Olivia Salter Romance Fiction Writer

The All Purpose Plot

2010-02-20T02:25:00.000-08:00

The basic plot work for most stories, novels and screenplays -- Here it is.

A sympathetic lead character has a desperate need for something -- knowledge, success, love, a solution, to avoid danger.
He or she makes an effort to reach success or achieve what he needs.
Every effort gets him farther from his goal or deeper into trouble. She doesn't screw up. It's just that every effort either creates or uncovers new obstacles.
Every new obstacle is larger than the last, and when he reaches the end, the last obstacle must seem insurmountable. It will require her most inventive choice to reach the desired goal.

BUT
When things look the blackest, he or she manages to get himself out of it through effort, intelligence and ingenuity.

Each scene and chapter should have this same kind of plot structure, but in the case of scenes and chapters, you have something left over -- a question unanswered, a problem to be solved, or a mystery that impels the reader to read on. One trick is to have several plot threads going at once.

One thing that I have observed in most books I read -- and I think it's a carryover from what is called "the screenplay paradigm" is that there is a major twist in the story about 1/3 of the way through and another 2/3 of the way through. Usually this is a surprise or shock -- the lead's friend is really her enemy, the man she is in love with is still married, the clock on the mantle is really a bomb ... and of course, you need your solution at the end. [Don't leave any questions unanswered.]

The Big Switch by Jack Bludis, not by Jack Burns. It's the first time he's using his true name on a piece. He wrote that he doesn't mind being known by both names, but if you look for The Big Switch at your local book store, check under the Bludis name. The Big Switch be available in July at bookstores, at Amazon and B&N on the net. (He'd prefer you to ask your local book stores about it before you buy it on the net.)

Articles on Writing Backstory

2009-09-10T20:40:00.000-07:00

Back Story: Too Much, Too Soon? By Cynthia VanRooy Ever have the experience of meeting someone at a party and within minutes you've heard about their three miscarriages, the ex-husband they left because of his drinking, the ...
Backstory Techniques By Cheryl Wright Show me an interesting character, and I immediately know the author has done her homework. Backstory will make or break a character. So exactly what is backsto...
Backstory Without Boredom By Corbette Doyle Original Publication Date in Love Notes: January 2002 Advice is cheap, especially for struggling novelists. Be a Point of View Purist. Minimize the use of italics. Do...
Backstory: BS is for ‘Back Story’ By Chris Lee Ramsden All your main characters have a back story that you should probably know inside out. However, your readers don't need to be exposed to all the excruciating de...
Backstory: How To Write Backstory Without Putting Your Reader To Sleep By Dwight V. Swain Backstory, or a character's past, is often necessary to explain a character's motivations. It can add insight on personality or create reader sympathy.However, you s...
BACKSTORY: Impact of Reading SFF By Darcy Pattison Many of my thoughts about backstory are shaped by the needs of fantasy and science fiction writing (sff) where the writer creates a world, complete with complex histor...
Backstory: The Backstory, Or: Just Where The Heck Does It All Start? By Steve Dempster If you have decided to write a novel, the story that exists within it extends way beyond the book itself. This 'backstory' is what helps give your book depth: ...
Backstory: Weaving It In Without Slowing the Pace By Winnie Griggs What is Backstory? Quite simply, it is everything that happened to your characters from their birth up until the point your story opens. So, by definition, all ba...

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Fiction Writing Articles

2008-09-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

Conflict Makes The Story by Cheryl St. John

No matter what writing topic I'm asked to address, I hang the most importance on characters. Conflict is drawn from characters. It's based on their goals, their ba...

CONFLICT: Basic Principles of Writing by Lajos Egri

Even people who know little about the mechanics of writing are bored by a static play, a play which has little conflict or spotty conflict. There are four types of conflict: foreshadowing, ...

Don't Pester The Editor By Alyice Edrich

As an editor, I can tell you that one of my BIGGEST pet peeves is when a writer "pesters" me every other day or once a week about his (or her) submission. I don't mind if it's a viable q...

Effectively Outlining Your Plot by Lee Masterson

Have you ever had an idea for a novel, and then just sat down and began writing without knowing exactly where the story was going? It happens to everyone at some point, but most people begin t...

Elements of Plot

Exposition: The introductory material which gives the setting, creates the tone, presents the characters, and presents other facts necessary to understanding the story. Foreshad...

Everything You Need to Know About Writing Successfully in Ten Minutes, by Stephen King

I. The First Introduction THAT'S RIGHT. I know it sounds like an ad for some sleazy writers' school, but I really am going to tell you everything you need to pursue a successful a...

Fiction Editing - Story Sense And Logic by Steve Dempster

Your story, be it novel, short story or novelette, is finished. Or is it? Before you send it to a publisher, check firstly that your story makes sense!Maybe you read my article about The Final ...

Getting Real About Getting Published by Penny C. Sansevieri

So you say you want to get published? Well, great! These days you have more options than ever to see your work in print. Whenever I teach at conferences I am always amazed at how many authors are ...

How to Start a Novel: The Willingness to be the Best and the Worst

Writing fiction is like allowing yourself to be the ugliest person in the room and the most beautiful person at the same time. The "beautiful" you swans into the party, garnering admiration, pr...

How To Write A Love Scene by G.D. Baum

The most critical lesson in writing a love scene is that it is similar to making love in the real world: when done well, it is messy, chaotic and somewhat animalistic. The civilized approach do...

How to Write a Novel: The Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson

Writing a novel is easy. Writing a good novel is hard. That's just life. If it were easy, we'd all be writing best-selling, prize-winning fiction. Frankly, there are a thousand different...

Location, Location, Location - Where to Set Your Stories for Best Effect - and Easier Writing!

When it comes to writing fiction, there are numerous advantages to creating a make-believe setting - whether it be a house, a street, a town or even a whole country. Not only do you n...

Make Conflict the Backbone of Your Story by Mervyn Love

Most types of story, whether short stories or novels, absolutely need that vital ingredient: the conflict. Preferably more than one. You may well have your characters all fleshed out and ready t...

