it. And that should have been my first indication that all was not right in the world of my characters. Again I was trying to make my heroine do something she actually wouldn't by adding all this stuff to make her to do it! Argh! In the end it wasn't convincing and to add insult to injury, the driving force behind the one night stand was only sexual tension. There was not enough conflict! Apparently the sex arises from the emotional conflict, NOT the other way round!
So many things to keep in mind. But this time I am going to make sure I get it right. I am not going to panic-sub. I am going to spend time really thinking through my new synopsis. And hey, I'm already doing better with that on the sex front - so busy working out the emotional conflict between my h&h, that I forgot to put in a love scene!
So it's back to the drawing board. Somehow I've now managed to overboard with internal conflict and have to bring it back to the middle ground. Hard? You betcha. But I have been slowly learning even more. Especially about the dangers of too much sex in Modern Heat! Is that even possible? Oh yeah! I tried to do a one night stand story but even as I was writing it, I found myself inventing ways to get my heroine to go through with it. And that should have been my first indication that all was not right in the world of my characters. Again I was trying to make my heroine do something she actually wouldn't by adding all this stuff to make her to do it! Argh! In the end it wasn't convincing and to add insult to injury, the driving force behind the one night stand was only sexual tension. There was not enough conflict! Apparently the sex arises from the emotional conflict, NOT the other way round!
So many things to keep in mind. But this time I am going to make sure I get it right. I am not going to panic-sub. I am going to spend time really thinking through my new synopsis. And hey, I'm already doing better with that on the sex front - so busy working out the emotional conflict between my h&h, that I forgot to put in a love scene!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Romance Writing is Not for Sissies
Okay, as someone told me on the RWNZ email loop today, congratulations on my rejection because it means I'm a writer. And she's right. I can no longer pretend that it's a little something I do in my spare time, that it's a sideline to my real life, that it's my hobby, that it doesn't matter. Because it does matter. I was gutted yesterday, really and truly gutted. I told myself I may as well give up. But you know what? Even as I was telling myself that, I was thinking about the story I'm currently writing and how I needed to adjust the internal conflict a bit more now!
A rejection stinks. It's not easy and it won't get any easier. There will, no doubt, be more rejections to come. You can't control the rejections but, to paraphrase Michelle Styles' wise words, what you can control is your response to them. Yesterday I wallowed completely and utterly, allowed myself to think about giving up, allowed myself to feel I was hopeless and I'd never do it. But now I am done with wallowing. Time for my professional response which is: keep writing. Work on that next submission. Make it the best. Take the hurt and turn it into determination.
I want to say though that part of dealing with rejection is also sharing the pain of it with others who understand and you all who have read this blog do understand. And the support and faith you have given me is amazing. I am so lucky to be part of this community. So huge thanks for all the comments and encouragement from yesterday - it really got me through the worst of it.
And, since I am a writer, I have advice for other writers who want to do this, who are lurking and thinking of submitting: to paraphrase my old boss, romance writing is not for sissies. It's a hard road and a long one. You may take a step forward, only to fall back again. But if you love writing, if you can't NOT write, then don't let the fear of rejection hold you back. Yes, you will get rejected. Yes, it will hurt. But you will not be published if you don't submit, if you don't keep writing, if you give up.
Right, since I am very good at NOT taking my own advice when it comes to my writing, I need to sit down and take a good look at my next submission!
Oh and Aideen? No, you didn't see the words 'give up' on my blog. They weren't there. You must have mistaken them for "NOT giving up" :-)
A rejection stinks. It's not easy and it won't get any easier. There will, no doubt, be more rejections to come. You can't control the rejections but, to paraphrase Michelle Styles' wise words, what you can control is your response to them. Yesterday I wallowed completely and utterly, allowed myself to think about giving up, allowed myself to feel I was hopeless and I'd never do it. But now I am done with wallowing. Time for my professional response which is: keep writing. Work on that next submission. Make it the best. Take the hurt and turn it into determination.
I want to say though that part of dealing with rejection is also sharing the pain of it with others who understand and you all who have read this blog do understand. And the support and faith you have given me is amazing. I am so lucky to be part of this community. So huge thanks for all the comments and encouragement from yesterday - it really got me through the worst of it.
And, since I am a writer, I have advice for other writers who want to do this, who are lurking and thinking of submitting: to paraphrase my old boss, romance writing is not for sissies. It's a hard road and a long one. You may take a step forward, only to fall back again. But if you love writing, if you can't NOT write, then don't let the fear of rejection hold you back. Yes, you will get rejected. Yes, it will hurt. But you will not be published if you don't submit, if you don't keep writing, if you give up.
Right, since I am very good at NOT taking my own advice when it comes to my writing, I need to sit down and take a good look at my next submission!
Oh and Aideen? No, you didn't see the words 'give up' on my blog. They weren't there. You must have mistaken them for "NOT giving up" :-)
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Missed Again
Well guys, I heard from Anna and no, they didn't want it. As you can imagine, I'm very disappointed. All her comments were right on the money but it's the usual story - you submit something and only after it's gone do you learn more and realise what you should have done.
So, having gone from nearly there to missing entirely, I feel a bit like I've taken the wrong road somewhere and ended up in a dead end. Do I actually know what I'm doing? Maybe I don't. I certainly don't feel qualified at giving advice to people - not that I ever really did I have to say.
Oh well, I guess the only way to go on from this is to keep going even though part of me just wants to give up.
So, having gone from nearly there to missing entirely, I feel a bit like I've taken the wrong road somewhere and ended up in a dead end. Do I actually know what I'm doing? Maybe I don't. I certainly don't feel qualified at giving advice to people - not that I ever really did I have to say.
Oh well, I guess the only way to go on from this is to keep going even though part of me just wants to give up.
Monday, October 12, 2009
A Riddle Inside A Mystery Wrapped In An Enigma
No, I'm not talking about Russia (thanks Winston Churchill), I'm talking about the wretchedness that is internal conflict. As you know (or should know by now!) internal conflict is where Modern Heat/Modern is at and you'd think, after a year of learning about this, I would have finally figured it out.
Nup.
Witness my Kate'n'Alex story. I was writing happily away (the aftermath of a love scene, hot), my conflict sorted, getting into his introspection about how he cannot possibly want a relationship and then I come up, slap bang against the dreaded 'why'. Okay, says I, he doesn't want a relationship because he doesn't like being tied down. Why? Because his family moved around a lot and he learned never to commit to anything or anyone because he knew he'd have to leave again. Yes, but that's what he did as a kid - why does he continue this behaviour as an adult? Um...because he just wants to??
Grrrr. See what I mean? It's all very well having angsty childhood stuff happening, but there has to be a reason for the character to keep acting that way as an adult. Which brings me to finally understanding why a parent cannot be the reason for someone's internal conflict (yes, I'm slow). A parent can add to it, deepen it, but as an adult, would the character really continue to act the way they had as a child? Especially an alpha male?
So, for Alex, I have to have some reason why he continues to believe the lessons he learned in his childhood. Did he ever try thinking differently? What happened when he did?
I have another hero too who I thought had his conflict sorted. But no. He had a difficult childhood and had issues with responsibility, but again, the difficult childhood seems to be the excuse to for him to continue acting the same way as an adult. Again, I have to ask myself, did he ever try to rise above it? Did he succeed or fail? Why did he fail and how did he feel about his failure?
Argh! Seems you can never stop learning in this business...
In the meantime, after a depressed weekend where my writing and everything about it sucked, I succumbed and bought some NTAI shoes. Wedges as you can see since I cannot wear heels without seriously damaging my feet.
