Falling into ideas

Ten years later, I look back at this post with fondness and a little chuckle...maybe even a ha-ha! (You'll get it when you read it.) And yes, perhaps a bit of nostalgia. I've fallen into many ideas since then, but perhaps not as many as I would have predicted back then. Why not? The caution to "watch your step" that comes with growing older? That may seem possible when you read the reflections of this "young" college student, but I was in my mid-forties at that time, which makes me now...well, never mind. 

The advice imparted though, I think, is sound. Embrace the ordinary and turn it into the extraordinary! 

***

Did you know...a landscape feature that is a deep trench abutting a wall is called a Ha-Ha?  I didn't know that, but I read about these "sunken fences" recently in this wonderful blog post at the site Jane Austen's World: Maintaining the grounds of a landed British estate.  Apparently, as the post informs, it is so-named "because, as the myth goes, this landscape feature was so well hidden that an unsuspecting visitor would blurt out “ha-ha!” before falling into the trench." 

Hmm.  Really?  That's what he (or she) would say?  Oh, I think not.  I imagine I would say something other than "ha-ha!" if I fell into a trench!  In fact, I know exactly what would be said because...well, trust me, I just know.  Not only can I identify with that "unsuspecting visitor," I am that walking (and then not!) disaster who would fall into a trench. 

All Things New

New characters with new names. New settings and plots and the chance to pick and choose from all your favorite things. Or maybe it's time now to look at your bucket list. Now's your chance. You're beginning a new novel and the possibilities are wide open. 

 But sometimes, it isn't easy to see the joy of all things new. For years, my new projects revolved around a series, which meant there was a continuation of the same idea. Or at least there was a jumping off point, such as knowing the next story is for a secondary character, which meant the world in which they lived and the people they knew had a certain continuity. So when what felt like a lifetime project ended, it took me months to find and commit to a new idea. It meant I really wasn't writing at all. 

It really was a struggle, which also explains my long gap between blog posts. You can see where I was in my head by the titles of a couple of my last posts after finishing the last book of my series. No, not the couple of rebooted posts from my draft archive, but a bit further back. In After the Big Finish: Bargaining with the Muse, written November 2019, I believe I explained the absence of my Muse with the suspicion she had stayed in that world I left behind. And in Let It Burn, written in May 2020, I had apparently reconciled myself to the writing drought and was in purge mode, discarding the old and on the search of "anything useful for the future." And yes, my mood was influenced by the big real life transition to being an empty nester. 

Thankfully, a year later, I can report I got through both transitions; the empty nest one and the writing one. In fact, just a few days ago, I submitted a story to Harlequin. Yes, I submitted to a publisher and am not self-publishing this one. It's also a departure from my usual, a contemporary runaway bride kind of story, with not a fantasy, time-travel or paranormal element to be found. But it's a romance, of course! So stay tuned for hopefully great news coming soon -- or rather, in the 12-14 weeks estimated for a reply!

And now, believe it or not, I'm back to that crazy point of brainstorming all things new for the next story. And, I'm thrilled to say I already have a new idea taking hold. I won't say what it is, because I am a bit of believer in not talking away your fire for an idea, but the point is it came easier. I think it helps now, if not then, that I set out to do a few things with the last project that seemed outside my wheelhouse:

1. Write a story without the "frills" of paranormal elements (not a bad thing, but could I do it?)
2. Check off an item from my bucket list, which is to write and submit a Harlequin novel (no, not defecting from the merits of self-publishing, but could I do it?), and
3. Write a stand-alone novel. (Yep, you guessed it...could I do it?)

It may seem like setting limits, but shaking things up and truly striving for something different from what I'd done seemed to be what I needed to do, maybe like putting out the welcome mat for an open house -- well, make that a brand new house.

Of course, I'm not under any illusions my troubles are over. If there's one thing I discovered, it's that I apparently have a hard time thinking outside the box of my universe. For instance, in my brainstorming to think up character names, my brain wanted to stick with Leo and Anya, the hero and heroine of my so recently finished novel! Maybe that's normal. I don't know, but it was an effort to go with something different – Luke and Anna? No. Too similar. Also, they are the names of my niece and nephew – my brother’s kids. Eventually I went with Luke and Kat. What can I say? The search for new is still a little entangled with the old. And I did have a potentially crushing moment when I realized my new and shiny idea is not all that new. But that's okay -- there are no original ideas, only an infinity of variations.

The key, I guess, is finding out what truly opens up the possibilities when brainstorming all things new. What might need to change to help that? It doesn't have to be a forever decision, but maybe it's time to break the mold and try something new.

 I'm glad I did. Would I write a series again? Never say never seems to be a safe answer, but I would hesitate.
I loved the world and characters I created and they taught me so much. Heck, that's an understatement. They taught me everything I know about writing a story. For a while it was all I knew and I even thought my Muse might have stayed there too. But it's good to know too that my universe is bigger than I thought. 

Have you had your own struggles with brainstorming all things new? What got you through? How long does it usually take for a new story idea to take hold after finishing your work in progress? 

Word Count Targets

I've been giving some thought to how writers choose the word count of their stories. Or does it choose them? How important is it to have a target length in mind at the outset? While mulling this over, I found myself reviewing the guidelines of this most basic tool.

First off, there are various guidelines that vary by genre, but basically:

Short story: 1,000 to 7,500
Novella: 17,000 to 40,000
Novel: 70,000 to 100,000

Yes, you may notice these ranges have gaps. I noticed that too. Hmm. What about 50,000 words? Maybe the numbers are wrong? What is the source? Well, the thing is, there isn't one source. Not anymore. If you search for it, you will probably find a chart that says something different -- or one you like better! The rules have changed, or at least blurred, over time. Maybe, as we go forward, the most accurate we can be is to say "anything over 40,000 words is considered a novel." Maybe. Or, on the flipside, there is even more definition. This is actually how the website Owlcation.com breaks it down (with no gaps):

Flash Fiction: 53 - 1,000 words

Short Stories: 3,500 - 7,500

Novellettes: 7,500 - 17,000

Novellas: 17,000 - 40,000

Novels: 40,000 + words

 Ok, this sooths my need for a categorical breakdown! It does break down those shorter ranges. But it also supports the broad range of longer works, bringing us back to "anything over 40,000 words is considered a novel."

Whew. We've come full circle to a very loose number - at least for a novel. Does it matter? Well, I think it is helpful to work through the numbers for a general idea of expectations, but I'll leave that up to you. What does matter is arriving at that target to shoot for, whether it is defined by a publisher's guideline or by you. But I still haven't decided if we, as writers, have a sweet spot for length. Maybe. Or does the story decide?

It's likely a combination of both, but I think there must be a heavy dose of instinct. Amazingly, even with so many of the variables yet to be pulled from the universe, I think you can and do know how long your story will be from the onset. Yes, really. You know the target from a framework of your intentions. Now that's not to say you're not going to second guess yourself along the road, and it's tempting to discount it because it came to you pretty easily. But think carefully before you move your goalpost. I'll get to more about that in a minute.