Plotting Your Novel by Stella Cameron

We're choking on acronyms. We're knee deep in initials. We all have our particular set, maybe several sets, and I'm not talking about S. A. for Stella Alicia, or whatever your initials happen t...

Society Building: Developing Believable Backgrounds by Lee Killough

Most writers recognize the necessity of good worldbuilding in fantasy and science fiction. They understand they need to learn the geography of a foreign country for a spy thriller, and how, ...

The "Secret Romance Formula" Revealed! by Stephanie (Stevi) Mittman

For as long as I've been a writer of romance, I've heard comments about the formulaic nature of romance novels. After I became published, I began to hear the murmurs of the "secret formula" wh...

The Enneagram: A Power Tool for Screenwriters by Judith Searle

Experienced writers know that plot and character are like Siamese twins: if one is terminally diseased, the other is doomed. While a solid structure is essential to a good screenplay, it fails ...

The Structure of a Novel

"Dramas should be complete and whole in themselves, with a beginning, a middle and an end...with all the organic unity of a living creature." Aristotle The key to creating a nov...

The Three Acts: Major Turning Points by Alicia Rasley

A disclaimer: I'm just providing a sample set of turning points here-not a formula. These aren't engraved in marble. In fact, plenty of books don't even use a three-act structure. (Some h...

The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler

In the long run, one of the most influential books of the 20th century may turn out to be Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces. The ideas expressed in Campbell's book are h...

Write a Novel in a Month! by Lee Masterson

Three years ago a friend challenged me to turn a short story I had written into a complete novel. At the time, I remember laughing at her hysterically.Me? Write an entire novel? Where ...

Writing the Perfect Scene by Randy Ingermanson

Having trouble making the scenes in your novel work their magic? In this article, I'll show you how to write the "perfect" scene. Maybe you think it's impossible to write the perfect scen...

Concentrate On Conflict

2008-01-20T21:31:00.000-08:00

By Deborah S. Rossman

The development of conflict is perhaps the single most difficult task of the writer. It is also the most important.

Action in a story is defined by characters talking or moving, much like actors on a stage, but in order to feel written words come to life, a reader needs more. In a time when mass telecommunications have brought information to our fingertips with the flick of a switch, a reader expects excitement and entertainment in everything she reads. The conflict of the story is the avenue by which a writer can hook the reader and keep her turning pages.

A scene should always portray a struggle. It is used to reveal something interesting, important, or exciting that is happening, something which advances the plot of the story, usually by adding to the character's problems. It follows that the conflict of each scene is shown, not told, to the reader in a moment by moment sequence that imitates real life. (No summary allowed.)

The answer to writing conflict begins with the invention of characters. A good rule of thumb to follow is the old adage, opposites attract. When hero and heroine come from separate ends of the spectrum, struggle results from their differences.

The progression of each scene into conflict can be categorized into three steps.

Identify the character's goal: Just as a book should start by stating a character's goal, so should each scene begin by showing what the character wants to accomplish and why. There are several ways to do this. Direct dialogue is an excellent approach to introduce character, while at the same time showing his motivation and intent. Well written dialogue makes writing flow and brings a realism that simulates life's experiences. Another way to reveal goal is through character internalization. Using a single point of view, delve into the character's thoughts and show how he sees his world. The nature of the character enlightens the reader. This includes revealing prejudices, ignorance, and fears, and most importantly the character's purpose. The third and last way to reveal goal is to paraphrase in the opening line of the story. This brings the character's intent into the reader's mind immediately. Whichever method you choose, be sure that the goal is stated as soon as possible in a clear and concise form.

Present conflict: After the reader knows what the character wants to accomplish, drop the brick with the all important struggle. Provide conflict by placing an obstacle in the character's path. He can't reach his goal. So, creates the problem. And voila`, a scene is born. A word of caution here. Conflict is not to be confused with sexual tension. Rather, the struggle is intrinsic to the goal of the character, not just a hero trying to sleep with the heroine. Real conflict is further categorized into two kinds. Internal conflict is described as the inner struggle and usually deals with the character's emotions. It must be serious and deep. Examples include a heroine pining for the husband who never came home from the war, a heroine hiding the fact that the son she had born out of wedlock belongs to her brother's best friend. External conflict, on the other hand, is visible. It is defined as the influence from an outside force which threatens the character's life. Examples: a fire that destroys the heroine's home and subsequent threats on her life, a villain trying to kill the hero or heroine, a ghost held captive in an inn. Both types of conflict work together. A word of advice, however. Beware of trivial or unconvincing misunderstandings. Conflict must be believable and strong.

Culminate the action with a catastrophe: Once you have developed the struggle and brought the character into the depth of the conflict, pull out all the stops and impact the confrontation with a disaster. In other words, make things worse. The story moves forward by shoving the main character farther and farther away from his purpose. Like the black moment at the climax of a novel, each scene should present a major crisis, and that crisis must be directly related to the character's struggle within the scene. Equally important, remember that all conflict in a novel is tied in a progression to the character's ultimate goal. There's a reason for everything. How does the novel end? The poor hero gets a break and finally meets his goal. The conflict is resolved.

In any well-written novel, the struggle is what makes the writing exceptional. Tension brews while the character tries in vain to achieve his goal. And as tension builds, the pacing flows. The reader identifies with the character and feels sorry for her. Emotion is tapped, drawing the reader into the scene until the conclusion, keeping the book in her hand until the very last word.

Writing is anything but easy. An author puts her blood and sweat into her work, her time, her very soul. Perhaps, she might compare the well constructed conflict in a scene to her life as a writer. Good writing is the intent, getting there is the struggle, and there are always disasters along the road. But in the end, the writer who concentrates on creating conflict, studies the craft of writing, and works with diligence and without relent will meet her final goal.

Also see: What You Don't Know

LionHearted Publishing, Inc. http://www.lionhearted.com/

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The Appeal Of The Bad Boy Hero

2007-10-11T21:41:00.000-07:00

Alice Gaines Chambers

You’ve read him. You’ve loved him. Most of all, you’ve lusted after him. He’s the bad boy hero – a fixture in romance novels, especially ultra-sensual and/or erotic romances. What makes him so irresistible to readers?