Yes, they were ridiculously expensive. Yes, they are totally impractical. Yes, they made me stop thinking about my sub for, oh, about five minutes. :-)
So, anyone else got a handle on internal conflict? What about shoes?
Nup.
Witness my Kate'n'Alex story. I was writing happily away (the aftermath of a love scene, hot), my conflict sorted, getting into his introspection about how he cannot possibly want a relationship and then I come up, slap bang against the dreaded 'why'. Okay, says I, he doesn't want a relationship because he doesn't like being tied down. Why? Because his family moved around a lot and he learned never to commit to anything or anyone because he knew he'd have to leave again. Yes, but that's what he did as a kid - why does he continue this behaviour as an adult? Um...because he just wants to??
Grrrr. See what I mean? It's all very well having angsty childhood stuff happening, but there has to be a reason for the character to keep acting that way as an adult. Which brings me to finally understanding why a parent cannot be the reason for someone's internal conflict (yes, I'm slow). A parent can add to it, deepen it, but as an adult, would the character really continue to act the way they had as a child? Especially an alpha male?
So, for Alex, I have to have some reason why he continues to believe the lessons he learned in his childhood. Did he ever try thinking differently? What happened when he did?
I have another hero too who I thought had his conflict sorted. But no. He had a difficult childhood and had issues with responsibility, but again, the difficult childhood seems to be the excuse to for him to continue acting the same way as an adult. Again, I have to ask myself, did he ever try to rise above it? Did he succeed or fail? Why did he fail and how did he feel about his failure?
Argh! Seems you can never stop learning in this business...
In the meantime, after a depressed weekend where my writing and everything about it sucked, I succumbed and bought some NTAI shoes. Wedges as you can see since I cannot wear heels without seriously damaging my feet.Yes, they were ridiculously expensive. Yes, they are totally impractical. Yes, they made me stop thinking about my sub for, oh, about five minutes. :-)
So, anyone else got a handle on internal conflict? What about shoes?
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Attraction
Following Heidi's inspirational video (lord the Modern Heat authors know what they're doing if this is their inspiration!) , I thought I might put one up of my own. I keep seeing this on TV and every time I see it I think, 'yes, that's what the attraction between the h&h has to be like!'.
Except of course, the end of this video isn't the way I'd personally end this particular scene, if you know what I mean. ;-)
Oh and Kelly and Heidi's new books? Three words: Fab. U. Lous. Heroes to die for. Yummmo.
Except of course, the end of this video isn't the way I'd personally end this particular scene, if you know what I mean. ;-)
Oh and Kelly and Heidi's new books? Three words: Fab. U. Lous. Heroes to die for. Yummmo.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Ten Fun Ways to NOT Win the Harlequin Presents Writing Competition
If you have your heart set on NOT winning the Harlequin Presents contest, here are some (slightly tongue-in-cheek) ways to achieve this.
1. Have no internal conflict.
That doesn't mean car chases and villains. Internal conflict is what keeps your h&h from their HEA if they met in bar one night. And it can't be just because he's a Montague and she's a Capulet - that's external conflict people. If you have to introduce a scheming mother-in-law to keep them apart then your conflict isn't strong enough.
2. Have your hero be the shy, easy-going type.
Sorry guys, he may be sweet but that ain't alpha. And alpha is what goes in Presents/Modern.
3. Have as many sub-characters as possible.
You love the heroine's best friend, her wise-cracking husband and their three adorable children. But devoting a whole chapter to them isn't a good idea.
4. Include vampires and werewolves.
I know, you really liked Twilight, but paranormal isn't where Modern/Modern Heat is at, even if you think it should be. Remember the guidelines.
5. Force your characters to act the way you want them to for the purposes of the plot.
I've been there and it ain't pretty. You may want your hero to eat some bad cheese so that he gets sick and the heroine has to look after him, but you do have to ask yourself: does he even like cheese? And if not, why not? These are character driven which means you let the characters act they way they want. So go on, let them have their head!
6. Have things happen to your characters rather than have your characters make decisions and act on them.
A fire might make your hero rescue the heroine after their black moment but what would have happened if there hadn't been a fire? Would he have made up with her anyway? What decision would he have made if you hadn't cruelly sent him into the fire? Again, character driven.
7. Have your hero enter the story in chapter 2.
If that's the case, then shouldn't that be chapter 1? Don't make us wait! He's the reason we're reading it - at least he's the reason I'm reading it.
8. Make your characters act in seemingly random ways.
Such as your heroine suddenly kissing the hero whereas up till now, she hates his guts. Where is her motivation? Why would she do that?
9. Have either or both of your h&h be drug addicted alcoholics.
This may provide heaps of conflict but not much in the way of sympathy. Your h&h must be sympathetic and though drug addiction and alcoholism are real issues, they're probably a little too real for category romance.
10. And most important, you definitely won't win if you don't enter. :-)
Good luck!
1. Have no internal conflict.
That doesn't mean car chases and villains. Internal conflict is what keeps your h&h from their HEA if they met in bar one night. And it can't be just because he's a Montague and she's a Capulet - that's external conflict people. If you have to introduce a scheming mother-in-law to keep them apart then your conflict isn't strong enough.
2. Have your hero be the shy, easy-going type.
Sorry guys, he may be sweet but that ain't alpha. And alpha is what goes in Presents/Modern.
3. Have as many sub-characters as possible.
You love the heroine's best friend, her wise-cracking husband and their three adorable children. But devoting a whole chapter to them isn't a good idea.
4. Include vampires and werewolves.
I know, you really liked Twilight, but paranormal isn't where Modern/Modern Heat is at, even if you think it should be. Remember the guidelines.
5. Force your characters to act the way you want them to for the purposes of the plot.
I've been there and it ain't pretty. You may want your hero to eat some bad cheese so that he gets sick and the heroine has to look after him, but you do have to ask yourself: does he even like cheese? And if not, why not? These are character driven which means you let the characters act they way they want. So go on, let them have their head!
6. Have things happen to your characters rather than have your characters make decisions and act on them.
A fire might make your hero rescue the heroine after their black moment but what would have happened if there hadn't been a fire? Would he have made up with her anyway? What decision would he have made if you hadn't cruelly sent him into the fire? Again, character driven.
7. Have your hero enter the story in chapter 2.
If that's the case, then shouldn't that be chapter 1? Don't make us wait! He's the reason we're reading it - at least he's the reason I'm reading it.
8. Make your characters act in seemingly random ways.
Such as your heroine suddenly kissing the hero whereas up till now, she hates his guts. Where is her motivation? Why would she do that?
9. Have either or both of your h&h be drug addicted alcoholics.
This may provide heaps of conflict but not much in the way of sympathy. Your h&h must be sympathetic and though drug addiction and alcoholism are real issues, they're probably a little too real for category romance.
10. And most important, you definitely won't win if you don't enter. :-)
Good luck!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Why I Like Ebooks
Because I am extremely, extremely impatient and downloading an ebook is instant. No getting into the car and driving to the bookshop, no feeling annoyed because they don't have the book you want, no getting back into the car and driving to another bookshop, no waiting in a queue at the fourth bookshop where you finally found the book and need to buy it, and no having to haul said book around in your bag for days afterwards because you can't put it down (thank you Wolf Hall).
Okay, the down sides are irritating formatting and licensing which means that if you want to put it on another PC, it's difficult to transfer, reading on a PC screen (which I have got used to), and not being able to read it in the bath. It's that last one which is the biggie for me because I particularly like reading in the bath. If they ever invent an ebook reader than doesn't mind water, I'm an instant buyer.