First,what is in this framework I mentioned? Well, it's more numbers. Consider your own numbers from the history of your stories' word counts. Do they match up with what you intended? I'm guessing they roughly do, but even if they didn't, it's an interesting exercise to consider why they did or did not. What does this tell you about your sweet spot for length? This is what I find:

My last novel had a target of 80,000 words. I arrived at this after my previous novels were, respectively, about 90,000 words, 70,000 words, and 50,000 words.

Yep, they got shorter until I leaned back into a longer target. (I also have a very long non-fiction work, but that's a whole other animal!) In hindsight, I do feel like the shortest novel was a bit too short. However, I stand by that pre-determined target. I intended it to be shorter. This was a novel in the midst of a series and I purposefully left loose ends. In fact, I thought the romance of the central couple might continue into several stories. In this respect, my future intentions influenced my prediction of the target length of this book and, for that matter, also the next. I did feel the tug of second guessing the target I set, but I held firm.

The only problem was my plans -- the framework of my intentions -- changed. I didn't want to write the next, shorter novels. Instead, the next novel would be the final in the series and it would take longer than I thought. (Four years, but who's counting.) Anyway, to make a long story short, loose plot ends were one thing to tie off, but to give the romantic leads in one book a relationship resolution as a secondary couple in another book was more difficult. Not impossible, but difficult. Should I have listened back then to the tug of second guessing? Was I just too stubborn to move a goalpost?  Perhaps. Or maybe it turned out as it was meant to be.

The choice is ours -- we can either embrace the bullseye of a target to be exactly 80,000 or shoot to be an exception above or below. There will always be exceptions, above and below this target. Need examples? Yes, I have more numbers.

 Twilight, for instance, is a novel above this baseline target at about 118,000 words. This is an exception to the rule, but I think, whether consciously declared or not, it fit in the author's framework of intentions. Some genres can do that. Fantasy and science fiction can do that. More on this is explained in the Writer's Digest post Word Count for Novels and Children's Books: The Definitive Post.

And then there is the trend of eBooks and non-traditional publishing that have many examples that make a strong argument for shorter word counts that may well be your "sweet spot." If you balk at calling your 50,000 word story a novella, you are not alone. In fact, you may be in the majority if your book length falls in that gap between the ranges given for a novel or a novella.

Other exceptions, I would argue, are whether your book is in a category of, well, appropriate enough,  category romance. In this case, the word count requirements are generally a bit shorter and very specific to each line with a range from 50,000 to 75,000. In this case, don't take my word for it, go here to the Harlequin Submission page to see exactly what is required. (As a side note, this, in fact, is my current challenge. I intend to write a Harlequin Presents. Amongst other things, it goes against what I "think" may be my sweet spot for word length.)

All of this goes into your framework of intent. Once you have it, you have a word count target.

Then the work begins. So, you know where you want to end up, but what about progress? Word count does seem most useful. It is a number and an unambiguous target. You can say, presumably with confidence, that you are a quarter of the way or half way done. Only somehow, it doesn't work that way. A funny thing always happens. Always. 

My novels always feel much closer to completion at much lower word counts.

At about the 25,000 word mark, in some alternate universe, it is, in fact, finished. In my dreams. Yeah, that's about it. If only the technology were advanced enough to beam my perfect dream to others. If only. That's a tough spot to be in where nothing can match your imagined story. It takes a lot of words to fill in the blanks and it's different than the "dreaded middle" we've heard about where the story stalls out. There isn't a stall. It's finished. Yeah, yeah, in my dreams.

Eventually, even if each one is a struggle, real words fill in the blanks and get moved around and tweaked until they fall into place. Round after round of layering will eventually raise the word count. It is possible for the imagined to be captured.

 And that brings me to milestones. I've always been very confused on defining my writing stages; rough drafts, first drafts or however many drafts, and at what point you're in revision. I think final revision I'm a little more clear on, but barely. The only thing I find concrete is word count. I know that at 25,000 words I have a long ways to go, but I have gone too far to stop. The rest will come. I will get to a target I set from the beginning.

Do you have a sweet spot for word count length? Do you stick with it?

After the Big Finish and Bargaining with the Muse

As we all know, finishing a big writing project is great. Euphoric. The End has arrived. For months, or perhaps years, you have lived with the absolute uncertainty it is actually going to happen...until it does. *Jump for joy and set off fireworks!*




Well, that was fun. I wish it would have lasted longer. Let's do it again.





Better? Yeah! Again? Sure! *Repeat as many times as you want.*

Eventually, sorry to say, you come back to earth. Now what? What's next? I know, everyone is different in how they answer. Maybe some people jump into the next big thing. As for me, I can't imagine it. For me, I find the euphoria after the big finish comes skipping in, hand-in-hand, with a declaration of never again. Absolutely, no way am I going to do that again! Writing a novel is nuts. It made me nuts. I'm done. I'm exhausted from building worlds and breaking and mending hearts.

And so it begins. Along with the euphoria of finishing, there is always a time of superstitious bargaining with my Muse. Ugh! It's a difficult transition after months of welcoming crazy, plot twisting, chaos filled ideas that have changed the story and moved the characters toward their goals. It makes me nervous to start making demands now, when I know, because we've been living together for so long, that the Muse tends to get a little bored with reasonable arguments. She knows best. She knows she can convince me. But still, I try. It is time for a break. Not only did I finish a novel, I finished a series. I deserved a break, right? I waited a long time for this.

Does she care? I'm not sure. Does she know I'm not entirely serious about never again? I'm not sure. In the back of my mind, as I break from this story, this familiar world, with days and weeks of deciding what is next, I start to worry. Maybe I was too harsh. Too ungrateful. Yes, it was all about me. I could have said it better. Break ups are hard. Saying "it's not you, it's me" never works out well. But there are times when you want the distance. Truth be told, my Muse and I have broken up many times before the big finish.

So, she knows, right? She knows I'm not entirely serious. It's nothing more and nothing less than a ritual after every big finish. And that's a good thing to have as a writer. It means I have been at this place before. I can get here again. It doesn't matter how many times I thought I never would while in the midst of the murky middle or struggling to figure out the ending.

Those struggles linger. After the big finish, I find myself staring blindly at the last page before the euphoria sinks in. I suppose part of me lingers, imagining the future not written. I do this as a reader, and I think I do the same as a writer, only this time I'm listening, one last time. I'm wondering if there is anything else I need to add, any last requests? Or even some complaints. The Muse, my definitely not on-call expert in making trouble, has to be satisfied the characters haven't had it too easy. She would think nothing of sending me back, all the way to the beginning if need be, to rewrite things to her liking! But finally, even she, I think, is standing in the wings brushing a tear from her eye. She nods her approval and it's enough. It's good. She does have a heart, after all.