For one thing, a bad boy knows how to make a woman feel good. He learned at an early age to question authority, especially when authority seemed bent on convincing him that whatever felt good had to be bad. This applied equally to fast cars, tall drinks, and long, slow lovemaking. As a result, when the well-behaved kids were at Student Council meetings, our bad boy hero was out behind the bleachers trying to persuade the captain of the cheerleading squad to say “yes.” In order to get what he wanted, he taught himself every little trick to winning female compliance. All those years of experience – from the moment he discovered the pleasures of the flesh right up until he encounters the heroine in the boardroom or the crowded roadhouse – makes him the consummate lover. The kind of man who can melt a woman with a look and then take her to heaven with his hands.

A lover of such super-human ability allows the heroine – and by extension, the reader – to relinquish personal responsibility for her own sexual behavior. After all, who could blame a woman for surrendering to the sweet persuasion of such a man? For me, this escape from responsibility is an important element in the fantasy necessary for ultra-sensual romance. No amount of reality should intrude to dampen the reader’s excitement, even in a contemporary story set in the “real” world. The bad boy hero not only allows the heroine to take a walk on the wild side; he compels her to.

We should note at this point that the bad boy hero is still a romantic hero. He does have a code of ethics, but it’s his own, not a set of rules imposed by the society around him. He very often has experienced injustice in his personal life, which led him to find his own path to right and wrong. Usually, his personal moral code includes protecting the less powerful around him, all the while stubbornly insisting he cares for nothing and no one. As Willie Nelson put it in a song, “his pride won’t let him do things to make you think he’s right.”

Much has been made in the past (let’s hope it’s not as true now) of women’s supposed rape fantasies. According to this thinking, women want to imagine themselves being forced to have sex. Critics of the romance genre, who normally don’t take the time to read a romance, have opined that our books foster fantasies of rape and submission. I believe it’s true that our fantasy life is enriched by some surrender of responsibility (see above). But readers don’t enjoy graphic depictions of violence and humiliation. Women’s so-called rape fantasies run more along the lines of the most delicious man in the world not taking “no” for an answer.

The bad boy hero can fill all these fantasies. Far from forcing sex on the heroine, his expertise allows him to arouse her to the point where refusal of her own pleasure isn’t an option. He can allow her to experience the forbidden but within a context where she’s not going to be brutalized or degraded.

There is real danger for the heroine, of course – that she’ll lose her heart to an uncontrollable man. But a truly strong woman is willing to take that chance in order to enjoy a larger-than-life sensual experience. And the reader is happy to take that dangerous journey with her.

About the author:
Alice Gaines Chambers writes humorous historical romance for Leisure and ultrasensual romance for Red Sage. She's the author of four full-length books and two novellas. A University of California, Berkeley Ph.D., Alice lives in Oakland, California with her husband of 22 years. When she's not caring for her garage-door-full of mounted orchids, she can be found in her garden with her best friend, pulling weeds and killing snails.

Visit Alice at: http://home.pacbell.net/halice/

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Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest

2007-10-11T21:26:00.000-07:00

Be the Next Breakthrough Author! Are you a writer longing to be discovered? Submit your manuscript for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. It's the perfect opportunity to become the next great novelist: the winning author will receive a publishing contract from Penguin Group, including promotional support for their book on Amazon.com, and a media suite from Hewlett-Packard. All entrants are eligible to self-publish their novel with CreateSpace and sell it on Amazon.com. Enter your manuscript for consideration by November 5, 2007!

Amazon.com contest site: Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest

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The Enneagram: A Power Tool for Screenwriters

2007-07-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

by Judith Searle

Experienced writers know that plot and character are like Siamese twins: if one is terminally diseased, the other is doomed. While a solid structure is essential to a good screenplay, it fails to guarantee characters whose behavior continually seems both inevitable and surprising.

The system of personality typing known as the Enneagram offers a powerful technical tool for developing original and dimensional characters. Familiarity with the nine basic types can help us sharpen conflicts between characters to make dramatic situations more compelling. Being aware of the connections between story genres and Enneagram types provides insights into why we are drawn to create thrillers, romantic comedies, science fiction or other kinds of stories.

THE NINE TYPES

The nine types are portraits of contrasting psychological attitudes, based on our habitual focus of attention and the fears that shape the ways we see the world:

* One (The Critic): principled, orderly, self-doubting, irritable. Ones fear being seen as evil or corrupt. (Example: Gregory Peck in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’)

* Two (The Lover): nurturing, seductive, emotional, proud. Twos fear being unloved and unappreciated. (Example: Susan Sarandon in ‘Dead Man Walking’)

* Three (The Achiever): energetic, practical, driven, vain. Threes fear being seen as losers or failures. (Example: Tom Cruise in ‘Jerry Maguire’\

* Four (The Aesthete): authentic, passionate, depressed, envious. Fours fear being seen as ordinary. (Example: Meryl Streep in ‘Out of Africa’)

* Five (The Analyst): observant, independent, cool, stingy. Fives fear being overwhelmed by others. (Example: Ralph Fiennes in ‘The English Patient’)

* Six (The Pessimist): loyal, authority conscious, suspicious, fearful. Sixes fear being unsupported by others. (Example: Sally Field in ‘Norma Rae’)

* Seven (The Optimist): enthusiastic, egalitarian, self-indulgent, dilettantish. Sevens fear being deprived and in pain. (Example: Andre Gregory in ‘My Dinner with Andre’)

* Eight (The Trail-Blazer): forceful, confrontative, excessive, vengeful. Eights fear being in a subordinate position. (Example: George C. Scott in ‘Patton’)

* Nine (The Connector): accepting, generous, distractible, indolent. Nines fear conflict and disharmony. (Example: Frances McDormand in ‘Fargo’)

Films and literature offer a vast panoply of examples that can be examined with the tools of the Enneagram to reveal the dynamics of character. Once we understand how this system works, we hold the key to a more sophisticated understanding of ourselves and others. In my workshops, where I teach the nine types, primarily through film and literary examples, I emphasize that each type may be heroic or villainous.

