HOW I DO WHAT I DO

It’s that time again… time for the plotting group of which I’m a part to meet. This is a wonderful event in which Geri Foster, Sylvia McDaniel, Kathy Shaw, and I participate. In addition to helping flesh out plots, the retreat gives me a burst of enthusiasm, rekindles my fire, and is a lot of fun.

When we first began meeting, we went to a hotel for our plotting retreat. This was productive. We laugh a lot, though, as we work and we stay up late and rise early. We craved privacy so we didn’t bother anyone and no one bothered us.  

View from the house we rent
for our plotting retreat --
of course we're inside working 

Now four of us go to a lovely lakeside house and sequester ourselves for several days and nights. We arrive with our plots in mind and the main characters detailed. What we work on are the turning points and the conflict that keeps the couple from achieving a happily-ever-after.  

Using a plotting board and Post-it notes, we take turns brainstorming new books. This is not a lark, by the way. Yes, adult beverages may be served, but not many. We work about sixteen hours a day or more as we take turns plotting books. By the time we leave, each of us will have several books outlined and ready to write.

Pink for heroine, blue for hero, etc.

Do we have to have a retreat to write? No, of course not. Each of us has been writing more years than we care to admit, but we believe brainstorming and mapping out our plots together creates a better book. When we get home and write each book, we may take detours on our outline/map, but we will stick to the basic plot we’ve outlined at the retreat.

Many writers are what we call “pantsers”—they write by the seat of their pants. A basic kernel of an idea is all they need to write. I have tried writing without an outline. My writing wanders around and sags in the middle unless I have a well-planned outline to follow.

Readers most likely don’t know whether the writer is a plotter or a pantser and probably don’t care. Certainly when I’m reading I only want the book to intrigue me and deliver a solid story. For us, the retreat helps us deliver the best books we can and turn them out faster than if we plotted on our own. The adult beverages probably enhance our ideas.

Writing is the best job ever!

PANTSERS, PLOTTERS AND PROCRASTINATORS

I have been blessed with wonderful critique partners. They have put up with my bad habit of dragging my feet when it comes to my work in progress. Yes, my name is Brenda and I am a procrastinator.

So many times, the plotter of my group has sat with me and gone chapter by chapter in plotting out a story. I've tried. Really, really tried. The problem is, my characters do things that have nothing to do with the plot. New characters pop up. A situation we never discussed  messes up my neatly plotted out grid.

The pantser (you notice I don't name names.) is fantastic at sitting down and pumping out a few thousand words every day. She doesn't worry about spelling, grammar or obsessing over making it perfect the first time.  Ok. I've tried that and came up with gibberish. Let's face it, she made a deal with the devil.

Then, there's little old me, the procrastinator. I have to mull over my characters' motivations, goals

and an interesting plot. I'm never satisfied with forging ahead and worrying about the technical stuff later.

How do other writers  do it? I never even know what my subject will be when working on this blog. Which is due tomorrow.

I've met other well established authors who never get out of pajamas and lock their office door for days. No distractions, no hesitation. I admire their dedication. Also hate them, but it works for them.

So, my work in  progress lingers on my aging computer waiting to be finished. My critique partners give me the stink eye and drum their fingers.

I'm working. Yeah, I know it looks like I'm malingering, but in my brain, the book is almost finished.

Plotter or Pantster? by Suzanne Rossi

Hello everybody.

Welcome back to my monthly contribution to Smart Girls Read Romance. I hope you all enjoy reading my entries as much as I love writing them.

When I first began writing I needed the structure of a plotted work. I'd start on the premise that I'd write a novel in twenty chapters. First on my agenda was a full outline of chapters one through three, then I'd mark my turning points. For those of you who don't know, turning points are when something dramatic happens to keep the reader turning those pages. It could be anything--a first kiss, a murder, finding a body, or a full-blown love scene. I tried to arrange them in the fifth, tenth, and fifteenth chapters. I'd then throw in the black moment--when all is lost and the relationship is doomed--somewhere around chapter seventeen. As soon as all these areas were marked, I'd begin writing, filling in the remaining chapters as I went along. 

Sounds reasonable, right?

Well, it was until I signed my first couple of contracts. Then things got complicated. Suddenly, I had obligations to my publisher, The Wild Rose Press. Time I usually spent writing was cut by the necessity of editing. I actually like the editing process. It allows me to make the book better. But in 2010, I had four books released. By the time New Year's came around, I was exhausted and my creativity plummeted. I began to fudge on that plotting thing.