*Big sigh.* Yes, it's done. We can all say farewell. I can blink again. And, yes, jump up and down and set off fireworks! That clarity of closure, by the way, is the best feeling.The writer too, needs a happily-ever-after.

So, yes, the reward is great. But so is the commitment. After the big finish, is it any wonder it takes time to be brave enough to set off on the journey again? To listen to a demanding cast and want to give them what they want until the Muse jumps in with an idea to do the opposite? She knows I will be persuaded to her way of thinking, even if it will push back all optimistic expectations of when the big finish will happen. It will. It does. You keep going, encouraged by knowing each story gets better, knowing, on the good days, that maybe your abilities are getting closer to matching that vision of the "story in your head." You try for more. You don't give up, even if it seems like no one is waiting to read this story or if all that is driving you is maybe nothing more than that a search for that sense of closure, whether it's for yourself or for the characters you love. Or even the Muse.

Yes, it is good to have finished again. Finishing again means we have faith the Muse will come back. You could even say it's inevitable. Yes, that will make you cringe, just a little. Inevitable doesn't have  as comforting a ring to it as having faith does. But we all know writing a novel isn't a comfortable way to spend your time. It's a constant tug of war of wanting to do it and not wanting to do it. And, after the long awaited big finish, you will want the Muse to come back, but just not right away. Is that too much to ask? You ask. How about we both take a break? But not too long, you add quickly. Don't forget me.

I think it's been long enough. I think. Only, I don't think my Muse and I are entirely on speaking terms yet. Actually, I wonder if maybe she's spending time in the world we built. That would be just like her, to make me go searching as a way to tempt me back. (I bet she has plans for Lilian, a beloved secondary character. Who knows what trouble she's getting her into. She did hint at a few ideas...) But, no. I told her no! Maybe, one day, but not yet. I'm trying out a new story. New characters, a brand new world...

Yes, I know, never again. Famous last words and all that. The thing is, it feels a bit like maybe my Muse is new to this too. Hey, wait a minute. Did she send a replacement? That would be another thing just like her. To send me a temp. Or, if I keep trying, if I commit to listening, will she step in? How long before I know for sure it's really her? I guess only time will tell. Eventually, after a lot of trouble making, I'll know.

Writing an Immortal Romance Hero - Revisited

The release of my cross-over story, Worth the Risk, is finally standing firm to be released early in 2019! I'm very happy about this, because Eric and Carrie's story has been my work in progress for about four years. I thought now was a good time to revisit a blog I wrote on the basis of my character research for my immortal hero, written almost three years ago. At the end of this blog, I give a hint of what changed after this preliminary research.

Worth the Risk, is a story with an immortal as the hero. This is Eric's story, a character who has the distinction of making an appearance in all but one of my books. It doesn't feel right though to call him a secondary character. He's always been larger than life. So, the challenge has been to bring him down to earth and humanize him with all the qualities we humans (i.e., romance readers) tend to require in a hero. That's been the draw of writing his story I think, exploring the difference between a classic hero and romance novel hero.

Up to now, Eric has not been the hero, meaning he has not been the main character and so he does not "get the girl."  Or, to be more accurate, his relationships are not destined to last. But, by definition, he is a hero, albeit a tragic hero. It was a bit of a surprise, even for me, to realize I'd given him all five of the classic tragic hero criteria (as defined by Aristotle...but I like this simplified answer given in this Yahoo! Answers reply):

1. Comes from nobility;
2. Tragic flaw (caused by a simple mistake or character flaw like pride or hubris)
3. Undergoes a reversal of fortune (falls from high to low)
4. Has a downfall.
5. Recognizes his mistakes.

It probably isn't too surprising that an immortal character would be a tragic hero, but I found myself wanting to know him on a more personal level. I wondered, could he go from being the definition of hero to being the main character and the hero of the story? Could this fallen hero rise again? To get to really know him, I'd have to get to know a heck of a lot more about him, including when, how and why he became an immortal. These things turned out to be key starting points for turning him into the hero to root for.

The questions of when and where.

So I started out by wondering, how old should my immortal be? When would he have been immortal long enough to have gone through most of the adjustments to immortality, but not long enough to have forgotten what it was like to be human?

It's rather fascinating to think about the possible stages of immortality, don't you think? Take, for example, the daily, repetitive cycle of Bill Murray's character in Groundhog's Day, which you could say is a form of immortality. Caught in an endless loop of repeating the same day, the main character Phil acquires amazing talents because he has time for endless do-overs, grows bored once the novelty of all those do-overs wear off, goes through a stage where his indestructability leads him to believes he is a god, and, for a while, he falls into depression and grief over the loneliness of his singular experience. And yes, all this in a comedy!

But one of the biggest things I took from this example was where Phil ended up at the end of the movie. In the end, Phil accepts his fate and becomes a better person, but he still hopes for change. So did we as viewers! When his "curse" of waking up every morning to "I Got You Babe" finally ended, we rejoiced. How could we not? It was over. Thank goodness! The movie ended at just the "right" time. If it had ended sooner, the character wouldn't have redeemed himself yet. If it hadn't ended once he'd changed, well, that just wouldn't have been fair.

I've picked up Eric's story right about here; when he's on the brink of losing the ability to "hope for change." It's past the point of being fair. How would this affect his character? Or, in other words, where is he at emotionally?

According to author G. Doucette on Building an Immortal Man, a real immortal would be "sarcastic, bitter, extremely clever and possibly an alcoholic."

Hmm. I think he's about right. With years of life experience, how could he not become any or all of those things? I imagine this is where an immortal would be shortly after passing that "tipping point" of accepting his fate. He'd have changed or redeemed himself, but he'd still be that guy who wakes up every morning to "I Got You Babe."

You have to admit, there's a certain tragedy built into such a character. But here's where the "what ifs" start to domino. What if this person, this tragic hero with all his history and heartache behind him, still finds himself capable of falling in love? How would he handle that? He would fight it tooth and nail. He'd do his utmost to scare away anyone foolish enough to fall in love with him. But what if it happened anyway, in spite of all that?

The questions of how and why.

I also thought about how and why my hero became immortal. Deciding whether it had been something that happened to him (rather like being "turned") or whether it had been a choice had many implications. I decided it had been a choice, with Eric's immortality begun with idealistic expectations, rather like the knights of King Arthur's round table. But of course, like the classic story and journey of the hero goes, he experienced a reversal of fortune and a downfall.

The last stage on his journey as a tragic hero, if you recall, is recognizing his mistakes. This, I found, is an interesting stage to reconcile with where he's at emotionally. In a way, perhaps this is a stage by itself, when a hero is fully aware of his failures and wants nothing more to do with being a hero, but finds himself pulled back in because he is who he is. His past made him that way, and his former idealism may be abandoned, but not forgotten no matter how hard he tries to bury it. He is a reluctant hero.