Great characters are recognizable Enneagram types. Blanche DuBois (a Four), Willy Lohman (a Three) and Mary Tyrone (a Nine) all show distinctive character arcs that are predictable under the Enneagram system. Star actors often give their greatest performances as characters whose Enneagram type is the same as their own: George C. Scott in ‘Patton’ (Eight), Susan Sarandon in ‘Dead Man Walking’ (Two) and Sally Field in ‘Norma Rae’ (Six), to name but a few obvious examples. Thus, writers creating a character with a particular star in mind would be well advised to pay attention to that actor's personal Enneagram type.

Judith Searle began studying the Enneagram after two friends in succession suggested that its breakdown of nine personality types could be a valuable tool for her acting, writing and teaching. Now, after years of study and use, she has compiled an amazing book, ‘The Literary Enneagram.’ which provides actors, writers, teachers and the world at large with groundbreaking tools for human understanding, using character examples from great literature, stage and the movies. She also teaches the workshop, Judith Searle's 'Great Movies, Great Books and The Enneagram.'

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Characteristics of the Medieval Romance

2007-07-03T19:06:00.000-07:00

by Loyola University New Orleans

A tale of High Adventure. Can be a religious crusade, a conquest for the knight's leige lord, or the rescue of a captive lady or any combination.

Characterized by:

1. Medieval romance usually idealizes chivalry
2. Medieval romance Idealizes the hero-knight and his noble deeds
3. An important element of the medieval romance is the knight's love for his lady.
4. The settings of medieval romance tend to be imaginary and vague.
5. Medieval romance derives mystery and suspense from supernatural elements.
6. Medieval romance uses concealed or disguised identity.
7. Repetition of the mystical number "3." (Repetitions of the number or multiples of 3)

Characteristics of the Hero-Knight

1. Birth of a great hero is shrouded in mystery
2. He is reared away from his true home in ignorance of his real parents.
3. For a time his true identity is unknown
4. After meeting an extraordinary challenge, he claims his right
5. His triumph benefits his nation or group.

Point out to the students that Arthur himself is a Hero Knight and the events surrounding his rise to power as King is a Medieval Romance. "The Tale of Sir Gareth" is an excellent example of the Medieval Romance because it contains all elements. (Some romances do not contain all elements).

Also point out that this genre is still exciting for people today. The new interest in Stars Wars is wonderful because the first trilogy (Episodes 4-6) is a perfect contemporary Medieval romance. George Lucas explains how and why he chose this form in TLC's Great Book Series film, "Le Morte D'Arthur: The Legend of the King." That video is an excellent resource. Also there is room for a great discussion about other film, comic book or literary figures (Superman, Batman, Conan and with a stretch-- Indiana Jones). The students really enjoy this discussion because they see the tales in a different light and enjoy understanding another connection between people in the Middle Ages and now. People are people and a terrific adventure is always going to be welcomed.

Copyright © Loyola University New Orleans

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The Elinor Glyn System Of Short Story Writing

2007-07-03T18:54:00.000-07:00

( Originally Published 1922 )

This FREE book is in e-book FORMAT.
Page Summary:

What Knowledge Must I Have To Succeed?
Getting Acquainted With Your Ideas
Becoming Interested In Yourself
Qualities Of Mind You Should Encourage
The Theme Of Your Story
Point Of View
Characters And Characterization
Building The Plot
Excercise In Plot Building
More Articles About Writing

Short Stories - What Knowledge Must I Have To Succeed?
The Continuity, Or Scenario
Characters In The Photoplay
Setting In The Photoplay
The Photoplay Title
The Photoplay Stage
What To Write About
Things You Should Not Write About
Writing Comedy
The Writer, His Methods
Why Manuscripts Are Rejected
How Successful Writers Sell Their Manuscripts
How To Merit Success
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"Every one of the great writers and playwrights you have ever read about or heard of--everyone of them had to begin at a weak starting point. Every one of them was uncertain at the outset. Every one of them had to overcome his or her doubts or misgivings…When they started many didn't really know what they COULD do. The wonderful part about literary ability is that we do not know how much of it we have in us. Then, by persistency, by patient development, by proper guidance, we may some day bloom forth all of a sudden and surprise even ourselves!" ~ Elinor Glyn

Great for all writers.

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Conflict and Resolution in the Romance Novel

2007-04-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

by Linda Shertzer

Creating a good conflict in a romance is only one side of the writing dilemma. The other, equally important side is: how does one resolve that conflict?

The conflict must be one that, by the potential for action and emotional drama that it promises, will immediately draw the reader into the story. On the practical side, it must also be sustainable through approximately 90,000 words.

It must define the personal characteristics of the hero and heroine. He or she must be the kind of person who would become involved in such a conflict, and on a particular side of that conflict. Or, if they are thrust unwillingly into the conflict, it will define their personal growth through its resolution. The conflict defines the relationship between them as friends, as antagonists, and as lovers. It can also define their relationship to secondary characters.

Most important of all, the conflict must be one that is able to be resolved in a way that is both the logical outcome of all events, and is also satisfying to the characters involved as well as to the reader.

One often-heard suggestion on how to create sustainable conflict has been to place the hero and heroine on diametrically opposed sides of a major social or political event. These are situations that hold the potential for a great deal of emotional turmoil, as well as lots of action, which can enhance the escalating sexual tension necessary in a romance. At first glance, this sounds like a good idea.

However, your job as an author is not only to create the conflict and the tension, but also to resolve it. This is especially important in a romance novel, where your reader expects the hero and heroine to form a lasting, loving relationship. You, as the author, must never disappoint your reader!

