Renee Blare

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Gail

I’m glad to have Renee Blare visiting today, and hope you enjoy reading her take on creating a novel – in my favorite line, she tells us what gave her whiplash! And if you’d like to win an e-copy of Renee’s new release, please leave a comment.

My Fledgling Leaves the Nest…Finally

You want to write a book. In fact, you’ve started a plot line or rough draft of one already. Now what?
A book’s like a child. Different stories float around inside every author’s mind, flowing out in a way much like labor. Some authors plot, others don’t. And still others combine the process in a convoluted method. Like birth, no matter how the words eventually find their way to the page, the development of a book doesn’t stop with its first dawn.
Take my new release, To Soar on Eagle’s Wings. Five years ago, I wrote my first book in three months. The word flowed like a river from my mind and heart. It was awesome! I couldn’t believe it. God brought the plot together in a phenomenal way, and I knew it was meant to be.
I decided to take the next step. Publication. I asked myself the question every new writer asks…how do I get published? What a question…and an eye opener! Have you seen how many different ways someone can publish today? So, I joined ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). Instead of putting my new book on a shelf, I discovered how to truly write a novel.
You have to understand. I’d never penned one in my life. That’s not saying I hadn’t ever written anything before. I loved to write short stories, and poetry, and I’d read every type of book imaginable. But as far as writing one…no. And it showed. Abundantly.
I look back at that first rough draft now and realize why I’ve rewritten the thing four times. Ever heard of head-hopping? It was atrocious. I gave myself whiplash. It took me a couple of hard years to learn the rules of creative writing, but I removed all kinds of nasty little things woven in the manuscript. After that, I discovered the plot holes and restructured my “perfect” story at the advice of an wonderful editor.
Was this in the hope of landing a contract? No, I did it simply to make the story better. Did any of this stop or get easier after I signed on the dotted line with Prism Book Group? No, in fact, I believe I underwent tougher edits courtesy of my awesome acquisitions editor, Susan.
The sun has risen and set on To Soar many times to get it to where it is today. And no story’s ever perfect. As a writer, you will always continue the editing process if it’s left up to you. After all, it’s your baby, your child. You want it to be ready to face the world.
But eventually, the manuscript must leave the nest. That means trusting your work, editor…your publisher that all has been done to make it the best it can be. You’ve done your part. Now it’s time to have faith, trust the Lord, and let go. No matter the outcome, He’s in control.
It’s time to fly.

July 6 Dora Hiers – Coming Home

Posted on July 5, 2015 by Gail

A little about Dora, one of those amazing women developed in both LEFT and RIGHT brains! Please leave a comment to qualify for her giveaway, a copy of her July release, BECK’S PEACE.

After a successful auditing career, Dora left the corporate world to be a stay-at-home mom to her two sons. When her youngest son no longer wanted her hanging out at school with him anymore, Dora started writing Heart Racing, God-Gracing romance. She is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA) and her local chapter, Carolina Romance Writers.

Dora and her real life hero make their home in North Carolina. When she takes a break from cranking out stories, she enjoys reading, family gatherings, and mountain cabin getaways. She despises traffic, bad coffee, technological meltdowns, and a sad ending to a book. Her books always end with a happily-ever-after!

Coming Home

While our two sons were young, we lived in Florida, where seasons and cooler temperatures were non-existent. So, every winter break we loaded the car with heavy coats, sleds, and Christmas presents, and traveled to some faraway state, hoping to find snow.

After arriving at our destination, we would tuck all the presents under a miniature artificial tree and turn on the sparkling lights. Then, we’d snuggle in front of the fireplace and cheer for our favorite football teams or watch a movie, sipping hot chocolate loaded with whipped cream and sprinkles. In the morning, we’d all scramble to the window to see if it had snowed during the night. Nothing beat that first sight of freshly fallen snow, clean and pure, and shimmering like diamonds.

Now that hubby and I are empty nesters, we travel quite a bit more than we did when the kids were young. We’ve taken to cruising every year and have enjoyed visiting Italy, France, Croatia, Spain, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. We’ve tried new foods, explored new cultures, experienced unfamiliar situations, deciphered foreign languages, and encountered wonderful people along the way.