I decided Eric would want to withdraw from his position of power in the fantasy world of The Guardian Angel Series. But this didn't happen all at once. In An Unsuitable Entanglement, he stays long enough to honor what he feels is his obligation to right a wrong before allowing himself the solitude he needs. When we meet him in Worth the Risk he's at a place where he's not announcing who he is and not looking for trouble. But that's not to say trouble won't find him!

The Immortal Romance Hero and His Heroine

I won't go into all the plot details, but this gave rise to thinking about what kind of heroine would be a match for my immortal hero. In a long lifetime of having loved and lost, if my immortal will find the love of his life in this story and with this heroine, well, she'd have to be pretty special too. I decided the heroine would have many of the qualities he had in the past and be on her own journey to regain some of her lost idealism. Could helping her heal her wounded spirit be just what this jaded hero needs? I think so, and I had just the heroine in mind with Carrie, a character from the story Ghost of a Promise. An extraordinary hero is exactly what Carrie also needs.

If you recognize a bit of a Beauty and the Beast theme occurring here, you would be correct. It's been a theme I've adored and long been drawn to read. A story that mixes tragedy and comedy and romance is about as close as it comes to fulfilling my wish list. I've also wanted to write such a story, I just needed to wait for the right characters to be in the right place.

So it makes sense to me that my immortal romance hero has had a long introduction leading up to taking the spotlight in his own story. I hope you too will fall in love with this character who turned out to be my most troubled and complex hero.

In case you're wondering, what did I decide on for how old my immortal would be? I decided on about 400 years. This may seem a bit arbitrary, but I thought it fit the bill for "just right."

***
Three years later, I'm happy to say Eric has fulfilled his promise to be the amazing, classic hero I envisioned for this story. To tell you the truth, and not to give anything away, one of the biggest sticking points for finishing this story, was how in the world did I achieve a happy ending?

The choices, you might think, were simple. Either the immortal hero must become mortal, or the mortal heroine must become immortal. Which option would be most satisfying?

Of course, you know I can't tell you. :) And I probably shouldn't admit I did not know. But for a very long time, I thought it could go either way. A tough spot to be in for a writer!

Eventually, it all sorts itself out and I'm happy with how it ends. Or, to put it another way, I'm happy Eric and Carrie are happy with how it ends! I can only hope you will be too.

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Solved Worries

.What do you do when...

..different characters find out the same piece of information, but at different times?  How is it re-presented?

...you set your characters in a familiar setting, such as a city, but still get lost?  How exactly do you get from A to B and how long does it take? 

...you select a book cover for your story, but the deal falls through.  You have to search again, but your brain doesn't want to move on.  What do you do?

***

I've asked myself each of those questions quite recently while working on my work in progress, Ghost of a Promise.  Fortunately, I've come up with some answers!  This is a good thing, because there's always another set of situations, inside and outside of the story, waiting to be figured out.  New worries.  But it's encouraging, I think, to look back on how the old worries were worked out. 

For the first situation, re-presenting the same information to a different character (or more), I worried about repeating myself to the reader.  I've run into this situation before actually, and I'm sure I will again.  There are just times when a character doesn't know a piece of information that the reader does -- because you've already told her that information in some different way.  When put that way, this can be a good thing...even a very good thing.  It's like realizing you've blundered into suspenseful storytelling.  So you go with it.  But intentional or not, it can feel awkward to re-present information.  For a long period of trial and error, I think I have to start at the beginning to bring a character up to speed.  Maybe I do.  Only, maybe the retelling is to get myself up to speed on how the character reacts to something new to them.  The information might be the same, but how a character sees it, through their point of view, will alter the retelling.  Eventually, I can see how to build on what has already been revealed...and yes, even cut what doesn't need to be revealed again.

For the second situation, getting my characters lost, I realized I didn't know the city I set my story quite as well as I thought I did.  I may have lived and worked in Washington, D.C. for more than a dozen years, but I didn't get around the city quite the way my characters do.  I took the Metro and I didn't drive.  For another thing, it's been several years since I lived there and my memory needed a refresher.  But I realized, other than going back for a visit, I remembered more than I thought...with a little prompting.  With internet map resources I could zoom in until it was almost like being there.  Eventually I resolved not to be intimidated by what I didn't know...or remember...at first.

I'm happy to say that situation number three is the best solved worry of the bunch! A few months ago I had chosen a cover for my story.  I admit, to date I haven't been too fancy, but I'd resolved this would change!  Only, to make a long story short, the cover I'd chosen became unavailable.  But in the meantime, I'd grown attached.  It really helped inspire me to keep writing while I thought of my hero and heroine as the cover depicted them.  Could I "replace" them?  Well, I had to try!  The new cover and the experience I had working with a wonderful custom designer exceeded my expectations.  I'm in love...and I can't wait to reveal the new cover very soon! 

Unsolved questions are always worrisome, but don't give up!  Eventually, with lots of trial and error, they can become solved worries.

Have you experienced any of my unsolved questions or something similar?  How did they become solved worries for you?

Writing Process Blog Hop

Last week when Donna Cummings invited me to participate in the writing process blog hop I couldn't resist.   I'm posting my answers a little early (Monday was to be the day), but since I already modified the "rules" a bit, I figured one more little change wouldn't hurt.  My other little change is that I'm afraid my "hop" kind of stops here.  I didn't round up another writer or two for the next hop, but you can always hop on over to Donna's blog!

1.  What am I working on?

I’m currently working on a contemporary paranormal romance novel called Ghost of a Promise that I hope to release this summer.  I think my influences for this story are loosely the movies Ghost and It’s a Wonderful Life.  Those favorites are both memorable as being told from the hero’s perspective and I was drawn to do the same with Ben, my ghostly hero.  My cover will be revealed within the next few weeks, so I’m excited about that! 

In between the fiction writing, I’m often immersed in tidbits of historical research.  Of course, you probably think I have to say that…but it’s true!

2.  How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I think my stories have a mix of tragedy and comedy that somehow works together.  I don’t entirely set out to write this combination, but it tends to happen that way.

3.  Why do I write what I do?

I don’t think I knew how to answer this until I answered the preceding question.  I think I write what I do because I want something a little different from what I’ve read.  For instance, I’ve always imagined a happy ending for the often tragic endings found in classic literature short stories.  Of course, this goes for life as well.  I write to change and embellish the ordinary. 

4.  How does your writing process work?

Ah, that is a changeable thing.  I don’t really think about the process too much when I’m in the early stages of a story.  It’s just not necessary, right?  But that won’t last!  Somewhere around the halfway point, if not before, I’ll start to think about how I need to organize my mess.  At this point, I start to panic and feel like my plot is a maze.  But I don’t think I could have done it any differently, which is hard to accept.  At this stage, I alternate between thinking I have a lot to work with (on a good day) and I will never fix this (on a bad day). 