If the goals of your hero and heroine are completely opposite, as you resolve the plot, one must win and one must lose. If the heroine wins, the hero turns into a wimp. No one wants a wimpy hero! If the hero wins, your story has turned into just another tale of how the masterful male overcomes the ditzy weakling, and outdated, female. What we are left with is basically a No-Win Situation with lots of room for resentment on both sides. The capacity to forgive and forget set aside, your "losing" character may seem less of a person if they are willing to relinquish a long-cherished, firmly-held dream to be totally subsumed in a relationship. The No-Win Situation may be the logical resolution of the conflict, but it may not be the emotionally satisfying conclusion your reader expects and deserves.

For me, the best plots make the hero's and the heroine's goals the same. Sounds silly. Sounds impossible! If they're both working toward the same goal, where's the striving? Where's the conflict?

In reality, there are two types of conflict: the apparent conflict and the underlying conflict. The apparent conflict is loud and showy, and starts your novel off with a bang. It seems irresolvable. It may eventually be resolvable, but the solution lies beyond the control of your hero and heroine, as in the outcome of a battle or natural disaster. As devastating as it may seem, it may be of relatively minor importance in the actual relationship between hero and heroine. The underlying conflict gradually makes itself shown through the unfolding story. This conflict is what is really important to the continuing relationship of your hero and heroine, and is resolvable. Not easily resolvable, I'll grant you, but there is a solution.

In setting out the apparent conflict of your novel, you must always keep in mind the underlying conflict. Just as the romantic relationship develops, the underlying conflict must be revealed bit by bit. In the apparent conflict lie the seeds for the resolution of the underlying conflict.

If he's a Yankee soldier and she's a rebel spy, their goals aren't the same, surely. There is little chance for their happiness beyond what the actual historic resolution and the passage of time will allow. But their basic goal is the same — a yearning for safety, justice, and peace. Their underlying goal must not be in conflict, but in concert. The best method to use to obtain their goal is what must be in strong conflict. As they go about achieving their underlying goals, they must eventually come to realize that these goals are actually the same goal approached from two diametrically opposed angles. Therein lies the opportunity for compromise, to see the other person's goal through their eyes and in so doing, to become one with that person. This, in turn, is the key to their romance.

In Home Fires, my first Americana historical from Berkley, my hero, Ben Cameron, wants to keep his orphaned niece Meggie with him on the farm. My heroine, Emily Shaw, wants to take her late brother's child to her home back East, where she'll enjoy all the benefits the family fortune and social class can provide. The methods of obtaining their goals are in direct conflict, with the potential resolution that these people will never see each other again.

But Ben and Emily's basic goal is the same. They both want to provide a good home for the child — which can be resolved in a way that nobody loses.

In a romance, the good guys (all of them) should always win.

Linda Shertzer has written 20 historical romance novels under her own name, as well as under the pseudonym Linda Kreisel, including Regency Romances as Melinda Pryce. She has served as a judge in both local and national level romance writers contests. She is the past president of two local writers associations, and a founding member of a third organization. She has a Masters Degree in Historical Studies. She also teaches creative writing at the local community college.

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Essence Of Character - Seven Steps To Creating Characters That Write Themselves

2007-04-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

by Corey Blake

Creating characters that are believable takes time and discipline. Creating dynamically real individuals and not imposing your own thoughts and impressions upon them is not easy to do, and is often the difference between a novel or screenplay that sits in a closet and one that finds its way around town and into the hands of audiences. Spending your time building your characters before they enter the world of your story makes the process of writing an easier and more enjoyable ride, and creates a finished product that agents, publishers, producers and readers can truly be excited by.

You must first agree to operate from the understanding that the three-dimensionality of your characters is not created magically. Talent equals discipline multiplied by time and you must practice (daily) the art of developing your characters. As a development executive with LA Film Lab Entertainment (a literary development and production company), I have developed a framework to assist you in creating rich and complex characters. The complexity that you desire comes through 1) labeling their desire essences, 2) labeling their fear essences, 3) getting specific about their past, 4) labeling their behavior, 5) raising their stakes, 6) not meddling in their lives, and 7) letting them play. Asking provoking questions in line with these steps, answering them thoroughly, and then repeating the process, provides constant individual growth in your characters that mirrors life. Now let's take each step in turn:

1. Label the Desire Essences of each of your main characters: The first key to deepening your work is finding the major motivators in the lives of your characters that drive their actions. We all have deep aspirations that drive our choices, our thoughts, our actions and reactions. These needs are what differentiate us from one another and we will refer to them as "Desire Essences." Some examples of DESIRE ESSENCES are: the desire to be intellectually brilliant; the desire to be socially famous; the desire to hide from the world; the desire to belong to a group; the desire to be loved; the desire to party; the desire to die.

2. Label the Fear Essences of each of your main characters: What is at the root of each of your characters' darker sides? For every desire they have they should also exhibit the antithetical fear of failing at that desire. These fears will battle their aspirations for control over their behavior. Labeling and understanding the darker sides of your characters is imperative to creating the dimensional and imperfect characters you are after. Some examples of FEAR ESSENCES are: the fear of being stupid; the fear of being ordinary; the fear of being socially exposed; the fear of being rejected by a group; the fear of being loathed; the fear of being boring; the fear of having to face life.

3. Get specific with your Backstory: Human behavior is made up of a string of moments and reactions to those moments. A character's current behavior is a battle between fear and desire and their immediate choices are made based on very specific (yet unconscious) experiences from their past - experiences that leave imprints much like DNA. Though your characters should be unconscious of these past experiences that are influencing them, you the writer must create these in your preparation of their backstory be fully aware of them. Here is an example of what won't benefit you vs. what will when getting specific with backstory:

Bad example of getting specific: Rachel is a pretty girl who thinks she is unattractive. She prefers to live in her books as opposed to being with friends or family. Her father has abused her sexually throughout her youth. She hates attention.

Better example of getting specific: On her graduation day, at a party her Mother is throwing for her, Rachel's sexually abusive father shows up drunk and congratulates her, hugging her too closely, grabbing her rear end with both hands, and calling her pretty in front of a room full of her friends and family. She runs away humiliated and hides in her room, escaping into one of her fantasy books. That night she moves out to stay with a friend and doesn't tell her friends where she is going. Two weeks later she finds out through another friend that her father died in a car accident. He had been drunk.