I started writing the first three chapters cold, no plot, just characters and occurrences. Then I'd stop and make a list of what had to happen along the way. Later I'd assign chapter numbers to that list of events.

That worked well--for a while.

My creativity returned and I found myself embroiled in writing two books at once, The Reunion and Deadly Inheritance. The latter was my first experience at being a pantster--a writer who does little or no plotting, but allows the story to just go where it wants. In other words, writing by the seat of your pants. It was an eye-opening experience. My finished product was a one hundred-ten thousand word monster. It took me four months to edit the silly thing. I had repetitions galore and more useless narrative than you can imagine. I finally got it pared down to a reasonable length. The time spent on plotting was now used on self-editing. It was a push.

I discovered two things with that book. I wasn't a pantster. Nor did I have the luxury of time to plot like before. By necessity, I became a hybrid. Now, I let the characters and plot flow in the first couple of chapters, then stop to make a list of what has to happen in the story. Sometimes, the list has over a hundred items. Some I use. Others, which sounded like good ideas at the time, never see the light of day. I'm sure I'm not alone in this arena.

If you are contemplating becoming a writer, I would suggest trying all three methods. Eventually, you'll find one that works for you.

So far, 2015, has been almost as chaotic as that first year of 2010. My fourth book this year, The Good Twin, was released last Friday by The Wild Rose Press. Here's a little bit about the story and the cover.

A tormented young woman, Amy Wallace, responsible for her twin's death years before, now suspects her supposedly dead sister, Abby, is alive. A neighbor, attorney Jenny Devlin is enlisted by Amy's uncle to investigate if his niece is hallucinating. Jenny, along with another neighbor, author Brad Forrester, soon realize Abby may be very much alive and out for revenge. The more they uncover, the more they put themselves in the sights of a killer. Is Abby alive and seeking to claim her rights to a sizable trust? Can Jenny and Brad's relationship blossom into something permanent? And will Jenny and Brad be able to solve the puzzle before it's too late for them all to survive?

Have a great day and I'll see you all next month.

Suzanne

SOMETIMES, THE BEST PLOT IDEAS ARE CLOSER THAN YOU THINK

By Brenda Daniels

I've been enjoying a PBS show called Genealogy Roadshow. They travel all over the United States talking to various people who come to them with questions about their family history. Usually there is one relative who mysteriously disappeared or a family legend that sounds too fantastic to believe.

One family discovered an ancestor who was a ship captain and privateer in the early 1800's. He had skirmishes with the French and lost a ship to them. Having his ship stolen apparently made him mad enough to seek permission from the American government to become what was technically, a pirate. Essentially, the U. S. government granted him permission to act as a privateer. Any ship deemed an enemy could be attacked and their cargo seized. He was, apparently, a very successful one.

I personally have a great-great grandfather who was last seen leading some horses down a road. He disappeared, never to be heard from or found again. Our family periodically dreams up theories of what happened to him. I suspect he just decided to create a new life in another state. One theory has him stealing the horses and falling in with bad company.

There are so many stories in our own histories. Characters truly amazing and waiting for a writer to come along and bring them to life.

Have you based a character on an ancestor? Have you used an event from your family history as a plot in a story?

Sometimes, the best plot is the one buried deep in your family's story.

THE PLOT'S THE THING!

By Caroline Clemmons

Once upon a time, I attended a Story Magic workshop given by Robin Perini and Laura Baker. And that’s the real start of my romance writing career.

Although it’s been years now, I will never forget that day of the all-important workshop. I sat beside Sandra Crowley in the second row. A lot of my current besties were there: Geri Foster, Carra Copelin, Lyn Horner, Sylvia McDaniels, Kathy Shaw, yada, yada.

Why do I remember it so clearly?

I'd written news stories, but they're strictly facts. And they're written so that they can be shortened as needed without diluting the story's impact. This doesn't translate well to fiction, even though the training is invaluable.

When I first began writing fiction, I’d know how the story started, how it ended, and some of what happened in the middle. I’d go with that and start writing. And I’d have to cut a scene or a chapter because it didn’t fit (which wasted all the time I'd spent writing that part) or I’d get stuck and not know what came next. For the first book I wrote, I got to the end and learned that my story was too short. (See Kathy Shaw’s April 10 fun post “Help I’m Stuck In The Middle.”)