So, after the euphoria of a brilliant idea has somewhat settled and during the bulk of writing the story -- and through the starts and stops of being a writer with a day job -- I eventually come to appreciate having a plan of action in place for when I can resume writing.  Okay, to be honest, it comes down to finding ways to trick myself into believing I have an easy task ahead of me.  So basically my writing process involves finding ways to pre-empt the fear of what’s next?  To do this, I’ve come around to thinking I need to have prepared at least two things; 1) I need to have identified small chunks of what’s left to do and 2) I need to feel like I have options, which simply means multiple small chunks to choose from.  That’s about it.  Because I know me.  If I don’t have small tasks, the thought of the whole project will send me running the other way.  Likewise, since I’m not a very linear writer, I know I won’t stand for being told exactly what to do! 

And recently I started using the writing software I stumbled upon called yWrite.  So far, this is helping in many ways.  More on this in a future post!

A Year-End Grab Bag of Writing Miscellany

Grab bag:  1) a collection of miscellaneous things; 2) a bag from which gifts are drawn at random.

At year end we often reflect on what we accomplished over the year.  And, rightly so, we celebrate the goals and milestones we have finished.  But in-between the milestones we all have amassed a collection of miscellaneous things -- a grab bag of ideas and projects that have been started and stopped, or perhaps regretfully discarded along the way.  In the end, these discarded ideas are like handfuls of mismatched costume jewelry.  They are pretty to look at and sparkle like the real thing if the light catches them just so.

This, in fact, is how I wind up with many unfinished blog posts!  The light catches the idea and then it fades before something else catches my eye.  But maybe, just maybe...you might catch a glimmer.

Grab Bag Item # 1:  A dose of positivity.

We pretty much know that writers need a  regular dose of positivity.   Here are lots of ways to assure and reassure ourselves we can and will manage both the must-do and want-to-to items on the horizon.  These are soooo easy, you might not even realize you're doing them.  But stop doing them and there might be trouble.  So for a dose of stating the obvious...

1.  Think small.  Whether you have a physical list or a mental list of what's coming up, break it down further. I've heard this before, and  this is item #1 in a great post at The Positivity Blog: Mark Twain’s Guide to Living an Awesome Life: 7 Essential Tips by Henrik Edberg, who suggests remembering Mark Twain's advice:

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”

The other six tips are pretty good too. 

For thinking small, I tell myself it's like folding my entire "list" like an accordion to show the first item and "hiding" the rest from my view.  The week ahead or the whole project will unfold.

2.  Sleep.  Yes, really.  It sounds obvious, but it's hard to think of one thing that will slow you down more than lack of sleep.  Try for that eight hours a night. 

3.  Let your dreams do some of the work.   This one's little less obvious than sleep.  You'll either be on board with this idea or think it sounds kooky. But give it a try. If something is not coming easy, tell yourself to "sleep on it."  Sometimes when I am frustrated with trying to memorize or grasp concepts (or work out plots) I just give in (not the same as giving up).  After sleeping on it, I'm often amazed at how much is within my grasp the next day of what confused and/or eluded me only yesterday.

4.  Double-dip.  This is the best one.  You can't not like getting a 2 for 1 deal.  Like sleeping and dreaming.

***

Hmm...I must have taken a nap at this point.

***

Grab Bag Item #2:  The Federalist Era (historical post)

Of course, I adore the Regency setting and all things English, but I hadn't quite realized the extent of how drawn I was to the time period until I found myself working the style of the early 19th century into my contemporary American setting.  Both the Regency and Federalist eras occur roughly at the same time, occurring on different sides of the pond.

Here is a description of the Federalist era.  According to an exhibit item description from the Star of the Republic Museum:

The Federal style was developed when the Federalist Party led the American government between 1790 and 1828. Federal-style furniture emphasizes straight lines and simple ornament. It tends to be light and delicate with Neoclassical elements, such as fluted or reeded tapering legs, classical figures, and eagle ornaments.

 I thought I'd share some of my research (okay, some days I just like to look at pretty pictures) on my setting for my work in progress Ghost of a Promise.  In working on this contemporary story, my Pinterest board on Federalist Era Architecture and Interiors is a collection of my visual inspirations for the suburban Washington, D.C. house my characters renovate. 

***
I believe I became distracted looking at pretty pictures!

***


Grab Bag Item #3:  Immortality brainstorming questions, questions, questions...

Age.  Yes, just three little letters. A-G-E. We try to ignore it, but at some point (if only by the mirror) we all get reminded that time has passed.  But what if you are immortal?   I wondered about this and other hypotheticals when I envisioned an immortal character.   

The downside of immortality:

1)  Boredom.  Well, really.  Eventually haven't you seen it all?  No wonder immortals get into mischief and create mischief!  (Thinking of the mythological gods.)

2)  Immortality could be seen as a curse.  Yes, it would seem that way if you outlived your loved ones.

How much does the outside affect who you are on the inside?  Because one looks eternally young, does this necessarily mean a character relate to youthful pursuits?  Or does he/she become an old soul in a young body?  Or would how others respond to his/her youthful appearance, in turn, keep him/her young in mind as well as body?

How about the differences of being born an immortal vs. becoming an immortal?

If born an immortal, it's in his/her genes.  Immortality, and for that matter, mortality, would be an inheritable trait?  For example, if a character's father is an immortal and her mother is mortal.  What are the chances she would be either?  How might a character "lose" immortality?


What if...a character doesn't know if she is immortal? 

***
I think I got a headache.  But I will revisit this one!

***

I hope you enjoyed  a few items from my "grab bag" of miscellaneous ideas.  What would be in your end of year "grab bag?"

To write or not to write, that is the question (not to ponder too long)

What can strike terror in the heart of a writer who wishes for a day to write?  Getting a day to write.  Your wish is granted...now GO! 

Ugh.  My Muse balks at scheduled creativity, so I fully expect that when a day to write happens, it's going to be hard to jump into the story.  I need a warm-up, but finding the right warm-up can tricky.  Brainstorming or some form of writing prompt can fit that requirement, but it can often seem counter intuitive to my ideas of time efficiency when it seems unrelated to working on a particular story.  I also worry that I'll use up my energy and time just getting organized or in the mood.  But once in while I give it a try and just hope it inspires instead of consumes.  And by consume, I don't just mean devouring my time for the day.  I could also wind up chasing an entirely new story idea. 

Today, for instance, I stalled diving into the story by checking out what happened on this day in history.   This might seem more like a writing avoidance, but I had a plan, of sorts, to keep myself from getting derailed.  Actually, more like a guideline.

I must keep in mind my goal to link something to the story in progress.

That "something" isn't as vague as it sounds.  What I look for and find inspiring from historical events is that, from the perspective of the people involved, it was a life changing day.  Something happened on this day in history that was important...to someone. And it just might be important, in an "I'll know it when I see it" kind of way to my character.