In the better example of getting specific, the reader can have a visceral reaction to the words. This is caused by the detail. The generality of the bad reaction is logical, but lifeless. In the better example it is easy to determine what the essences of our leading lady might be: desire to hide, maybe even desire to die, desire to live in her books, desire to be valued for her intellect instead of her body, fear of loneliness, fear of her appearance, fear of the opposite sex, fear of losing a loved one, fear of being abandoned.

4. Describe their Current Behavior: Take the essences and the specific examples you have now created and determine what kind of behavior your characters might exhibit as a result. Don't limit yourself with these, but rather excite yourself with the possibilities.

Simple examples from our leading lady - a woman who: hides her body; avoids friends from her past; mistrusts anyone who comments favorably on her appearance; desires to control her education and her intellect; avoids alcohol.

5. Raise the stakes: Emotions are extreme. Play in the realm of this extreme when dealing with the fears and ambitions of your characters. These essences are all encompassing; meaning that we spend our lifetimes with them. Don't cheat your characters by being afraid to raise the stakes as high as you can. Needing to find a precious stone to sell to an art dealer by midnight to raise the financing to save your character's mother's house before the bank takes it away from her tomorrow is exciting! Look back at your own life and think of how seriously you take your essences - when your essences are threatened will you fight to extremes to defend them, just as when they are fulfilled, do you enjoy some of your greatest moments in life? Play in the realm of the extreme. Raise the stakes. Your essences are life and death to you - let them be that way to your characters.

6. Don't meddle: Of course you might be saying to yourself, "How do I not meddle - I'm the writer!" But a truthful story is going to grow from your willingness to let your characters make their own decisions based on how you have defined them (which after these exercises will be in great depth). As their parent, you have to let your children go; this is the point at which your story truly begins. DO NOT MEDDLE IN THEIR LIVES. Continually remind yourself - it's not about you. You just serve the story. Let your characters make their own decisions. If you ever find yourself not knowing what decision they might make - question your homework and rework their essences, behaviors and stakes until their choice becomes obvious.

7. Let your characters play: Once you have developed several characters by labeling their essences, getting specific, defining their behavior, and raising the stakes, you are ready to begin to let them interact. It's like the first day at a new school; ripe with possibility. When properly developed, there is no way to predict how your characters will behave in any given situation, but they are so full of life and their own agendas that they are ready to interact with other characters who have been developed to the same level. If you have done the work to get to this place - this is where your characters will begin to write themselves.

Follow these steps to create the richer characters you want to be writing.

Find the Essences:

To find the essences of your characters, you have to look to their history and their genetics. Just like real people, your characters' current behavior is defined by their DNA combined with experiences you create in their past. We all have the basic fears and ambitions of survival, shelter, and food, so when working on these essences focus on the ones that really drive each character. Consider ethnicity, religious beliefs, and major life events. Address sex, drugs, music, parents, siblings, education, appearance and intelligence for sure.

Start by writing out twenty DESIRE ESSENCES that feel right for each main character. Then determine one polar opposite of each DESIRE to create your twenty FEAR ESSENCES. Go back and toss the ones that you now feel less attached to. Repeat and refine the process until you have at least ten of each for each character that really excite you.

Get specific about Backstory:

Get specific about how your character's essences have come to be. Create definitive moments in your characters' lives that detail when these fears and desires were initiated. Come up with five supporting examples of moments in their lives when each of these essences was tested and eventually vindicated in the name of the fear or in the name of the desire. Failure vindicates the fear and success vindicates the desire. Write at least one half page of text supporting each -Yes that will give you a total of twenty-five pages of essence work.

Do the work.10 Essences (a desire and a fear for each) x 5 samples for each = 50 descriptions (each a half page)

Label the Current Behavior:

Using their essences and their specific past, come up with ten sample behaviors for each character. Simple example: a character who has a desire to hide and a fear of being publicly humiliated, has a specific past incident of continually having their pants pulled down in public by a sibling. The current behavior - they might always wear a belt, or might always look behind themselves in a very specific attempt to never be humiliated again.

Raise the stakes:

After looking over your newly created examples, it should be easy to determine some issues that might be going on in their lives that would increase or decrease their stress. A decrease in stress generally excites people to take greater chances, while an increase in stress tends to shorten people's fuses.

List five possible increases or decreases in your characters stress level.

Don't meddle and let them play:

Now put two of your fully developed characters into the same room. Implement two or three increases in stress to one character and two or three decreases in stress to the other character and let them bounce off of one another. Go into this exercise with no preconceived notions of what might happen. If you have done your homework, they should affect one another.*

*If you need a jumpstart - add an element that one needs from the other and give the other a strong reason for not wanting to provide what that character needs. Could be tangible or emotional.

Corey Blake is President of Writers of the Round Table Inc. (http://www.writersoftheroundtable.com/) a literary development and author management company. Corey consults and contributes writing to best-selling authors, leadership coaches and business executives. This article first appeared in Writer Mag.

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Character-Driven or Action-Driven?

2007-04-01T00:40:00.000-07:00

by Martha Alderson, M.A.

Most writers have a preference for one style of writing over another. Some writers are more adept at developing complex, interesting, and quirky characters. Others excel at page-turning action. The lucky ones are writers who are good at creating both the Character Emotional Development plotline and the Dramatic Action plotline. Become aware of your strength and learn to address your weakness, and you, too, can become one of the lucky ones.

Broadly speaking, writers who prefer writing action-driven stories focus on logical thinking, rational analysis, and accuracy. Action-driven writers tend to rely more on the left side of their brain. These writers approach writing as a linear function and see the story in its parts. Action-driven writers like structure. They usually pre-plot or create an outline before writing. Action-driven writers have little trouble expressing themselves in words.