And the other reason I like ebooks is that I can get my Modern Heat fix a month early! Woohoo! Now, I like all the Modern Heat authors, they rock, but two of my particular favourites are available for download right now - Heidi Rice and Kelly Hunter have two books out this month on the Mills and Boon site and I am happy, happy, happy. I'm going to be a shameless fan girl here and say that I love Heidi's deliciously strong heroes like I love chocolate, and I love Kelly's way with dialogue like I love chocolate martinis. Yummo. Oh, and I've been hanging out for these two stories for ages...
So I'm planning a happy evening downloading and curling up in front of my laptop. What else is everyone doing this evening (or day, depending on your time zone)?
Okay, the down sides are irritating formatting and licensing which means that if you want to put it on another PC, it's difficult to transfer, reading on a PC screen (which I have got used to), and not being able to read it in the bath. It's that last one which is the biggie for me because I particularly like reading in the bath. If they ever invent an ebook reader than doesn't mind water, I'm an instant buyer.
And the other reason I like ebooks is that I can get my Modern Heat fix a month early! Woohoo! Now, I like all the Modern Heat authors, they rock, but two of my particular favourites are available for download right now - Heidi Rice and Kelly Hunter have two books out this month on the Mills and Boon site and I am happy, happy, happy. I'm going to be a shameless fan girl here and say that I love Heidi's deliciously strong heroes like I love chocolate, and I love Kelly's way with dialogue like I love chocolate martinis. Yummo. Oh, and I've been hanging out for these two stories for ages...
So I'm planning a happy evening downloading and curling up in front of my laptop. What else is everyone doing this evening (or day, depending on your time zone)?
Monday, September 28, 2009
The Joy of the One Page Synopsis - Part Two
Righto, now I shall reveal all my secrets... :-)
Seriously, I am not setting myself up as an expert in this so please take my advice with a fairly hefty grain of salt. The final judge will always be the editor. However, I have learned a few things in the past year and doing it this way does make a lot of logical sense to me. Whether you feel the same though is up to you! :-)
Okay, so I've rewritten my Kate and Alex synopsis the way I would do it now, given what I've learned.
You start with the internal conflicts:
The sole survivor of a car accident that left the rest of her family dead, environmentalist Kate Weaver is used to taking care of herself. But the loss of her family has left her with a desperate need to protect herself from emotional harm: falling in love is far too emotionally risky for Kate.
Millionaire property developer Alex Woolf lost his parents young and a series of violent foster homes ensured a lesson he never forgot: only the strong survive, never admit weakness. Love is definitely a weakness and one he will never fall prey to.
Then you have the story opening:
Kate and Alex meet at a protest that Kate has organised against a development by Alex's company in an Auckland mangrove swamp. Sparks fly and the chemistry between them is red hot. When Alex suggests a weekend together, Kate cannot resist: she doesn't want love but surely a little sex is okay?
Then there is the growing attraction (why do they fall for each other?):
Their weekend together is unexpected. The sex is sensational but there's more to it than that. Alex, used to control and not showing weakness, is drawn to Kate's uninhibited passion and her blunt honesty, while Kate is attracted to his intellect, the way he makes her laugh and by the vulnerability she senses, something he is trying to hide.
Then you have the emotional turning points of the story, such as the moment when each falls in love, why they fall in love, and the black moment. These points should be active - the characters make decisions and choices based on their internal conflicts.
After the weekend, they agree to keep seeing each other. Alex tells her not to expect any more than a fling but Kate is happy with that, it's what she wants as well. But an incident at a party forces her to revaluate this: Alex defends her from an over-amorous suitor and it's the first time anyone has taken care of her. It tips her liking for him into love.
Defending Kate felt natural and right to Alex but he doesn't know why he did it. He's only ever looked out for himself, not anyone else, so why does he feel the need to protect now? Deep down he knows the reason but he shies away from it: he must stay strong and admitting feelings for Kate is a weakness.
And then Kate finds out that their weekend has consequences: she's pregnant. Kate wants the baby desperately, wants to have a family again. Since Alex defended her once, maybe he'll have a change of heart when he hears about the baby?
When Kate tells him about the pregnancy, Alex is appalled – a child is the one thing that demands unconditional love, a weakness. And yet latent protective feelings stir in him. His own childhood left him scarred; he would never wish that on a child of his own. So he decides on a compromise: he'll provide for the child in every way, but he will maintain a physical and emotional distance.
But Kate will not settle for half measures. She wants a family and that means Alex in her life and in their child's. She demands to know why he can't provide this so he tells her about his childhood and why he cannot give her anything more. Kate asks him whether her loving him makes any difference and Alex, desperate to protect himself, to be strong, angrily tells her that no, it doesn't. She will have to be satisfied with what he gives her.
Then the resolution (how do they resolve their conflict and why?):
Kate is heartbroken but the need to provide for their baby gives her the will to fight. She involves Alex in the pregnancy every step of the way, setting him an example that being strong has nothing to do with denying love. Alex sees how determined Kate is to be there for their baby and he realises that it's love that makes her strong. It's not a weakness to be fought. The example she sets allows him to finally admit that he loves her, that he wants the family he never had just as much as she does. Together they will make it work.
Easy eh?
Okay, okay, so not easy. And this is by no means a perfect synopsis. Kate's emotional journey is truncated - why does she fall for Alex, out of all the men in all the world? What does she learn from him and how does she learn it? I'm sure you can spot other things too.
But the focus of the synopsis is solely on the basic internal conflict. And that's the main difference to the previous one - I've actually given Kate and Alex some internal conflict (the loss of their childhoods/parents). Also, there is no external conflict in here apart from the opening set up and the bit with the amorous suitor. Introducing this has Alex having his hero moment but should this come from an outside source? Still, it has him making the decision to defend Kate and her reaction to that defence.
There is no secondary characters included, and there is no 'voice'. The voice is for the partial - nothing but cold, unadorned facts in the synopsis. What I've done is shown the editor how their romance will play out and how it will eventually be resolved, via the main emotional turning points - initial attraction, why they fall for each other, Alex's hero moment (Kate falling in love), pregnancy and reaction, black moment, resolution. It'll be up to the editor to decide whether this makes enough sense and whether the story is strong enough for her to want to see the rest of it.
The formatting is a little off (thanks Blogger) but this synop, in Word, is one page with a blank line between each paragraph.
And if you're wondering, this synopsis isn't actually the way I've written this story. Not sure of the ethics of posting an unpublished synopsis that I'm hoping to submit (one day!) so this is one I based on my original story, which was eventually rejected. :-) Anyway I hope it gives you a bit of an idea on how to proceed. Feel free to ask questions or anything, or even let me know if there's a better way to do it! Like I said, I'm no expert...
Seriously, I am not setting myself up as an expert in this so please take my advice with a fairly hefty grain of salt. The final judge will always be the editor. However, I have learned a few things in the past year and doing it this way does make a lot of logical sense to me. Whether you feel the same though is up to you! :-)
Okay, so I've rewritten my Kate and Alex synopsis the way I would do it now, given what I've learned.
You start with the internal conflicts:
The sole survivor of a car accident that left the rest of her family dead, environmentalist Kate Weaver is used to taking care of herself. But the loss of her family has left her with a desperate need to protect herself from emotional harm: falling in love is far too emotionally risky for Kate.
Millionaire property developer Alex Woolf lost his parents young and a series of violent foster homes ensured a lesson he never forgot: only the strong survive, never admit weakness. Love is definitely a weakness and one he will never fall prey to.
Then you have the story opening:
Kate and Alex meet at a protest that Kate has organised against a development by Alex's company in an Auckland mangrove swamp. Sparks fly and the chemistry between them is red hot. When Alex suggests a weekend together, Kate cannot resist: she doesn't want love but surely a little sex is okay?