As much as I love traveling, the best part for me is…wait for it, wait for it…

Coming home. That sweet feeling that wells up as I walk in the door. Home, where everything is familiar, where our dog roams the yard without a leash, where I don’t need to pull up a map on my cellphone. Home, to a soft mattress and pillows shaped just the way I need them, coffee just the way I like it, and local restaurants with food and words I recognize. Home, to precious family nearby, where we don’t have to rely on Internet connections to chat or Google Hangouts to soak in their sweet faces. Home, to the comfort of a routine because that’s the way I roll.

Beck Harmon left home and wandered for ten years, seeking peace over his father’s death. Our motivation might be different, but he would say the same about his travels. The best part was coming home.

Which states/countries have you visited? What’s your favorite aspect of traveling? Least favorite?

Beck’s Peace – Release Date: 7/24/15

Burn survivor Savvy McCord doesn’t blame her best friend for running away. She can’t even look at her scars without wincing. When Beck’s disappearing act spans years, she relinquishes dreams of love and marriage. Unable to face Savvy’s expectations of happily-ever-after, Beck Harmon deserts her, far away from the rumors that he’s just like his father. When the wanderer returns, dreams of forever blossom in Savvy’s heart, but she worries he’ll leave again. Can Beck convince Savvy that her true beauty comes from her inner strength and faith? Will his idea to help burn victims regain their self-confidence restore Savvy’s trust in him? Will love be what the wanderer needs to find peace for his hurting soul?

BecksPeace_w11733_680

Connect with Dora on Fiction Faith & Foodies, Seriously Write, Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

Summer Joys

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Gail

It’s July first, and in the fifties here in Northern Iowa. I’m signing in before the Fourth of July, when we’ll have twenty-plus folks here to celebrate my husband’s birthday. Yup, a lucky firecracker–he always gets a party.

Thought I’d share some photos and thoughts on the joys of summer. Most of the pics speak for themselves.

Hearing that old bat C-R-A-A-A-C-K!!

Sunshine through tall maples …

Daylily glory, dewdrop peonies, and summer moments – the best of summer is here.

For a writer, every color, every nuance, every shade and hue is novel fodder. Voila!

Karen Milligan, June 21, 2015

Posted on June 21, 2015 by Gail

Karen Milligan is a reader, teacher and writer. Teaching high school English, literature and a myriad of writing styles for the past 51 years has had its redundancies and periods. Grading papers = editing. (She began teaching when she was 14 years old at a rural summer school and later taught her younger brother and her son all four years of their high school.)

She’s published 30 children’s stories, a book The Great Church Mouse Caper and 5 teacher resource books on writing. Currently she tutors students in expository and creative writing, writes for a Wisconsin Genealogy newsletter and edits thesis papers. She’s also writing her childhood memoirs along with a historical genealogical family tree involving Dutch and Scottish ancestors.

She lives in Menasha, Wisconsin with her husband of 35 years, a former instrumental music teacher; they have one son and two grandchildren, 16 and 18 years old. Her hobbies include: sewing, flower gardening, long distance hiking, reading, travel, photography, bird watching, writing memoir stories, singing, and charcoal drawing. She is open to editing and proofreading and can be contacted at kmbooks50@gmail.com or befriend her at Karen Porter Milligan on facebook.

Credits to the Edits

Have you ever thought about how many actual words you hear in a day? The number, if you could count them, would be astonishing. The sheer number of words you read in a day could be counted, but who would take time to do that? We writers and editors, who love words, handle them every day with our eyes and our minds. As a teacher of English, expository and fiction writing, I cannot fathom the billions of words that have crossed my brainwaves.

You, as a writer, accept the fact that you must also edit. Re-reading, searching for mistakes, looking for anomalies, tweaking unclear phrases or spying flat-out typos can be tedious or joyful. This all depends on your viewpoint and time needed to seek the mistakes.