One day this miraculous, serendipitous, wonderful event happened and I attended the Story Magic workshop. You’ve heard people say a light bulb went on when they learned this or that. For me, a searchlight-sized spotlight went on over my head. What had been missing from my writing suddenly became clear. I needed to plan—to actually plot out my book from start to finish, including characters, back story, and what happened in each chapter, the good stuff, the bad stuff and why it happened. 

Who knew?

In the course of the day, Robin and Laura shared their secrets for plotting. Some who attended that day didn’t get it or didn’t like the concept. But I was on fire with enthusiasm. 

For me, the information was like being given the secret handshake to the Sisterhood of Successful Romance Writers. Arming with these tools empowered me. Now I had the method and could deal with my weaknesses and those of my characters.

Here I am eighteen titles and numerous anthologies and boxed sets later and I’m still using the Story Magic method to plot. Stick with what makes sense, right? Anytime I’ve tried to coast, I’ve gnashed teeth, wept, and had to go back and review. 

This stuff works for me. It works for numerous friends. We continue using this method to plot our books.

That’s why just an idea for a book is not enough. Writing takes lots of work over time. For some that's weeks, for others (like me) that's months. 

Sure, I love writing and can’t imagine doing anything else. I work to improve. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail. I work just as hard in either case. 

But I really, really want to please readers. I want you to love my babies! All writers want that. 

And we’ll be living and writing happily ever after—as long as you keep reading our books.

Evolution of a book: MUCH ADO ABOUT MINERS by Jacquie Rogers

Evolution of a Book

I’m in the final editing stages of Much Ado About Miners, the fourth book in the Hearts of Owyhee series. I have the cover, back cover copy (lame, but something to work with), and the copy edits back from my editor. So today, I thought I’d write about the process of creating a novel.

You don’t just write a book. That was probably the biggest surprise of all to me when I first started this gig. The story in your mind won’t always make sense. The scene you love the most rarely plays out the want you saw it. The post-draft stage is a lot of work, sort of like Heartbreak Hill in a marathon. And no one can tell you how to do it all—but I can tell you how this book came about.

First a caveat. Every time I think I know how to write a book, the next one is different. And now to the nitty gritty.

Idea

Every writer gets ideas in a unique way, and usually not the same way all the time. Do the characters come first, or the plot, or the world of the story? My answer: Yes. All come in one flash, then I have to winnow out the details. I get at least one character and a situation in the story world. Then it’s a matter of getting to know that character, who the other players are, and why they’re in that particular situation. And off we go on a new adventure.

Idea for Much Ado About Miners

Iris Gardner is held up again (same beginning as Much Ado About Marshals, only on the page this time), and shoots a man who was actually trying to help. This man is Kade McKinnon.

Most writers start too soon and have to chop off the first two chapters. I generally start too late and have to add the first chapter. So the scene in my vision is not generally the opening scene, although in this case it actually is. But wait—it’s not time to write yet!

Characters make the book

First I have to develop the characters, because there’s no point in writing a word if I don’t know how the players will react to a dilemma. Actually, it’s more a matter of getting acquainted than developing. When I first started writing, I’d pick and choose from a list of various physical, social, and psychological traits that would suit the story I had in mind. In the process, I buried the character that came with that first flash of an idea, then along about chapter three, things would come to a grinding halt. That’s because I was manipulating my characters to suit my idea of how things ought to go, so the characters couldn’t tell their story.

So how do I get acquainted? First, I figure out the year the hero (yes, the hero nearly always comes to me first) was born, because the economics and politics of his growing-up years provide a framework for his world viewpoint. Then, with my eyes closed, I channel the character’s thoughts as if he were writing his own autobiography. That’s how his voice comes to me, as well as a few surprises along the way that I’d never thought of. In the refining process, I learn about his family and their attitudes toward him, and maybe a few personality-defining events. And last, I figure out what body type would go along with all this, and sometimes that surprises me, too.