Then there is the growing attraction (why do they fall for each other?):
Their weekend together is unexpected. The sex is sensational but there's more to it than that. Alex, used to control and not showing weakness, is drawn to Kate's uninhibited passion and her blunt honesty, while Kate is attracted to his intellect, the way he makes her laugh and by the vulnerability she senses, something he is trying to hide.
Then you have the emotional turning points of the story, such as the moment when each falls in love, why they fall in love, and the black moment. These points should be active - the characters make decisions and choices based on their internal conflicts.
After the weekend, they agree to keep seeing each other. Alex tells her not to expect any more than a fling but Kate is happy with that, it's what she wants as well. But an incident at a party forces her to revaluate this: Alex defends her from an over-amorous suitor and it's the first time anyone has taken care of her. It tips her liking for him into love.
Defending Kate felt natural and right to Alex but he doesn't know why he did it. He's only ever looked out for himself, not anyone else, so why does he feel the need to protect now? Deep down he knows the reason but he shies away from it: he must stay strong and admitting feelings for Kate is a weakness.
And then Kate finds out that their weekend has consequences: she's pregnant. Kate wants the baby desperately, wants to have a family again. Since Alex defended her once, maybe he'll have a change of heart when he hears about the baby?
When Kate tells him about the pregnancy, Alex is appalled – a child is the one thing that demands unconditional love, a weakness. And yet latent protective feelings stir in him. His own childhood left him scarred; he would never wish that on a child of his own. So he decides on a compromise: he'll provide for the child in every way, but he will maintain a physical and emotional distance.
But Kate will not settle for half measures. She wants a family and that means Alex in her life and in their child's. She demands to know why he can't provide this so he tells her about his childhood and why he cannot give her anything more. Kate asks him whether her loving him makes any difference and Alex, desperate to protect himself, to be strong, angrily tells her that no, it doesn't. She will have to be satisfied with what he gives her.
Then the resolution (how do they resolve their conflict and why?):
Kate is heartbroken but the need to provide for their baby gives her the will to fight. She involves Alex in the pregnancy every step of the way, setting him an example that being strong has nothing to do with denying love. Alex sees how determined Kate is to be there for their baby and he realises that it's love that makes her strong. It's not a weakness to be fought. The example she sets allows him to finally admit that he loves her, that he wants the family he never had just as much as she does. Together they will make it work.
Easy eh?
Okay, okay, so not easy. And this is by no means a perfect synopsis. Kate's emotional journey is truncated - why does she fall for Alex, out of all the men in all the world? What does she learn from him and how does she learn it? I'm sure you can spot other things too.
But the focus of the synopsis is solely on the basic internal conflict. And that's the main difference to the previous one - I've actually given Kate and Alex some internal conflict (the loss of their childhoods/parents). Also, there is no external conflict in here apart from the opening set up and the bit with the amorous suitor. Introducing this has Alex having his hero moment but should this come from an outside source? Still, it has him making the decision to defend Kate and her reaction to that defence.
There is no secondary characters included, and there is no 'voice'. The voice is for the partial - nothing but cold, unadorned facts in the synopsis. What I've done is shown the editor how their romance will play out and how it will eventually be resolved, via the main emotional turning points - initial attraction, why they fall for each other, Alex's hero moment (Kate falling in love), pregnancy and reaction, black moment, resolution. It'll be up to the editor to decide whether this makes enough sense and whether the story is strong enough for her to want to see the rest of it.
The formatting is a little off (thanks Blogger) but this synop, in Word, is one page with a blank line between each paragraph.
And if you're wondering, this synopsis isn't actually the way I've written this story. Not sure of the ethics of posting an unpublished synopsis that I'm hoping to submit (one day!) so this is one I based on my original story, which was eventually rejected. :-) Anyway I hope it gives you a bit of an idea on how to proceed. Feel free to ask questions or anything, or even let me know if there's a better way to do it! Like I said, I'm no expert...
Friday, September 25, 2009
The Joy of the One Page Synopsis
This is a killer, right? You're not wrong. How do you get everything you want into one page? Well, it's not easy but it's entirely possible. After Michelle S gave me her critique of my sorry synopses, she suggested that I try doing them in one page. This was really hard but in doing so, I had a bit of an inkling about how an editor might read it and why certain things were important.
Now, obviously I am no expert in this but I thought I'd share my insights just in case they're helpful.
To help illustrate points, I'm going to use the synopsis I subbed for the FTH contest. This was two pages double-spaced and quite frankly, not very good. See if you can spot why.
When Alex Woolf, Auckland millionaire property developer, discovers eco-activist Kate Weaver protesting at one of his constructions sites, his self-contained world is suddenly thrown into chaos by a sudden attack of the lustful kind. But Kate is wary: he's the very antithesis of her green ideals and is also, unfortunately, incredibly attractive. Unfortunate because she's susceptible to physical chemistry and has learned from past mistakes that it means nothing in the end.
Incensed by the blatant way Alex shows his interest, Kate organises a protest outside his offices but this turns nasty and she ends up being rescued by him. Naturally she tells him exactly what she thinks of him. His response? A kiss to her palm that leaves her trembling. Alex is hooked on the chase. He tracks Kate down with a demand: dinner at her house or he presses charges regarding her protest: Kate has no choice but to agree.
At dinner, Kate tries to scare him off with her blunt opinions but Alex is even more attracted. The evening ends with him pulling her into his arms and kissing her senseless. Then he goes further by manipulating her into having lunch with him at his Waiheke Island home.
Kate, hating to be manipulated, fears the worst but over the course of the afternoon, realises that her initial impressions about him are misplaced. There is a vulnerability to him that she, champion of the vulnerable, finds very intriguing. But, worse than that, he makes her laugh.
That night, finally unable to resist her own sensual nature, a side of herself she's always mistrusted, it's Kate who does the seducing. Their lovemaking is a transcendent experience, a true meeting of both bodies and spirits, and it changes everything between them.
The next day circumstances force Kate into staying on the island but after the night she spent with Alex, she feels she knows him, is sure he would never hurt her. He brings out her humour, her sense of fun. Things she'd hadn't even known she'd lost. She soon doesn't want to leave. Alex too is changed by the experience. A lonely childhood has led to a life of emotional self-sufficiency but passionate Kate has opened a door in his heart. A door that leads to a world where caring about someone does not lead to dependency but emotional fulfilment.
But the spell breaks when they return to the mainland. Attending a party with Alex, Kate is served with a reminder about how out of place she is in his world: a chance meeting with her ex leads to bitter humiliation and it's enough for Kate to decide that it can never work between her and Alex. They're too different and she's too afraid of being hurt again.
Alex feels betrayed at Kate's rejection after the party. He defended her – stepping in to help someone else was a huge step for him in the first place – so why did she throw it back in his face? He wants what they had on the island but he still can't reconcile these feelings with what he's been brought up to believe: that being dependent on someone else for your happiness makes you weak. Way out of his comfort zone, he decides that perhaps his parents were right after all, that looking after number one is the most important thing.
But then they discover that their island tryst has had consequences: Kate is pregnant. She's appalled. Not only is she in love with someone she doesn't want to be in love with, she's also having his baby! Alex is horrified too – the ultimate in dependency requires the ultimate in unselfishness. But now it's happened, he realises he wants it more than anything in the world. So he challenges her: she must get over her fear of not being good enough for him and understand that their differences need not divide them. Kate answers with a challenge of her own: if she'll do that for him, can he get over his need for emotional self-sufficiency and commit to her as well as their child? But for Alex, admitting finally that he loves her, there's no need to compromise. He'll do whatever it takes to have her and his child in his life. Permanently.