In essay papers corrected by teachers are the following real-life examples of… well, youʼll see… History of the World, a studentʼs answer: Ancient Egypt was inhabited by mummies, and they all wrote in hydraulics. They lived in the Sarah Dessert and traveled by Camelot. The climate of the Sarah is such that the inhabitants have to live elsewhere, so certain areas of the dessert are cultivated by irritation. The pyramids are a range of mountains between France and Spain. The Egyptians built the pyramids in the shape of a huge triangular cube.

Another student wrote: The Greeks were a highly sculptured people, and without them, we wouldnʼt have history. The Greeks invented three kinds of columns–Corinthian, Doric and Ironic. They also had myths. A myth is a female moth. One myth says that the mother of Achilles dipped him in the River Stynx until he became intolerable. Achilles appears in “The Iliad,” by Homer. Homer also wrote the “Oddity,” in which Penelope was the last hardship that Ulysses endured on his journey. Actually, Homer was not written by Homer but by another man of that name.

A third student opined: Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who went around giving people advice. They killed him. Socrates died from an overdose of wedlock. After his death, his career suffered a dramatic decline. A fourth student expressed: In mid-evil times most of the people were alliterate. The greatest writer of the futile times was Chaucer, who wrote many poems and verse and also wrote literature. Another story was about William Tell, who shot an arrow through an apple while standing on his son’s head.

Now these were honest-to-goodness students’ use of the English language which is filled with funny, odd, humorous, out-of-place ideas and phrases. The rules, if you will, about editing take twists and turns. Two words that have been added to American language are: texting and impacting. The word “text” is a noun, not to be used as a verb. Mimi just texted me and I need to answer her!

The word “impact” is a noun, not to be used as a verb. But, we hear both used incorrectly almost daily. The students were impacted by the new campus ruling. One last word that has morphed since I was young is the word harassment. (And, yes, I used the word “morphed” correctly.)

Harassment used to be pronounced with the accent on the middle syllable, but is now pronounced with the accent on the first syllable. Who and where the change was sanctioned on all three words is a mystery to me. Editing will always be a mud-fuddled job. Wait! Where did that word come from? Yikes! I ended a sentence with a preposition. See what I mean?

Alright, all of you writers and editors out there, keep up the good work. (Please, edit out the use of “alright!”) I give you credits to the edits!

Karen A. Milligan Menasha, Wisconsin

Summer’s List – Anita Higman

Posted on June 14, 2015 by Gail

Author Anita Higman visits us today, and answers some questions about her latest release, Summer’s List.

Life and love keep going awry for Summer Snow, until her grandmother sends her on an unexpected adventure with one Martin Langtree—a kind and quirky young man from Summer’s past. With Laney the Chihuahua along for the ride, a childhood friendship is rekindled, a romance is sparked, and mysteries are solved in one magical Texas summer. Will Summer strike out on love again, or will things finally go her way?

You like fairytales, Anita. Tell us about that.

My mother read me fairytales when I was a kid, and I believe these stories had a profound effect on me. I have been told my stories read like modern-day fairytales, and I am hoping that Summer’s List will have that same fun feel to it.

Tell us a bit about your writing journey.

I have been writing for thirty years, and I have forty books published. To be honest, it’s been a rough journey. I have known a great deal of failure before I ever knew any success. But then that is a common tale among writers. As far as where my journey will go, only God knows the answer to that question.

I have to admit, when I saw your photo, I thought, “NO WAY she’s been writing for thirty years!

Back to our questions: Do you have any pet peeves?

Sure. I suppose one of them is that occasionally we’ve forgotten how to be polite and kind when it comes to social media posts and emails. I think it would be lovely to go back in time to a simpler, gentler era when people had a deeper sense of the preciousness of humanity. Harsh words spoken in haste can really hurt—sometimes for a lifetime. I say this from having experience on both sides of this issue, so I’m not holding myself up as perfect. I’m far from perfect. But wouldn’t it be wonderful to care about each other in the same way Christ loves us?

Do you have a Bible verse that is particularly meaningful to you?

“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 (NIV)

What is the hardest part of writing?

All of it. I’m not kidding. Sometimes I still can’t believe I write books. Yes, it’s about fun creative stuff, but it’s also about keeping my bum in the chair and writing even when I’m not inspired. It’s about getting the job done. No. Matter. What. And sometimes that’s not easy to do.