For instance, I found out that on this day in history the Mississippi River flowed backwards  in 1811-1812 following an earthquake in Missouri.  Well, the source may be in error and by other accounts the date was actually December 16th, not November 16th, but that's not really the point.  What is the point is that it's an interesting factoid that struck my fancy.  Can you imagine what it must have been like to be on a riverboat when the current suddenly changed?  By an eyewitness account, "In a moment, so great a wave come up the river that I never seen one like it at sea."

The link to my writing:  I have a series of time traveling guardian angels.  For these characters,  I have a bit of a morbid fascination for finding interesting historical natural disasters (or other disasters) to use in the plot.  It might be a minor scene or something more.  What sort of characters might be on that riverboat?  Who needs rescuing on this day?

I could stop there.  I thought I probably should stop there because, even though this does link to my writing, it's a future story that is out-competing the story in progress I intended to work on.  But I'm not ready to attend to conflicts in progress yet and so another factoid catches my eye. November 16th, it so happens, falls on the eve of the Elizabethan Age.  The next day, on November 17th, 1558,  25-year-old Elizabeth was proclaimed queen.  Again, my imagination takes flight.  What must that day before have been like?  Did she accept and welcome her fate?  Or did she wish for a different life as she stood for the final fitting of her coronation gown?  And it's not such a great leap to ponder other "day before" or even "hour before" situations.  What about before a wedding?  What if the bride didn't want to marry?  What if she feels like only a natural disaster can change her fate in the final hour?

And in a final leap, how about this.  What if, in a "truth is stranger than fiction" kind of twist, our reluctant bride is in an arranged marriage situation, or literally a shotgun wedding held on a riverboat on the day the water suddenly flowed backwards?  It might make for an interesting escape from fate! 

 Yay, I have a story idea!  Darn, I have another story idea.  (Only a writer understands the dilemma!)

 Has my brainstorming backfired once again?  Possibly, but with a little thought I realize I haven't been derailed by distraction.  Those little factoids simply paved the way to where I wanted to go.   Even if the situations don't match and the characters are different, I've arrived at the emotions I wasn't ready to jump into when I started the day.  My hero does, in fact want to escape his fate.  In hindsight, it's forgivable if a writer doesn't feel up to diving into such a task, don't you think?  Sometimes we need to find a way to warm up to the process and let it take its course. 

If you want to read more about the real life historical event of the Mississippi flowing backwards, here's a link.

From the page: Mississippi River ran backward

Are You Talking to Me?: Three things a writer needs to hear

This morning when I browsed the topics of some of my favorite blogs I had that feeling the stars had aligned (let's make it starfish since that is the photo I found!) to talk about what I needed to hear today.  But I didn't really know what I needed to hear...until I heard it.  In three different blog posts I thought...are you talking to me? 

After I digested what I needed to hear I realized I could turn it around and admit to a few unspoken doubts that probably every writer thinks in the midst of writing a story. 

1.  Why do I want to write a story with a heroine who makes "risky" choices.  What if a reader doesn't find her sympathetic and thinks "how could she do THAT?"

 What Is Your Take-Away - Thinking about theme in writing - from Babbles from Scott Eagan

"As a writer, you dictate what you want the reader to leave with. It is your decision to focus on certain scenes, have your characters say certain things and have certain behaviors to get your message across. These can be subtle or pretty straightforward."

When I think about what I want the reader to take away I'm reminded why I want to write the story.  I can be brave with including THAT.

2.  What if my fantasy setting and plot for my romance is too different.

One day, After All the Editors Went Home, the Slush Pile and an Abandoned Marketing Research Plan Partied Hard - by Carolyn at The Risky Regencies

"As the publishing ecosystem continues its transformation, we’ll see Indie authors do riskier things with their stories — and they can do it because they don’t have to listen to anyone tell them they can’t publish a story with THAT in it."

 When I think about adding THAT into my story, I'm reminded how THAT can be anything. 

3.  Have I said too much or not enough for the reader to "get it," whether "it" is conveying a sympathetic character choice or a believable setting and plot?

 Are You an Over-Writer or an Under-Writer? Revision Tips - by Margo Dill at Wow!: Women on Writing

"...writing is hard."

It is, isn't it. 

Trust me, I'm including a link to that post for more than the nugget of wisdom "writing is hard." But some days that really is what a writer most needs to hear!  A sympathy card now and then would be nice too.

And some days I think it's a writer's own fault.  It's hard because of the risky choices!  Characters who do the "wrong" thing, settings and plots that are "too different."  Must we make it so hard?  Yeah, we kind of do.  Because if we don't have all those layers, we will have a much harder time with over-writing and under-writing, which is that temptation to either explain (a lot) or go the other way and be very stingy.  Put another way, we get bored. 

Only after I read all three of these blog posts did I appreciate how well they correlate with each other.  I do want the writing to be "hard" if that means complicated enough to know what kind of theme the story has, or what I want the reader to take away (see #1).  I appreciate the theme for helping me "focus on certain scenes, have my characters say certain things and have certain behaviors to get my message across" and ultimately guide the toning down of over-writing and amp up under- writing.  And yes, I love to be reminded that I'm an Indie writer.  Yes, I can put THAT into my story.

Are there days when you think the stars align to tell you what you need to hear?  

Writing Process: A Walk in the Park

Happy New Year!  I've ended the old year and begun the new with a lot of R & R ...including another "R" of reading.  These "other R's," by the way, are my low key alternative to that big "R" known as making Resolutions.  (Really...what is with this tradition of jumping up for more as soon as you've fallen over the finish line of the previous year? Just say'n.)

With all this taking it easy though, I realize it's been a while since my last post!  So here's one on "writing process" I wrote a while back. It kind of fits with my R & R frame of mind.   

Even if I've long ago discovered that "a writing process" will change with each story, I still have this fantasy about finding a method to my madness.  I imagine how nice it would be to have a process as easy as a "walk in the park."  And by this, I mean a very well designed park, with minimal backtracking.

Worthwhile Distractions

The irony doesn't pass me by that the current WIP may have started as a distraction. Yes, it  started out as an usurper of the star of the show, irrisistable as a new and shiny discovery before it too developed growing pains...or maybe sprained an ankle!  And there are plenty of other worthwhile distractions waiting in the wings.

I thought about this a lot while reading Donna Cummings' wonderful blog post "The Lure of the Other WIP."  I can relate and I love to hear how other writers manage to nurture the current WIP to completion while also figuring out what to do with incoming new ideas.

To me, it can feel like a powerful force like natural selection is at work to favor the new idea, and it's rather awe inspiring to think that every finished story has a writer who made the commitment to stick with the WIP, no matter what.  Some do it with one WIP at a time, start to finish, while others let the new ideas develop into multiple WIPs and work on them simultaneously.

Which way is the right way?  Or the more realistic question may be, haven't I learned by now not to ask? This is one of those writing process questions with multiple answers.  Every writer will answer differently.  Heck, for many writers, myself included, the method changes from story to story.  The options are wide open.  