I think I put everything but the kitchen sink into that synopsis but anyway, here's what's wrong with it:
Firstly and most importantly, where are Kate and Alex's conflicts? They're not in the first couple of paragraphs and because they're not, nothing the characters do or feel really makes any sense. When an editor reads a synopsis (this is just a guess here folks 'cause I've actually got no idea. It's more how I would read a synopsis) she'll want to know immediately why these two feel they can't be together. If she knows straight up, then she'll be able to see why/how the characters make the decisions they do and if they make sense.
If not, she'll be left asking herself questions like these:
What were Kate's past mistakes? Why does Alex's interest incense Kate? Why is he vulnerable? Why is that attractive to her? What made her lose her sense of fun? What does being not of his world have anything to do with their romance? Why are they too different? Why will it never work? Why was it a huge step for him to defend her? Why did he learn this lesson from his parents?
You see? I'm sure you can spot the other questions in the subsequent paragraphs too. But all these questions pretty much stem from the same reason - what are the conflicts here? And the short answer to that is: there aren't any. Not anything internal anyway. All the baby stuff etc, scene with the ex, is all just me trying to cover the fact that there was nothing to keep Kate and Alex apart. There's hints - Kate's past mistakes, Alex's parents, but nothing concrete.
So if that's not a very good synopsis, what's a good one? I'm not the world's greatest synopsis writer and I'm certainly not setting myself up as one, but I can do better than the above these days. Next post I'll redo the synopsis the way it probably should have been done the first time and you can see if it's better or not.
Now, obviously I am no expert in this but I thought I'd share my insights just in case they're helpful.
To help illustrate points, I'm going to use the synopsis I subbed for the FTH contest. This was two pages double-spaced and quite frankly, not very good. See if you can spot why.
When Alex Woolf, Auckland millionaire property developer, discovers eco-activist Kate Weaver protesting at one of his constructions sites, his self-contained world is suddenly thrown into chaos by a sudden attack of the lustful kind. But Kate is wary: he's the very antithesis of her green ideals and is also, unfortunately, incredibly attractive. Unfortunate because she's susceptible to physical chemistry and has learned from past mistakes that it means nothing in the end.
Incensed by the blatant way Alex shows his interest, Kate organises a protest outside his offices but this turns nasty and she ends up being rescued by him. Naturally she tells him exactly what she thinks of him. His response? A kiss to her palm that leaves her trembling. Alex is hooked on the chase. He tracks Kate down with a demand: dinner at her house or he presses charges regarding her protest: Kate has no choice but to agree.
At dinner, Kate tries to scare him off with her blunt opinions but Alex is even more attracted. The evening ends with him pulling her into his arms and kissing her senseless. Then he goes further by manipulating her into having lunch with him at his Waiheke Island home.
Kate, hating to be manipulated, fears the worst but over the course of the afternoon, realises that her initial impressions about him are misplaced. There is a vulnerability to him that she, champion of the vulnerable, finds very intriguing. But, worse than that, he makes her laugh.
That night, finally unable to resist her own sensual nature, a side of herself she's always mistrusted, it's Kate who does the seducing. Their lovemaking is a transcendent experience, a true meeting of both bodies and spirits, and it changes everything between them.
The next day circumstances force Kate into staying on the island but after the night she spent with Alex, she feels she knows him, is sure he would never hurt her. He brings out her humour, her sense of fun. Things she'd hadn't even known she'd lost. She soon doesn't want to leave. Alex too is changed by the experience. A lonely childhood has led to a life of emotional self-sufficiency but passionate Kate has opened a door in his heart. A door that leads to a world where caring about someone does not lead to dependency but emotional fulfilment.
But the spell breaks when they return to the mainland. Attending a party with Alex, Kate is served with a reminder about how out of place she is in his world: a chance meeting with her ex leads to bitter humiliation and it's enough for Kate to decide that it can never work between her and Alex. They're too different and she's too afraid of being hurt again.
Alex feels betrayed at Kate's rejection after the party. He defended her – stepping in to help someone else was a huge step for him in the first place – so why did she throw it back in his face? He wants what they had on the island but he still can't reconcile these feelings with what he's been brought up to believe: that being dependent on someone else for your happiness makes you weak. Way out of his comfort zone, he decides that perhaps his parents were right after all, that looking after number one is the most important thing.
But then they discover that their island tryst has had consequences: Kate is pregnant. She's appalled. Not only is she in love with someone she doesn't want to be in love with, she's also having his baby! Alex is horrified too – the ultimate in dependency requires the ultimate in unselfishness. But now it's happened, he realises he wants it more than anything in the world. So he challenges her: she must get over her fear of not being good enough for him and understand that their differences need not divide them. Kate answers with a challenge of her own: if she'll do that for him, can he get over his need for emotional self-sufficiency and commit to her as well as their child? But for Alex, admitting finally that he loves her, there's no need to compromise. He'll do whatever it takes to have her and his child in his life. Permanently.
I think I put everything but the kitchen sink into that synopsis but anyway, here's what's wrong with it:
Firstly and most importantly, where are Kate and Alex's conflicts? They're not in the first couple of paragraphs and because they're not, nothing the characters do or feel really makes any sense. When an editor reads a synopsis (this is just a guess here folks 'cause I've actually got no idea. It's more how I would read a synopsis) she'll want to know immediately why these two feel they can't be together. If she knows straight up, then she'll be able to see why/how the characters make the decisions they do and if they make sense.
If not, she'll be left asking herself questions like these:
What were Kate's past mistakes? Why does Alex's interest incense Kate? Why is he vulnerable? Why is that attractive to her? What made her lose her sense of fun? What does being not of his world have anything to do with their romance? Why are they too different? Why will it never work? Why was it a huge step for him to defend her? Why did he learn this lesson from his parents?
You see? I'm sure you can spot the other questions in the subsequent paragraphs too. But all these questions pretty much stem from the same reason - what are the conflicts here? And the short answer to that is: there aren't any. Not anything internal anyway. All the baby stuff etc, scene with the ex, is all just me trying to cover the fact that there was nothing to keep Kate and Alex apart. There's hints - Kate's past mistakes, Alex's parents, but nothing concrete.
So if that's not a very good synopsis, what's a good one? I'm not the world's greatest synopsis writer and I'm certainly not setting myself up as one, but I can do better than the above these days. Next post I'll redo the synopsis the way it probably should have been done the first time and you can see if it's better or not.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Light and Flirty Modern Heat: Yeah, Right.
I'm worried about my sub. So what else is new right? Well after reading the transcript of the editor chat on eHarlequin, I've got several worries:
Firstly, I'm worrying that my sub is too angsty for Modern Heat. The problem is that I love deep, emotional internal conflict. And I love a strong, tortured hero. However, I also like humour which makes an uncomfortable mix between Presents/Modern style internal conflict with the Modern Heat flirty/sexy hero. With MH, you can't have your hero standing around brooding endlessly. There has to be some humour/flirtiness there, which makes it hard if you have a deep internal conflict for him. I think my hero isn't too broody (which makes him sound like a chicken!) but towards the end, he's pretty conflicted. Will this be a sub-killer?
Secondly I'm worrying about the whole 'fresh twist on an old theme' thing. The fact is, my setup isn't particularly fresh or original. They meet in a nightclub - how original is that? I like to think I spiced things up with the presentation of it a little but maybe I didn't. The whole fake engagement thing I had going on there was supposed to make it a little bit different to the marriage of convenience thing but I've now taken it out, I haven't even got that. Is my sub too boring?