Where do get your ideas?

Everywhere. While I’m running errands. While I’m at church. While I’m talking to friends and family. With each story, colorful bits of life end up in my final piece of art—a little like the way a mosaic comes together, making a lovely picture.

What have you read recently?

Recently I read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. It’s a masterwork—a true story about slavery in America—and a book that everyone should read.

Anything else you’d like to tell us about your new novel, Summer’s List?

One of my characters is taken from real life—a sweet Chihuahua named Laney. This little dog was considered a love-gift from God since she helped my daughter-in-law get through a painful passage in her life. It was a true joy for me to add this beloved dog, Laney, to my story.

How can your readers get in touch with you?

5_016

Here are two of my media links. I’d love to hear from you!

www.anitahigman.com https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnitaHigman

Purchase link for Summer’s List:http://www.amazon.com/Summers-List-Anita-Higman/dp/0802412327/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1433986960&sr=8-3&keywords=Anita+Higman

How Old Is Too Old?

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Gail

How Old Is Too Old

Welcome, Pat!!!

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard someone younger than I am say, “I’d love to write a book, but I’m too old to do that.”

And it isn’t limited to writing a book. Mention learning anything new, and I hear the same response.

Is there an age limit to what we can do?

……………Bear with me a minute—I’m thinking. Part of me wants to say NO! But then I think about how I used to climb trees, and while in my mind, I think I could still do it, I’m not sure I want to, especially since there’s no bear chasing me.

Physically, we might not be able to do what we once did, but there are so many other things we can do. One year at Christmas my mother learned to text. She was ninety. She had a Facebook page when she passed away at ninety-three. She always wanted to be challenged.

So do I. And I think that’s the key. Desire to stretch ourselves.

I hear it now. But how would I start?

That’s the easy part. Be it writing a book or learning how to use a computer. Take a class. Did you know after age sixty, about 60% of accredited colleges offer a waiver for senior students? And at most colleges you can audit a class for free. Check it out here and here. Whatever you decide to do, be sure to learn the nuts and bolts of how to do it.

I believed God called me to write, and not just any old story, but suspense stories. Except I wasn’t having any luck with them. I was sixty-five when I went to my first writing retreat. I had been writing for almost thirty years with success in writing short pieces but had not gotten any results from my novels. I was making the same mistakes over and over because I didn’t have anyone to tell me what I was doing wrong…or right. But at the retreat I learned so much and went back four more years. After the third year, I got an agent and a publisher and my first book. Shadows of the Past was published after I turned 69.

So, you can do it! But you need a desire, discipline to do what it takes to learn whatever you desire…and then, you’ll be ready when God opens the door.

By the way, the fourth book in the Logan Point series comes out in July. And I just completed the second book for Harlequin Heartwarming—A Christmas Campaign, bringing my total books written since 2012 to six.

Patricia Bradley

Connect with me:

Twitter: @ptbradley1

FaceBook: www.facebook.com/patriciabradleyauthor

www.patriciabradleyauthor.com

http://mbtponderers.blogspot.com/

Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00FFR8T1U

Feelings….character depth – Shannon Vannatter

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Gail

Welcome, Shannon, and guests! Here’s something special to commemorate the Heartsong Presents line since it’s ending this month. Comment to enter the drawing for a copy of Rodeo Reunion. Ten copies will be split among names drawn during my blog tour from June 1st – July 1st. One winner will receive a baseball themed memory board personally crafted by the author. Winners will be revealed on the author’s blog on July 22nd.

And now, here’s Shannon with some useful writing tips.

Feelings, whoa whoa whoa, feelings . . .

Anybody remember that song? Yes, I’m showing my age, but I thought it might grab your attention. The main way I add depth to my characters is through emotions. Feelings bring characters to life. I reveal feelings through reactions, both visceral such a jaw tic and physical such as clenched fists to show anger.

Another great way to reveal feelings is through internal thoughts—the things characters don’t say. So many times I think things I’ll never say. Often because my thoughts are rude, selfish, or too vulnerable to reveal. Characters need to have those thoughts too.