Suspense is suspense is suspense...Part 1 of 3

"A writer should create situations with suspense, leaving the reader wanting to know what happens next.  Effective suspense works when the reader cares about characters and what those characters experience within a story." -- Tameri Guide for Writers

Hmm.  Effective romance also works when the reader cares about characters and what those characters experience within a story.  Anticipation...a building of tension...multiple conflicts...inner struggles...cliff hangers...a big finish with a satisfying resolution...aahh, no wonder why romance and suspense go together like peanut butter and jelly! 

Romance writers must be suspense writers.  Suspense is uncertainty.  Romance, even with a happy ending, is dealing with uncertainty.  It doesn't matter if we're writing "romantic suspense" or "traditional romance" (whatever that may be!)  -- we just want the reader to keep turning the pages of our story because they have the need to know "what happens next?" to the characters they care deeply about. 

Revising the Manuscript Under the Bed: Part Two -- The Revision Prep

In part one of this topic, I posed the question of choosing to revise that “manuscript under the bed.”  Assuming the decision is made to breathe new life into a perhaps too familiar story, it’s time to come up with a revision plan.  We could dive right in, but we might get lost in the maze.  No, it might be better to do some “revision prep,” the reconnaissance phase of checking out the current state of affairs in order to give us something to work with for assessing the macro level changes to come.

Revising the Manuscript under the Bed: Part One

Many a writer has a manuscript that is metaphorically placed “under the bed.”  That first book (or more) often comes to be thought of as a necessary learning process or the “practice” novel.  So, it doesn't surprise me when I read time and again in writer interviews about how their first novel published was actually the third (or later) story written.  It almost seems a rite of passage to have those early manuscripts under the bed.

Ouch.  As realistic as this is, I could happily skip this rite of passage and I don’t think any writer easily comes to the acceptance of forever placing their manuscript "under the bed."  How can we accept letting go when we also think of our first complete novel as our “baby?”  We had such high hopes and certainly didn’t write the book for a future home under the bed.  Most likely, we also had some very ambitious ideas in our first effort.  We dreamed larger-than-life and just wrote the book of our heart. 

You Won't Really Know Until You Do It

Hello!  It's been a while since I've posted because of my college classes and, while I do get the urge to blog, I also wonder what I could possibly have to say that's relevant to writing and romance!  I'm immersed in a different sort of world of biology and chemistry, and even I can push the analogies only so far. *grin*

But I do have a new mantra of sorts this semester, and it's one that I hope will carry over to writing:

 You won't really know until you do it.

Perhaps it's a rather obvious little gem, but this relates -- and in a round-about-way is as close as I'll likely get to an answer -- to some writerly questions I've pondered on the time spent preparing for and researching what I'm going to write about.  Not just about facts and descriptions, but the works...from plot to character motivations and everything in between.

Question #1: How much is enough preparation and information collected before we get to the doing of writing?  

Good luck answering that one, right?  Maybe only the owl on the old classic commercial who succinctly answered the question "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll pop?" could help!  (Remember that?    To jog your memory or view for first time, here's the YouTube link: http://youtu.be/LZ0epRjfGLw) 

But I confess, left to my own devices, I can get into a lot a of trouble in this area.  After all, there's a lot of wiggle room in the answer to the question. 

A:  As long as it takes.

Hmm.  That can be a while!  But maybe, the answer to this first question, and any hope of escaping a loop of preparation, hinges a lot on answering a second question.

Question #2:  What do we do when panic sets in about diving into the unknown?

A:  Trial by fire.

Okay, that does sound a bit extreme, but it's appropriate when stuck in the pause before running across hot coals.  Really, when is it ever okay to run across?  Do you count to three and run like mad?  The only way I'd go is if someone pushed me between two and three!

I don't know about you, but I realize I'm often throwing my hands up in protest at tasks.   My first response to new information (whether assigned by a professor or suggested by my writing Muse) is often:  "you want me to do what?"

I try not to say it out loud.  No, instead I'll nod like I'm taking it in stride, while inside I'm thinking some form of this incredulous "you want me do do what?" question.  Whether I think I know too much or too little about the task ahead of me, the follow-up thoughts going through my head are either, "really, I'm clueless," or "whoa, this is going to hard."  Information, it seems, can be dangerous...at least to my confidence. 

 But at some point we have to dive in and do the "lab work" (i.e, the writing).

Oh, the dubious joys of a lab class.  "Lab" is the DOING and each of my classes this semester has a lab component.  Two are indoors and one is often outdoors doing field work.  For each there is pre-lab work to be done.  For one lab there is a "pre-lab lecture" and forms to fill out.  (Things to know, like:  "concentrated sulfuric acid will vigorously attack tissue.  Avoid contact..etc.")  For another lab, there is a "research prospectus" to be drawn up of what you intend to do out in the field.  (Lots of unknowns to assume will go smoothly.) For another lab the preparation is just a "monster syllabus" as I think of it...pages and pages of scientific names that is merely a "head-up" for the critters (parasites) I'm supposed to somehow commit to memory. 

Personally, I find all the pre-lab exercises part the intimidation factor.  If I didn't have the push of deadlines for these labs when I had to show up, I would always want at least "one more day" to prepare!

But what I've discovered is:

1.  The things you do in the lab (and in the writing) will be vastly different than what you imagined.
2.  It won't be as bad as you think.
3.  There are do-overs.

In the DOING the impossible becomes possible.  It is difficult, but in one step at a time (or several quick steps!) it gets done.  Nobody gets hurt.  Much. But even if the worst you can imagine happens, the mistakes can be fixed.  You realize that some of your preparation would have done you little good.  Only in context does it become meaningful and individualized to your experience. 

We don't always get a push, but we can trust we are prepared to handle what comes up.  You won't really know until you do it.

I don't regret a lot of my "preparation and information gathering."  After all,  I just might write a story where my historical research and lots of other trivia comes in handy.  If I can find it.  But there's a big chance I won't know until I'm in the thick of things.  Sometimes the best results can come from taking the initial "you what me to do what?" information and running with it.

Maybe I'll put on my chem lab goggles on to write...just to make me feel official and prepared. :)  It can't be too dangerous in the story, but just in case...

Endings: Happily Ever After...Or Not?

I've had lots of alternate endings for one of my romance WIPs.  It's the story "Ghost of a Promise" and, as you might imagine, achieving this"happily ever after" in the ending of a ghost story has been a challenge.   At times, even I have been a bit clueless as to how it was all going to work out.   I even wondered if, *whisper* maybe I wasn't writing a romance after all.  Because, really, how could it be a romance without the guaranteed happy ending? 

But of course, love them or hate them, romances, in the broader sense of movies and classical literature, have not always had happy endings.  And if tragedy seemed a more logical ending for this love story, maybe there were some strengths or benefits of tragedy to consider.  (At least until I figured my way out of this mess, that is!)