Thirdly, I'm not sure I pushed the boundaries enough. I wanted to get this one right and in doing so, I'm worried I may have played it too safe. The transcript seemed to imply new and innovative is the way to go, but really, how far can you go as an aspiring author? What, exactly, can you get away with? Perhaps, as Kate Walker says, it's all in the execution. In the sub that was rejected, my hero and heroine didn't physically meet until page 6 or so but they did have a sexy online conversation. This was not mentioned as a problem in the feedback I received so maybe you can get away with a certain amount of rule breaking.
Lots of worries, huh? Anyone else worried about their sub? Perhaps I need to put up the scarecrow again...
Firstly, I'm worrying that my sub is too angsty for Modern Heat. The problem is that I love deep, emotional internal conflict. And I love a strong, tortured hero. However, I also like humour which makes an uncomfortable mix between Presents/Modern style internal conflict with the Modern Heat flirty/sexy hero. With MH, you can't have your hero standing around brooding endlessly. There has to be some humour/flirtiness there, which makes it hard if you have a deep internal conflict for him. I think my hero isn't too broody (which makes him sound like a chicken!) but towards the end, he's pretty conflicted. Will this be a sub-killer?
Secondly I'm worrying about the whole 'fresh twist on an old theme' thing. The fact is, my setup isn't particularly fresh or original. They meet in a nightclub - how original is that? I like to think I spiced things up with the presentation of it a little but maybe I didn't. The whole fake engagement thing I had going on there was supposed to make it a little bit different to the marriage of convenience thing but I've now taken it out, I haven't even got that. Is my sub too boring?
Thirdly, I'm not sure I pushed the boundaries enough. I wanted to get this one right and in doing so, I'm worried I may have played it too safe. The transcript seemed to imply new and innovative is the way to go, but really, how far can you go as an aspiring author? What, exactly, can you get away with? Perhaps, as Kate Walker says, it's all in the execution. In the sub that was rejected, my hero and heroine didn't physically meet until page 6 or so but they did have a sexy online conversation. This was not mentioned as a problem in the feedback I received so maybe you can get away with a certain amount of rule breaking.
Lots of worries, huh? Anyone else worried about their sub? Perhaps I need to put up the scarecrow again...
Monday, September 21, 2009
Home Again or Completely Gratuitous Shots of New Zealand Countryside
Okay, 4055kms later, I am finally back home! And already feeling the post holiday blues... :-) Stupid eh? But had a lovely time. Travelling the country has given me a new appreciation for how beautiful New Zealand is. If any of you are down
this end of the globe, make it your mission to see the South Island, especially Fiordland. And most especially, Doubtful Sound. A more beautiful place on earth I have yet to visit... (Picture on right is Lake Te Anau. Picture on left is taken from the Cardrona ski field in Otago, looking towards Queenstown)Yes, it rains in F
iordland. A lot. And apparently people have been known to complain to the local tourist information bureau about the fact that it rains. As if the tourist bureau has anything to do with the weather. Reminds me of the time we were Morocco, on the edge of the Sahara and how a couple of our tour party complained to the tour guide because clouds meant they couldn't get their desert sunset photo... These waterfalls at the right are in Doubtful Sound and only appear when it rains.
Here's me being blown about on the front of the boat in Doubtful Sound. Well, I suppose there has to be one shot of me but no one took one of me in front of anything scenic so this will have to do. :-)
And here's my eldest daughter taking a wander along the shores of Lake Whakitipu near Queenstown.Now the holiday is over, it's back to the wait - 13 weeks! Not to mention thinking about the next writerly blog post... Hope everyone else has had a good couple of weeks!
P.S. Please excuse the big lines of nothingness in between the photos. Blogger sucks when it comes to formatting posts with images.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
A Missive from the Deep South - On Heroines
Still adventuring in the wilds of New Zealand's South Island. We're in Dunedin, the southern most city and I have been searching in vain for wireless internet. I think poor old NZ is rather foot-dragging when it comes to providing free wireless hotspots because there ain't none around here. Luckily Dr Jax has an iPhone and it can provide me with the access I have come to require, nay demand.
So, had plans for doing lots of lovely writing/editing while I've been away but they came to nought. Probably a good thing to have a complete break but it does lead to frustrated writer syndrome (symptoms include grumpiness, impatience with long suffering family, and general wistful imaginings about all the lovely things one could do if only one had enough time on one's laptop) - which isn't happy for either me nor my family. Loving the holiday though (especially the three days of unexpected and superb skiing) but will be looking forward to getting back into the swing of writing again.
Anyway, while we've been away, I came across an article in the Guardian about writing for Mills and Boon. It was extremely interesting, especially about 'the heroine problem'. Apparently, according to this journalist, writing M&B heroines is extremely difficult. This is because they provide the reader with the conduit to the hero - in other words the reader needs to be able to imagine herself as the heroine in order to experience the love affair with the hero. But in order to do this, the heroine has to appeal to as wide a range of people as possible - basically she has to be bland enough to appeal to everyone and yet interesting enough to appeal to everyone. Hard, yes? It's good to know I'm not the only one who thinks so!
This is pretty much my problem with my heroines. I give them things like nose rings and tattoos. Or make them geeks with no self confidence. Or make them flawed in some way. But as soon as you do this - make them extreme in any way - you instantly alienate the readers who don't understand or can't relate to that kind of heroine. Which is why my FTH contest heroine didn't work - she was too extreme in both her views and her appearance, and thus alienated a whole lot of potential readers.
In fact, I had a rather interesting conversation with Dr Jax about this particular issue. I was running my new idea by him and he was asking me why a woman recovering from breast cancer was more acceptable than a recovering addict. I had to point out that addiction was more alienating and less sympathetic than breast cancer, not to mention it was a subject you couldn't wrap up nicely in 50k or less, even if it did happen in the past. He argued about this but even if a recovering addict was worthy, it doesn't provide the requisite fantasy or escapism element that you need to have in an M&B.
Even breast cancer may be pushing it. You can't wrap that up easily either but am thinking I'll have to make her in total remission, with all her treatment in the past, and, bearing in mind the whole appealing to the widest range of people possible thing, probably not having had a mastectomy.
Of course, I'll have to hear back about my current sub first before I send anything else out. Sigh.
What does everyone else think about the whole heroine thing? Do you find them difficult to write?
So, had plans for doing lots of lovely writing/editing while I've been away but they came to nought. Probably a good thing to have a complete break but it does lead to frustrated writer syndrome (symptoms include grumpiness, impatience with long suffering family, and general wistful imaginings about all the lovely things one could do if only one had enough time on one's laptop) - which isn't happy for either me nor my family. Loving the holiday though (especially the three days of unexpected and superb skiing) but will be looking forward to getting back into the swing of writing again.
Anyway, while we've been away, I came across an article in the Guardian about writing for Mills and Boon. It was extremely interesting, especially about 'the heroine problem'. Apparently, according to this journalist, writing M&B heroines is extremely difficult. This is because they provide the reader with the conduit to the hero - in other words the reader needs to be able to imagine herself as the heroine in order to experience the love affair with the hero. But in order to do this, the heroine has to appeal to as wide a range of people as possible - basically she has to be bland enough to appeal to everyone and yet interesting enough to appeal to everyone. Hard, yes? It's good to know I'm not the only one who thinks so!
This is pretty much my problem with my heroines. I give them things like nose rings and tattoos. Or make them geeks with no self confidence. Or make them flawed in some way. But as soon as you do this - make them extreme in any way - you instantly alienate the readers who don't understand or can't relate to that kind of heroine. Which is why my FTH contest heroine didn't work - she was too extreme in both her views and her appearance, and thus alienated a whole lot of potential readers.