Our feelings, reactions, and internal thoughts are all shaped by our unique backstories. The people who raised us. The people surrounding us as we grew up. The things that happened—good and bad—in our lives. The place we grew up. Life-altering events—it all makes us who we are. Our backstories shape our reactions, emotions, and thoughts.

By basing a character’s feelings, reactions, and internal thoughts on their backstory, everything they feel, think, say, and do rings true. Yes, there are very writerly rules about backstory dumping. If you start the book with everything that happened to your character since birth, the reader won’t get very far.

We have to make the reader care about the character before they will care about what made them the way they are. The best advice I learned on backstory is to sprinkle it lightly like salt. A line or two here. A line there. Just enough to make the character reactions understandable.

Another great piece of advice—reveal your character’s backstory like you reveal your past to a new acquaintance—a little at a time as the relationship deepens. When you first meet, you reveal little, maybe your job, whether you’re married or not, and how many children you have if any. The next time, maybe you talk about your parents and siblings. It takes months to reveal some things about yourself, years for others, and some things you never reveal.

Characters should be the same way. Readers don’t need to know every little thing about them. Just the important stuff that shaped them and only over time as they get deeper into the book and in a deeper relationship with the character.

Here’s a fun way to tackle backstory form the movie, Tangled:

Rapunzel: “So Flynn, where you from?”

Flynn: “Whoa, Blondie, I don’t do backstory. But I am very interested in yours.”

But she doesn’t want to spill either. Later, after practically everybody in the kingdom is chasing them, Flynn fights off guards and a horse, and lots of destruction, they end up in a cave which is slowly flooding. Trapped and thinking they’re going to die, Rapunzel apologizes for getting him into this mess. In a vulnerable moment, Flynn reveals his real name—Eugene Fitzherbert and how he became Flynn Rider, the thief.

Characters don’t necessarily have to be trapped and on the verge of dying to get their backstory out. But their backstory should be revealed slowly as the reader needs to know it and organically to fit the story. Divulge the bulk of it well into the tale—after your reader is rooting for your character.

If every feeling, thought, and reaction the character has is shaped by their backstory, the character leaps off the page, three dimensional, and full of depth.

Central Arkansas author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter is a stay-at-home mom/pastor’s wife. She lives in a town with a population of around 100, if you count a few cows, and once climbed a mountain wearing gold wedge-heeled sandals which became known as her hiking boots. Vannatter won the Inspirational Readers Choice Award in the short contemporary category, The 18^th Annual Heartsong Awards 3rd Favorite New Author and #1 Contemporary Award.

She has ten published titles and is contracted for five more. Her books are available at christianbook.com, barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com, harlequin.com, and barbourbooks.com. Learn more about Shannon and her books at http://shannonvannatter.com and check out her real life romance blog at http://shannonvannatter.com/blog/.

Rodeo Reunion cover

Connect with Shannon on Facebook: http://facebook.com/shannontaylorvannatter, Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/29672798-shannon-vannatter, Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/stvannatter/, and Twitter: @stvauthor.

Rodeo Reunion: RAQUEL MARRIS NEEDS A MAN WHO’LL STAY PUT

And Slade Walker’s not a likely candidate. Even if the former major league pitcher just agreed to coach her son’s little league team. The single mom can’t risk everything on a bronc-riding chaplain who’s only passing through Raquel’s small Texas town.

Slade is taking a hiatus from the rodeo circuit to meet the sister he never knew he had. But the pretty widowed nurse next door is making him think twice about hitting the road again. He can’t turn his back on the cowboys who need him, but Raquel and her boy need him, too. Can Slade fulfill his calling and finally find a place to hang his hat?

Purchase Links:

http://www.christianbook.com/rodeo-reunion-shannon-vannatter/9780373487851/pd/487851?event=ESRCG

http://www.amazon.com/Reunion-Heartsong-Presents-Shannon-Vannatter/dp/0373487851/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1431697907&sr=1-5&keywords=Shannon+Taylor+Vannatter

Growing Things

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Gail

My tea bag note says “Plant Something” Dena Rubin.