On the other hand, writers who write character-driven stories tend to focus on aesthetics and feelings, creativity and imagination. These writers access the right side of their brains and enjoy playing with the beauty of language. They are more intuitive, and like to work things out on the page. Character-driven writers are holistic and subjective. They can synthesize new information, but are somewhat (or more) disorganized and random. They see the story as the whole. Right brain writers may know what they mean, but often have trouble finding the right words.

The Test

Take the test to see whether you are stronger at developing Character Emotional Development plotlines or Dramatic Action plotlines.

Fill in the Character Emotional Development Plot Profile below for your protagonist (the character who is most changed by the dramatic action), any other major viewpoint characters and, if there is one, the character who represents the major antagonist for the protagonist.

1) Protagonist’s overall story goal:
2) What stands in his/her way of achieving this goal:
3) What does he/she stand to lose, if not successful:
4) Flaw or greatest fault:
5) Greatest strength:
6) Hates:
7) Loves:
8) Fear:
9) Secret:
10) Dream:

Results

1) Writers who filled out 1-3 with ease prefer writing Dramatic Action.
2) Writers who filled in 4- 10 with ease prefer Character Emotional Development.
3) Writers who filled in everything with ease find both the Dramatic Action and the Character Emotional Development plotlines come easy.

Analysis

Without a firm understanding of points 1-3, you have no front story. The Dramatic Action plotline is what gets the reader turning the pages. Without it there is no excitement on the page.

Without a firm understanding of points 4-10, you are more likely to line up the action pieces of your story, arrange them in a logical order and then draw conclusions. Yet, no matter how exciting the action, this presentation lacks the human element. Such an omission increases your chances of losing your audience’s interest; readers read 70% for character.

Plot Tips for Dramatic Action Plot Writers to Strengthen the Character Emotional Development Plotline

1) Try using your own flaw, fear, and/or Secret – we all have them.
2) What you filled out for #4-10 of the Character Emotional Development Profile is a mere skimming of the surface, like the first draft of any story. Even so, tack it up next to your computer. Over time, as you continue writing and come to know your characters better, the information will deepen. The longer you work, the deeper you will dig, the more significant your story will become.
3) Look for opportunities to incorporate more patterning, metaphors, and analogies into your writing.
4) Look for opportunities to role-play and use visual aides.
5) Stop writing periodically and move your body during your writing time.
6) Reread the information above that covers the less dominant side of your writing.
7) Writers with a strength in creating Dramatic Action usually think in sequence and are list makers. Since you have no trouble processing symbols, you actually enjoy making an advanced plan on a linear form such as a Plot Planner.
8) After plotting out the Dramatic Action, use a different color pen and plot out a Character Emotional Development plotline. To create logical conclusions, look for clues as to how the dramatic action causes changes in the character emotional development.

For Character Emotional Development Plot Writers to Strengthen the Dramatic Action Plotline

1) Use goals of your own and insert them into the context of the story – to finish, what? To organize, what? To accomplish, what?

2) Writers who write about Character Emotional Development have a more random writing style and rebel at anything as structured as a Scene Tracker or Plot Planner. Yet, because you like things concrete and benefit from seeing, feeling, or touching the real object, you keep coming back to the idea of developing a Plot Planner. You know intuitively that a plan will keep you on track and help you survive to the end of a completed project

3) Because the right side of the brain is color sensitive, use one color to plot out the Character Emotional Development scenes and use a different color to show the Dramatic Action, and yet another to show the Thematic Significance.

4) Schedule a walk during your writing time and set the timer. Imagine yourself plotting out your scenes in sequence. The act of seeing yourself plotting will help you actually do it.

5) Start with the Climax of your story, and work backwards. Using your intuition, pay attention to coherence and meaning. Link Dramatic Action to the changes in your characters emotional development.

6) Since you like to back up everything visually, hang a Plot Planner and/or Scene Tracker on a wall near your computer. These will help you remember the sequence of your story as you rewrite and rewrite until your story shows the meaning you want it to convey.

These are just some of the differences that exist between character-driven writers and action-driven writers, but you can see the pattern. Writers who lean more toward creating the Character Emotional Development plotline now know you can be flexible and adapt the Plot Planner to make such a structured approach work for you. Likewise, those of you who are predominantly left-brain know that it would be wise to use both sides of the brain and employ some right brain strategies.

We tend to process and use information from our dominant side. However, the writing process is enhanced when both sides of the brain participate in a balanced manner.

Martha Alderson, M.A. is the author of BLOCKBUSTER PLOTS Pure & Simple. She is a teacher, a plot consultant, a speaker and an award-winning writer of historical fiction. She has taught plot and scene development and historical novel writing and she writes a plot column for The Bulletin, The Voice of the California Writers Club and has written for Writers Digest Magazine. Martha is available workshops and plot consultations at martha@blockbusterplots.com.

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Romance Writing I - The Basics

2007-03-31T06:35:00.000-07:00

Gotham Writers' Workshop

The passion for romance novels can be counted in several ways. In terms of sales, romance accounts for more than half of all fiction paperback book sales in America. More than 55 million readers laugh and cry their way through the 2,000 plus romance novels published each year.

To write successful romance novels, you must marry the skills of a fiction writer with a thorough understanding of the genre. In this course, you will learn about the various types of romance novels and their special requirements. With an accomplished romance author as your guide, you will also learn essential fiction craft elements and where to market your work.

Romance Writing I is for beginners or anyone who wants to brush up on The Basics.

Highlights

10 Week Online Course
Write a novella or two novel chapters
Weekly writing exercises
Lectures on fundamental concepts
Present work for critique

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Conflict - How To Keep Your Readers Turning Pages

2007-03-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

by Marg McAlister

Some writers are just too kind.

They hate to put their characters under any kind of pressure. They hate to see them losing, or struggling to survive. That's quite understandable - after all, they've become friends with these people. They're cheering for them. They want them to win through!

Now wait a moment. Wa..a..i..t.

It's your readers who are supposed to be cheering your characters on. It's your readers who want things to turn out for them. And it's your readers that you have to make suffer - because if you do, they won't be able to resist turning the page to see what happens next. They'll feel bad for your characters... heck, they may even shed a tear or two... but they will keep turning pages. They have to. They need to know how this all turns out!