In fact, I had a rather interesting conversation with Dr Jax about this particular issue. I was running my new idea by him and he was asking me why a woman recovering from breast cancer was more acceptable than a recovering addict. I had to point out that addiction was more alienating and less sympathetic than breast cancer, not to mention it was a subject you couldn't wrap up nicely in 50k or less, even if it did happen in the past. He argued about this but even if a recovering addict was worthy, it doesn't provide the requisite fantasy or escapism element that you need to have in an M&B.
Even breast cancer may be pushing it. You can't wrap that up easily either but am thinking I'll have to make her in total remission, with all her treatment in the past, and, bearing in mind the whole appealing to the widest range of people possible thing, probably not having had a mastectomy.
Of course, I'll have to hear back about my current sub first before I send anything else out. Sigh.
What does everyone else think about the whole heroine thing? Do you find them difficult to write?
Monday, September 7, 2009
In the Millionaire Playboy Psychiatrist's Penthouse
Two out the four statements in the above title are true and I'll leave you to figure out which ones are which...
Yes, it is a little bit sad to be posting a blog entry while I'm on holiday but a) wouldn't you know it, I have a cold and am holed up in our apartment and b) my eldest also has a cold and is holed up with me. The cold is helped marginally by the setting - a penthouse suite (one of the true statements, see photo) on the shores of Lake Whakitipu, which has all the mod cons including a deck with a spa pool that looks onto the Remarkables Mountain range. Dr Jax outdid himself with the accommodation it has to be said. We have broadband, we have heated floors, we have flat screen TVs... Happy days.
In fact, the setting and the apartment are all extremely Modern Heat - I'm inspired despite the cold! Queenstown is pretty young, urban and hip - certainly judging from all the trendy snow people I saw in town yesterday - with lots of bars and restaurants. Could be a great location for a new story. In fact, I even have a great idea to go along with it. Shows you what an obssessive writer I am that even on a family holiday with a vile cold, the creative urge never stops. Am kind of itching to get into writing it and if it wasn't for those meddling kids... :-)
But I can't think of new ideas at the moment. Too many old ideas to edit, not to mention angsting over the partial under consideration. Coming up for 12 weeks next week but I'm not holding my breath for an answer just yet. In fact I should be doing more NTAI - ing. Unfortunately my main method of NTAI-ing is more writing....which I can't do...
Ah well, shall try and distract myself by reading the new AS Byatt I bought with me, though as much as I love her writing, it probably won't provide as much escapism as Lucy King's new book did (great going, Lucy!). Isn't it lucky I also have Kate Hardy's latest too? ;-)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Holidays!
Woohoo!! Yep, we're going on holiday for two weeks on Thursday! Be the first holiday for me in months (no, two nights in Rotorua does not count) and I can't wait. We're going to Queenstown (see piccie) in the South Island for a conference that Dr Jax is attending. Queenstown, for those in the northern hemisphere, is kind of like NZ's answer to Switzerland on a much, MUCH, smaller scale. :-) Remember those mountains in Lord of the Rings? Those are the Remarkables (again, see piccie). Remember Rohan? That's the kind of country where we'll be going. Anyway, not sure of the wisdom of driving over a thousand ks with two small kids but hey, if you don't try you'll never know right?Of course the other advantage of going away is that it's the perfect NTAI distraction. It's been ten weeks since I sent in my sub and the twelve week mark will pass while I'm away. I'm thinking I won't hear, considering the busy-ness of the London office. Sigh. Oh well, I am taking the laptop with me just in case (does that make me sad?). Can't do without my email and can't do without my lovely blog friends. :-) And perhaps I'll even have time to do some writing. There's lots of hot alpha skiers, snowboarders, climbers and general extreme kind of guys down there... Hmmmm....
Modern Heat set in Queenstown anyone?
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Yet Another Post About Heroes
Yes, I know, I've probably posted this before but I thought I'd do another one simply because I love a good hero. Always have, always will. I like a good heroine, don't get me wrong, but baby bring on the hero because that's what I read romance for.
Now apparently I do a good hero - according to the editors. And my last (sadly deceased) manuscript had a 'perfect Modern Heat hero', so I guess I must be doing something right with 'em. But it seems that creating a good, Modern Heat alpha male is a problem for a lot of people (let's not go into my difficulties with heroines okay?). Kate Walker did a fabulous blog post about alpha males so I won't go into that either but here's a little bit about how I begin doing mine.
Dr Jax (my husband for those who don't know and no, that's not his actual name) reads all my manuscripts and he often tells me that I manage to get into a guy's head really well - which is pretty much essential in creating a good hero. And that's how I often start. I imagine myself as my hero - how would he feel? How would he think? Guys are not so different, their emotions are the same as ours and essentially they want the same things as we do. They're human right? Okay, at least semi-human. ;-) Their key difference is in the way they express themselves and in some of the actions they take. For example, my heroes are used to taking charge of their own lives. They make decisions and take action, they don't hang back and wait for someone else to do it for them. But they also find it difficult to talk about their emotions because guys generally aren't very good at that kind of thing.
The other thing I find helps me with writing them is very basic - you have to write what you find sexy. If you don't find alpha males at all sexy then creating a convincing alpha male hero is going to be very difficult. If you don't love your hero then no one else will either. I like strong men. I like wounded, flawed men. I like men who take charge. I like intelligent men who have a sense of humour. I like arrogant, witty men. And most especially I like the confident, gorgeous guy who always has a come-back, who thinks he knows everything there is know, and yet who can be brought to his knees by the heroine. Mmmm, yum. Everything that I find sexy in a man goes into my hero. Now, other people may not find him as sexy as I do, but that's okay, everyone's version of sexy is different. But I think if you find writing an alpha male hard, you have to ask yourself why. Is it because you don't actually like alpha males? Or is it because you just can't get into his head?
If it's the latter, close your eyes. You're sitting in a bar. You're not worried about how you look because your looks aren't important to you. You're not worried about your clothes either because clothes are just clothes and they looked fine when you put them on that morning. You're not anxious about what to do if a woman approaches you because you always know what to say. In fact, there are more than a couple giving you the eye right now but you're not interested in them, despite the fact that they're gorgeous. No, because through the crowd you've spotted someone. A woman who is interesting to you in a way you can't quite put your finger on. It's irritating you because you can't figure it out and you hate not being able to figure stuff out. Then again, you do love a challenge, a puzzle, figuring out how things tick. This woman is lovely but it's not her beauty that draws you (beautiful women are a dime a dozen in your world), it's the puzzle she represents that holds your interest. And you want to figure out that puzzle. But she's surrounded by her girlfriends and they've already warded off quite a few approaches this evening. So what do you do?
What would Luke do? :-)
Now apparently I do a good hero - according to the editors. And my last (sadly deceased) manuscript had a 'perfect Modern Heat hero', so I guess I must be doing something right with 'em. But it seems that creating a good, Modern Heat alpha male is a problem for a lot of people (let's not go into my difficulties with heroines okay?). Kate Walker did a fabulous blog post about alpha males so I won't go into that either but here's a little bit about how I begin doing mine.
Dr Jax (my husband for those who don't know and no, that's not his actual name) reads all my manuscripts and he often tells me that I manage to get into a guy's head really well - which is pretty much essential in creating a good hero. And that's how I often start. I imagine myself as my hero - how would he feel? How would he think? Guys are not so different, their emotions are the same as ours and essentially they want the same things as we do. They're human right? Okay, at least semi-human. ;-) Their key difference is in the way they express themselves and in some of the actions they take. For example, my heroes are used to taking charge of their own lives. They make decisions and take action, they don't hang back and wait for someone else to do it for them. But they also find it difficult to talk about their emotions because guys generally aren't very good at that kind of thing.