Probably many readers have been planting lately, now that Iowa weather has decided to give us a chance.

I’ve been thinking lately about the seeds of ideas that come to us. A seed is so different from what it becomes with soil, water, and sunshine, and that’s how it goes with our story ideas, too.

Standing in a hallway one day, a character comes to us. It’s kind of mystical, and definitely a gift. What stirs us to feel this person’s reality, and the story they have to tell?

After months/years of fleshing out a heroine, she “feels” almost as real to me as the actual people I meet. That’s pretty amazing, when you think about it.

So I’m posting a photo of Iowa corn…little seedlings that have already transformed into plants spattering rows. We’ll watch them grow all summer, through sunshine, storms, and scares. Just like our characters.

WAIT FOR ME, Jo Huddleston

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Gail

Our guest, Jo Huddleston, is a multi-published author of books, articles, and short stories. Her debut novels in the Caney Creek Series and her latest book, Wait for Me are sweet Southern romances. She is a member of ACFW, the Literary Hall of Fame at Lincoln Memorial University (TN), and holds a M.Ed. degree from Mississippi State University. Jo lives in the U.S. Southeast with her husband, near their two grown children and four grandchildren. Visit Jo at www.johuddleston.com.

Following is an Jo’s interview with a character from her novel. Wait for Me

I’m in Coaltown, West Virginia meeting with Claude Capshaw.

Hello. Are you the owner of Capshaw coal mine #7?

Hey, there. Yes, I’ve owned this mine for about a year.

Mr. Capshaw, do you own other coal mines as well?

Please call me Claude. And, yes, I’ve bought coal mines in Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia. This mine here in Coaltown is my latest purchase.

Do you always live in the community where your coal mine is located?

That’s right. I need to be close to the miners when I buy a new coal mine. They need see me around and come to know me as the fair, honest man that I am. My wife, Lillian, doesn’t much like it when we move to a new coal community. In fact, she doesn’t like living anywhere near a coal mine and is a little standoffish, she doesn’t mix well with the miners and their families.

Claude, do you have children? How do they like living here?

We have a beautiful daughter, Julia. I think Julia likes it okay here. Her mother gives her a hard time about spending time with the miners’ kids and forbids her to socialize, especially the boys.

Why do you think that is?

Well, my wife isn’t much like my little girl and me. Julia and I can mix with the people here. But I know it’s hard on Julia when her mother wants her to stay apart from the other kids. Julia’s a normal high school senior, she wants to have friends, and she’s torn between what she wants and what her mother demands. I try to encourage Julia all I can.

How do you do that?

There’s a boy in her class she likes—Roberto. He works after school every day in my company store. He’s a good kid. I don’t criticize Julia or tell her mother when I see them talking. Like I said, Julia needs to have her friends. She’ll be leaving in September to enroll at West Virginia University. I’m in agreement with her mother about that—it’s important that Julia get a good education.

But I think my wife’s only purpose in sending her to the university is so she will be in better social circles up there. Her mother thinks Julia needs to meet more suitable and acceptable young men than those here in the mining community. I just hope her strict rules and plans for Julia don’t backfire and cause Julia to become disobedient. My little girl is a sweet child, but she has spunk. I just hope her mother doesn’t push her too hard or too far.

Jo is offering a free eBook for Kindle copy of her book to one commenter on this post.

Here is the purchase link for Wait For Me: http://tiny.cc/bhigxx

Website www.johuddleston.com

Blog http://www.johuddleston.com

Blog http://lifelinesnow.blogspot.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/joshuddleston

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1615694.Jo_Huddleston

Purchase eBook for Kindle and print copies of Wait for Me at: http://tiny.cc/xndfwx

Here’s the back cover from Wait For Me.

Can Julie, an only child raised with privilege and groomed for high society, and Robby, a coal miner’s son, escape their socioeconomic backgrounds? In a 1950’s West Virginia coal mining community, can their love survive their cultural boundaries?