So, if you ever find yourself in this dilemma, here are my ideas of some benefits of tragedy:

1. Tragedy is, above all, memorable. Movies such as "Somersby," "Ghost" (of course!), "The Time Traveler's Wife" or "Gone with the Wind," etc, all have the loss of a hero or at least an unresolved  ending.  But in tragedy they linger in our thoughts. Tragic endings invite us to spend time making up 'what ifs' or reconciling a tragedy by imagining if only that one step had been different. We would even change history or cheat death if we could.  Above all, we don't forget when we reinvent.

2. In tragic endings, there is immortality and a sense of loyalty to "one great love."  In a sense, time stands still after a tragedy. The continuation of the heroine's life after a loss of a hero (although she is still young) is not imagined in a forward sense.  And, although we might imagine changing the events leading up to the ending, once the tragedy has occurred, we don't replace the hero or imagine the heroine with a second chance at love and happiness.  A new man in her life? Heaven forbid! That would be disloyal.

For example, even in the movie "Titanic," Rose has a long life that takes place in the years between the loss of Jack, her true love, and the last dreamlike scene of their reunion in death on the ship's staircase. It's actually a contrived happy ending to reunite Rose and Jack. The audience feels happy (so did I), and forgets what would be a real tragedy (other than the sinking of the ship!); this being  if Rose's only true happiness in a lifetime consisted of just a few days. Instead, what happens in between we don't think about.  We can't.  Tragedy immortalizes the hero and the romance.

3. In some cases, happiness isn't logical.  Tragedy, if not exactly easy, is logical. Bad things happen and, in the real world, ships sink.  Even in a paranormal romance, there are boundaries of logic.  Happiness has to to fit. The happy ending is all about conviction - - an absolute believability in the continuity of the relationship between the hero and the heroine. A love without end.

Seems like a tall order. 

This is a challenge of writing romance, and I don't think it's limited to ghost stories.  For instance, I've often wondered if writers (other than me!) have written themselves into a corner with their "black moments."  After all we work so hard to develop conflict, building on the premise that when things are bad, make them worse, that it might not be so easy to put the brakes on a train wreck in progress. We might do our job so well that the black moment in the story can seem like The End instead of a transition to that final resolution and reward of happiness.

But romance writers figure it out.  The characters and the reader gets a happy ending.  Thank goodness.

And I still wanted a happy ending for my ghost story.

So, while tragedy has its place, I've continued to tweak the right alternate endings for my my story.  Quite often, I've gone back to the thought I'd written myself into a corner -- and a "tragic" corner it was! Every attempt to turn it around to "happily-ever-after" seemed contrived.  But like the  die-hard "if only" fan of happy endings that I am, I persisted in my search of a happy ending, even if persistence meant leaving the story alone for a while.

Oddly enough, I found some missing pieces for this "happy ending" dilemma while working on a different story, which is a sequel.  Now, I do see a glimmer of the bright and shiny happily ever after for this particular story.  However, it's not so much the "tag-on" alternate ending I seemed to be searching for to set everything to rights.  Instead, some clues of "unlikely, but possible" are finding their way in earlier in the plot. 

So, if there's one thing I've learned about turning around a tragic ending to become a happy ending, it is that it's a bit like crafting a "who-done-it" mystery.  If all along you've pointed the finger at the butler, the big reveal that it isn't the butler can either be a satisfying surprise or feel out of place.  My big light bulb moment is that the only way to make a happy ending seem less contrived is to look for where to insert a few "clues" along the way.

Of course, this is one of those writing tips that won't help at all knowing up front.  These "clues" weren't possible while I didn't have the solution.  I do wish someone had told me my ending earlier! *sigh*

Sometimes, it's quite a layering process to make a happily ever!  But we'll keep on doing it because the "if only" of tragedy might keep calling on us for a few changes...

Any movies or books with tragic endings you've rewritten in your head to end happily? Any movies or books where you've thought the ending contrived for a happily ever after? Ever write yourself into a corner with your black moment...or even your entire story premise?

A New Year of Writing Decisions

Happy New Year!  Here's to a wonderful year of  rewards. I hope this is the year we cross the finish line with our writing goals and get that medal. Or maybe several medals. Maybe this is our Olympic year. 

Or maybe it will be next year. 

Oops.  Did I hear a screech like an old record makes when the music is interrupted?  Sorry!  I didn't mean to make the music stop, but I just want to put out there that it's OKAY if our Olympic events aren't right around the corner.  We're working on it.  After all, the athletic Olympics only come around every four years so maybe we're still deep in training.  (Well, every two years of alternating winter and summer games, but you know what I mean.) 

This is why I don't like to make resolutions that seem to say we start the race on January 1 with no consideration for the training,  habits or practices of the past.  These resolutions assume that somehow we will know how to fly because we've changed from a caterpillar into a butterfly.  We forget that even this does not happen overnight.  Or that a newly emerged butterfly has fragile wings. 

And maybe our characters are also like these changing creatures.  We're like coaches/choreographers to a team of caterpillars and newborn butterflies dreaming of competing in the Butterfly Olympics. It's our job to get them there...

We start by building our team around two star players.  Long before this pair gets their wings, they will have brought with them an entourage of characters/caterpillars for our team.  Relatives, friends and co-workers all get in with a good word from the stars.  And sometimes villains and new players come to us from parts unknown.  Some make the team and sometimes we have to cut a player or put him or her on the sidelines.  Maybe their turns will come. 

And during all the tough days of training we make decisions and search out the best advice for our team.  We consult with experts and voraciously read their how-to manuals.   We try to emulate the starring teams from the last Olympics.  We might have exhibition matches for feedback and tally up the judge's scores. 

We try to do all the right things for preparing our Olympic team but at some point there still will be a string of dark days in the training.  We might even miss the scheduled Butterfly Olympics we put down in red ink on the calendar.  Some of the caterpillars refused to metamorphose into butterflies and the ones that did are out there fluttering around flowers and teasing cats.  We think nothing can salvage this group or bring them together.

How can this be?  It isn't as if you don't have a lot of advisers.  Only it seems like for every expert brought in to say one thing there is another who says the opposite.  For every judge or critique group reader that says one thing there will be another who says the opposite.  Everyone has an opinion on which direction to go until you, the poor coach/choreographer, don't know which way to turn. 

Who do you listen to?  Who are you to decide on a game plan when surrounded by experts more experienced than you in Butterfly Olympics?  Never mind that they've frightened away the butterflies.

Maybe if you sit still long enough one of your butterflies will land on your finger.

She trusts you. 

Only you are allowed to know which direction she wants to fly.  And one by one, the rest of the butterflies will be drawn to you too. 

Before you know it, the team is anxious for your advice and hovering close by for the next idea.  They want to be a part of the Butterfly Olympics.

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This year I'm thanking my advisers, but putting them "on call."  I respect them and know I'll need them again but I will be careful not to let them frighten off the butterflies.  I know my decisions are right when the butterflies land.

Thanks for joining me for another year and best of luck to you and your team of butterflies!