Conflict is the engine of your story. It keeps the wheels turning; it keeps the characters moving. Take away conflict, and what have you got? A cheerful little afternoon tea-party, that's what. And like all afternoon tea parties... it can get a little boring. A few cream cakes and a few hours of conversation, and you've had enough. You want to go home.

At all costs, you must prevent your readers from packing up and going home. Or more accurately - to close the book that represents the cozy (but boring) tea party. Here are a few tips on building and sustaining conflict in your story.

1. Think "Drama"

In one corner of a restaurant you have a happy couple, gazing into each other's eyes. They're smiling. They're happy. In the another corner you have couple No. 2. Their body language is enough to tell anyone that there's trouble brewing. At first, they argue in low voices. Then things start to escalate. Their voices start to rise, and it ends when she throws wine in his face, sends her chair flying back, and storms out.

Which couple is attracting all the attention?

No contest! Naturally, it's the one involved in all that DRAMA. We're all drawn to conflict. We wonder about the reasons for it. We're eager to hear about the outcome. We HAVE TO KNOW MORE.

Give your readers drama, and you can be sure they'll keep coming back for more.

2. Portray Strong Emotions

If you don't allow your characters to experience emotion - and to show their emotion - then you're losing readers. One of the chief reasons that editors give for rejecting a novel is "lack of emotional punch". By making sure that you let your characters experience a full range of emotions, you are dramatically increasing your chances of acceptance.

In any one day, we all go through a whole lot of emotions. We're happy. We're sad. We're gloomy. We're ecstatic. We're jealous or envious or embarrassed.

Make a point of getting into your viewpoint character's skin. Become that character. First, imagine your character's appearance. Then climb inside. Look out through this person's eyes. See what she sees; hear what she hears; feel what she feels. And share those emotions with the reader.

If your viewpoint character is engaged in a conversation, make sure you give the reader more than talking heads by filtering everything through your character's emotions. We should 'hear' her thoughts; feel her embarrassment; experience her heart- wrenching fear. Emotions make your story live.

3. Pull the Thread Tighter

Once you have the reader tangled in drama and strong emotions, carefully pull the thread tighter. This is called 'get the heroine up the tree and then throw stones at her'. Or 'have him hanging on the edge of the cliff by his fingernails, then put a pack of wolves below him'. Just when it seems that things can't get any worse - make them worse! It's always possible.

Always think: "How can I raise the stakes? How can I make things really bad for my character? How can I add a twist that she's not expecting - just when she thinks everything is about to turn out all right after all?"

You can't have the tension turned up to "10" all the time, of course. If you do that, readers become accustomed to all the drama and it fails to have an effect. So give your characters time to wind down and plan their next move. Shift to a different point of view for a scene or two, while your main character is left in a precarious situation.

This lets the reader relax for a while - and the ensuing conflict when things go wrong (yet again!) is all the more powerful. But never let that thread slacken too much. Even when there's a lull, leave the reader on edge, knowing that things aren't settled yet! Gently, gently... keep stretching the tension... keep building the conflict.

Your readers just won't be able to help coming back for more.

(c) copyright Marg McAlister

Marg McAlister has published magazine articles, short stories, books for children, ezines, promotional material, sales letters and web content. She has written 5 distance education courses on writing, and her online help for writers is popular all over the world. Sign up for her regular writers' tipsheet at http://writing4success.com/

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Learn how to reach your personal and professional writing goals with these books.

2007-02-02T19:25:00.000-08:00

Improve Your Writing Holly Lisle’s Character Clinic is fabulous. It’s a must for any writer.

How to create and write better, more compelling fictional characters. Features examples, exercises, charts, techniques and more.

PBW’s Way of the Cheetah! Another must-have.

USA Today bestselling multi-genre author Lynn Viehl has spent years teaching other writers how to take maximum advantage of their writing time through online classes, Think Tank chat sessions and weblog discussions.

Now with Way of the Cheetah , Lynn takes you with her step-by-step through her personal writing process, and shows you how to become a more productive writer by discussing strategies and offering her own methods to remove doubt and hesitation, take care of what's important to the writing process, and discard things that block or inhibit a writer.
Some of the topics and methods from Way of the Cheetah:

Proper Motivation
Sharpening Focus
Establishing Self-Discipline
Creating the Ideal Work Space
Writing Through the First Draft
Efficient and Effective Editing

Follow the steps along Lynn Viehl's Way of the Cheetah, and you can create the ideal physical and mental environment to write better, faster, and with more marketable results.

The Two-Year Novel Course, Book 1

This comprehensive, sane, and fun writing course is the answer to the question "How do I write a novel?"--from coming up with ideas all the way through to publication. Gifford, a writer, editor, and associate publisher, and the owner of the Forward Motion Writers' Community, guides you one logical step at a time through every step of writing your novel...Gifford makes sure you'll never need to ask the dreaded question "What do I do now?"

The Two-Year Novel Course, Book 2

Completing your first draft
Plotting
Getting unstuck
Endings
The second draft
Final edits
Submission

2YN: The Two-Year Novel Course by Lazette Gifford

Write Better, Sell Better, Make Your Dream A Reality

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Quote Of The Day 11/08/06 (Exposition)

2006-11-08T15:54:00.000-08:00

"Exposition is the background material a reader needs to know for the story to move forward. In "Little Red Riding Hood," we need to know that our main character is a girl on her way to visit her ill grandmother, who lives in the woods. We also need to know that this girl is young and innocent, and so might be given to speaking to strangers, such as cunning wolves, who are hanging out in the woods. In the story of Adam and Eve, we need to know that our main characters are a man and a woman who live in a garden, that they are the first man and woman who ever lived, and that they have been told not to touch the fruit of a certain tree. In the Dickens story "A Christmas Carol," we need to know that our main character Scrooge is a callous, penny-pinching boss, a man old enough to be set in his ways, and that it is Christmas time. Once this background information is established for each of these three stories, they can proceed."

— Rachel Simon

More Quotations

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