This is a tragically beautiful story of a simple, yet deep love between two soul mates, Robby and Julie. The American South’s rigid caste system and her mother demand that Julie marry an ambitious young man from a prominent family. Julie counters her mother’s stringent social rules with deception in order to keep Robby in her life. Can the couple break the shackles of polite society and spend their lives together? Will Julie’s mother ever accept Robby?

Characterization in a Single Title/Mainstream Romance by Liz Flaherty

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Gail

You’ll enjoy Liz. Sit back and relax.

I’m afraid, now that I said I’d do this article, that I’ve agreed under false pretenses, so let me start it with a duh-generating caveat. I have completed three single title books: a historical romance, a contemporary romance, and one that’s not hardly a romance at all. As of this writing, none of them are sold. That’s the “duh” part—you know, what makes me qualified to write this?

Well, number one, I’m a warm body with a keyboard. Number two, I LOVE characterization. Number three, even though I have enough rejections and editorial maybes under my belt to re-tree a forest, no one has ever rejected or editorially maybe-ed my characters.

It’s the easiest, laziest part of writing fiction, and doing it in single title/mainstream is just exactly like doing it in short/category except it’s…uh…even easier and lazier.

If you’re like me, your characters drive your story. Plot is incidental; it’s just what happens to those people. If you take away your characters—gosh, I hate calling them that; they’re people—the story no longer exists, because it’s not going to be the same story with others as its protagonists and secondary characters.

Oh, my goodness, have I just said something important? Well, that depends. If you write character-driven, you just said “duh.” However, if you’re a plot-driven writer, you probably said, “What is she talking about?”

Have you read any of Janet Ivanovich’s Stephanie Plum mystery series, starting with One for the Money? If you have, you know Stephanie’s a smart-talking “Joizy” girl with a hilarious grandmother and a cousin for every crime. If, on the other hand, you’ve read any of Lawrence Sanders’ Archie McNally series, you know Archie’s a rich guy in his 30s who still lives at home and drives a sharp little red Mazerati.

They’re both young, attractive, witty, and charming. They both have families whose eccentricities add humor and depth to their stories. They both solve mysteries and murders, all the while creating more mayhem for next time. Gender aside, are they interchangeable?

Nope.

And that, my friends, is single-title / mainstream characterization.

Okay, we all know that we develop our people by giving them individual traits. In a category romance, our heroine may be a little clumsy, a chocoholic, or shy. Something terrible may have even happened to her, a long time ago. Our hero might be a channel surfer, or he might drive too fast, or he may suffer flashbacks of a war fought in a Third World country a long time ago. But any failings they have will be either minor ones that don’t seriously affect the story or they will be in their distant past. This is not because the author doesn’t want to deal with them but because category romances aren’t long enough.

Single title romances are, so all your people’s character traits—or flaws—can affect the story any way you want them to. And if you want that hero to be just six hours home from that war or that heroine to be just three days past the loss of a child, that’s fine, because you have room in single title to address their pain.

And that, my friends . . . oops, repeating myself, aren’t I?

And there’s another part of characterization. If a character starts out with a slightly twitching right eye or a dimple in her left cheek, make sure she keeps it or gets it fixed within the story. If he speaks in a dialect, make sure not to insert enough of it to get annoying, but don’t forget it altogether, or your readers will “hear” your first-generation Irishman speaking with Midwestern nasality. Repeat yourself—just not a lot.

Before I end this, let me add one thought that is purely subjective, speaking from strictly one reader’s point of view, that reader being me. I hate perfect characters. Just as I’m not interested in knowing any in real life, I’m not interested in reading about them, either, because there’s nothing there to identify with.

Happy writing.

***

Liz Flaherty admits, only semi-apologetically, that she wrote this article a long time ago. In the time since then, those manuscripts she mentioned in the first paragraph—along with numerous others—have been sold and published. (She is unbecomingly proud of this, so don’t ask her too many questions—she’ll answer them.)

You can Google her name, or you can go to all the on-line bookstores if you’d like to read one (or nine) of her books. You can also visit her at www.lizflaherty.com or at http://wordwranglers.blogspot.com/ where she blogs every Monday. If you ever just feel like talking, drop an email to lizkflaherty@gmail.com.