The other thing I find helps me with writing them is very basic - you have to write what you find sexy. If you don't find alpha males at all sexy then creating a convincing alpha male hero is going to be very difficult. If you don't love your hero then no one else will either. I like strong men. I like wounded, flawed men. I like men who take charge. I like intelligent men who have a sense of humour. I like arrogant, witty men. And most especially I like the confident, gorgeous guy who always has a come-back, who thinks he knows everything there is know, and yet who can be brought to his knees by the heroine. Mmmm, yum. Everything that I find sexy in a man goes into my hero. Now, other people may not find him as sexy as I do, but that's okay, everyone's version of sexy is different. But I think if you find writing an alpha male hard, you have to ask yourself why. Is it because you don't actually like alpha males? Or is it because you just can't get into his head?
If it's the latter, close your eyes. You're sitting in a bar. You're not worried about how you look because your looks aren't important to you. You're not worried about your clothes either because clothes are just clothes and they looked fine when you put them on that morning. You're not anxious about what to do if a woman approaches you because you always know what to say. In fact, there are more than a couple giving you the eye right now but you're not interested in them, despite the fact that they're gorgeous. No, because through the crowd you've spotted someone. A woman who is interesting to you in a way you can't quite put your finger on. It's irritating you because you can't figure it out and you hate not being able to figure stuff out. Then again, you do love a challenge, a puzzle, figuring out how things tick. This woman is lovely but it's not her beauty that draws you (beautiful women are a dime a dozen in your world), it's the puzzle she represents that holds your interest. And you want to figure out that puzzle. But she's surrounded by her girlfriends and they've already warded off quite a few approaches this evening. So what do you do?
What would Luke do? :-)
Monday, August 24, 2009
Conference - RWNZ
Warning, this post contains scenes of shameless name dropping...
So, how was the RWNZ Conference? Pretty damn good actually. Romance writers are such a lovely bunch of people - I can't get over how friendly and supportive and just plain old nice they all are. Which makes a conference full of 'em a great place to be.
Anyway, my highlights? Firstly there was a workshop where Melissa Jeglinski of the Knight Agency did a one page critique of people's WIPs. I was pleased to get some nice feedback about mine which kind of set me up for the rest of the conference. :-)
Secondly was a talk from Harlequin editor Mary Therese Hussey about writing for category. She had this to say about what an editor looks for in a first chapter (in general):
Are the opening and closing lines strong?
Do characters make decisions?
Are the conflicts strong and interesting?
Are the characters compelling?
Does the story start in the right place?
Do you want to read on?
Interesting eh? Made me want to hurry back home to check out my first chapters!
She also mentioned the importance of making the conflict clear and understandable and of making sure your story begins where it should. The opening of the story should be at a point of change in a character's life, not before it.
There were some other great craft sessions where I got some more insights about a great fault of mine which is thinking up quirky openings and then struggling to find the motivation for the characters to do the things I want them to. It all comes down - naturally! - to having strong and meaningful conflicts. Asking the 'why' questions. All this made much more sense this year than last year, probably because of what I've learned since then via my rejections and advice from other authors.
Anyway - name drop moment - the main highlight was meeting the lovely Natalie Anderson and having a great old chat about writing and law libraries (she was a librarian as well)! It was great meeting one of the authors for the line I'm trying to write for - especially one whose books are my faves. And also to get a bit of reassurance about the difficulties of balancing strong emotional conflict with the fun, flirty Modern Heat vibe. It's not easy and it's nice to know I'm not alone with that! Cheers, Natalie!
So that's conference this year. Next year promises to be even better and I'm even thinking about hopping across the ditch and going to the RWA one in Sydney too.
All in all a great weekend. Hope everyone else had a good one as well!
So, how was the RWNZ Conference? Pretty damn good actually. Romance writers are such a lovely bunch of people - I can't get over how friendly and supportive and just plain old nice they all are. Which makes a conference full of 'em a great place to be.
Anyway, my highlights? Firstly there was a workshop where Melissa Jeglinski of the Knight Agency did a one page critique of people's WIPs. I was pleased to get some nice feedback about mine which kind of set me up for the rest of the conference. :-)
Secondly was a talk from Harlequin editor Mary Therese Hussey about writing for category. She had this to say about what an editor looks for in a first chapter (in general):
Are the opening and closing lines strong?
Do characters make decisions?
Are the conflicts strong and interesting?
Are the characters compelling?
Does the story start in the right place?
Do you want to read on?
Interesting eh? Made me want to hurry back home to check out my first chapters!
She also mentioned the importance of making the conflict clear and understandable and of making sure your story begins where it should. The opening of the story should be at a point of change in a character's life, not before it.
There were some other great craft sessions where I got some more insights about a great fault of mine which is thinking up quirky openings and then struggling to find the motivation for the characters to do the things I want them to. It all comes down - naturally! - to having strong and meaningful conflicts. Asking the 'why' questions. All this made much more sense this year than last year, probably because of what I've learned since then via my rejections and advice from other authors.
Anyway - name drop moment - the main highlight was meeting the lovely Natalie Anderson and having a great old chat about writing and law libraries (she was a librarian as well)! It was great meeting one of the authors for the line I'm trying to write for - especially one whose books are my faves. And also to get a bit of reassurance about the difficulties of balancing strong emotional conflict with the fun, flirty Modern Heat vibe. It's not easy and it's nice to know I'm not alone with that! Cheers, Natalie!
So that's conference this year. Next year promises to be even better and I'm even thinking about hopping across the ditch and going to the RWA one in Sydney too.
All in all a great weekend. Hope everyone else had a good one as well!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Having a Whinge
Having a grumpy 'I hate waiting' day today. Also a 'my mansucript sucks and is boring' day. There's lots of emotion in there - I'm actually wondering if there's too much! - but it still feels boring! Maybe I'm too close. Maybe I need to put a car chase in there to liven things up. ;-) But y'know, with Modern Heat, it's all about the internal conflict and that means keeping external stuff to a minimum. My characters don't seem to do much but go from his house, to her house, to a restaurant, to a beach, back to her house... You see what I mean? This does seem to be the case with other Modern Heats I've been reading (and actually some Moderns too!) but when I read mine, it just feels like there should be more happening. I could stick in a mountain climbing scene, since my hero is a climber, but then that adds nothing to the romance and I'd only put it in to indulge myself.
Aaanyway, which is why I'd really, really like to hear back about what they think of it right now. Like everyone else with subs out there, right? :-) Think I need to go out on an NTAI spree...
Failing that, I could work on the five other manuscripts that I've got festering away on my computer, all in various stages of being re-written. In fact, I seem to have been in re-writing mode for the past six months. I've got the initial stages of a new idea but I keep getting distracted by my earlier manuscripts and ideas on how I can make them stronger.
Anyone else re-writing an old manscript? Or do old stories go down the bottom of a drawer never to be heard from again?
Aaanyway, which is why I'd really, really like to hear back about what they think of it right now. Like everyone else with subs out there, right? :-) Think I need to go out on an NTAI spree...
Failing that, I could work on the five other manuscripts that I've got festering away on my computer, all in various stages of being re-written. In fact, I seem to have been in re-writing mode for the past six months. I've got the initial stages of a new idea but I keep getting distracted by my earlier manuscripts and ideas on how I can make them stronger.
Anyone else re-writing an old manscript? Or do old stories go down the bottom of a drawer never to be heard from again?
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