Characters in Much Ado About Miners

Iris Gardner, born in 1861, and raised in Virginia City, Nevada, before her parents moved to Oreana, Idaho Territory, where her sister’s book is set. Much Ado About Miners is a sequel to Much Ado About Marshals, where Iris shoots Cole Richards when she thinks he’s robbing the bank, and he ends up in Oreana where he’s mistaken for the new town marshal. So when creating Iris's backstory, I have to explain why a single woman, in the year 1885, wouldn’t be living with her family. It’s because she went to business school, and that’s where the bank owner met her and hired her. Iris’s parents agreed because there are no single men in Oreana, and Silver City offers ten to one odds, plus many miners are well-to-do.

Kade McKinnon, born in 1857, was also raised in Virginia City, so in a way, this is a reunion story, even though Iris left before courting age. Kade is a second son, always overshadowed by his perfect older brother, Bram. Kade didn’t do well in school but excelled in marksmanship, horseshoeing, and tactics. Women love him but he has never courted a respectable lady, and doesn’t intend to. His current business is Prospero Security Transport, specializing in armed escort of valuable shipments. He keeps that a secret, though, and is only known as a gunman.

Plot

Some writers plot each scene. I don’t—the first step is creating the story bones. It needs a beginning, a middle, and an ending. The beginning has to be life-changing. The middle has to be high action and in a romance, the two main characters should be in love even if they don’t admit it yet. And we know the ending is a Happily Ever After in a romance novel, but how that happens is a mystery. I write something down for the ending but not once in all the books I’ve written has it actually happened that way. Same for the dark moment, when all seems lost. Sometimes it seems so lost that I have no idea how I’m going to get my characters out of the mess.

Writing the book

This is a marathon. I start, and keep writing, and keep writing, and keep writing. Sometimes I worry that I’ll never have another original thought again. Most of my friends admit to this, and it happens to me at about page 75, and again around page 150. Writing can be a tough business and it’s hard to write humor when the author just got kicked in the teeth by a not-so-stellar review of another book, or low sales, or family tragedy. But you keep writing. And writing. This is the difference between authors and those who say they’re going to write a book someday.

Oh, the editor

If the editor doesn’t tweak me a bit, then she’s probably not digging deep enough to make the book the best it can be. In Miners, my editor has some issues that a western reader (she’s not) wouldn’t have. Now my dilemma is whether to water this thread down for a more general audience, or keep it as is. Are these editorial observations upsetting?  Not at all.  They used to annoy me, but now I realize that analyzing these things can’t hurt. Maybe I’ll make the changes, maybe I won’t, but most likely her comments will trigger something even better than either of us had thought of previously.

And speaking of editors—get one who’s qualified and experienced. I use Elizabeth Flynn, who has over thirty years of experience. She’s a genuine fur-lined editor, and she doesn’t charge any more than those who think they know grammar pretty well so they hang out their shingle.

Sleight of Heart

Book cover

So you don’t judge a book by its cover? Then why do you click on one thumbnail and not another on Amazon? Answer: because something about that particular cover draws you. While the writing is going on, we or our publisher has to get cover art. Mélange Publishing uses Stephen Walker. I use Dar Albert. Both are terrifically talented and do great work. Dar designed Much Ado About Miners, as she did all the Hearts of Owyhee books and Sleight of Heart. Deborah Macgillivray designed the cover for Down Home Ever Lovin’ Mule Blues.

Formatting

I told you that the work was only half done once you write The End. Then the edited, polished, and proofread manuscript has to be formatted for Kindle, print, Smashwords, and any other platform you want to market your book. Yes, they’re all different.  Yes, it all takes time.  No, you can't be writing another book while you're formatting.  Yes, you can hire it done, which is what I recommend.  No, I don't hire out—I format mine myself.  Yes, I should take my own advice.

Publicity

But wait! We’ve only begun, because while you’re editing the next book, starting a new book, there are hours and hours and hours of time spent on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, blogging, and even actual facetime events such as speaking and booksignings.  Paid advertising, whether the internet or print, takes time and money.  And so the cycle goes.

I heard once that the definition of an entrepreneur was someone who worked sixteen hours a day so he didn’t have to get an eight-hour-a-day job. That pretty much describes an author’s life. Not exactly glamorous, but I do enjoy working in my PJs.

Much Ado About Miners will be released soon, so stay tuned! Meantime, if you haven’t read the first three books in the series, here are the links.

Much Ado About Marshals

Much Ado About Madams

Much Ado About Mavericks

Jacquie Rogers

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Romancing The West *