Saturday, May 31, 2008
May 31st 2008 archive
I think my brain is being a little bit contrary lately. After my post last night, I went to bed, full of the questions, thoughts and tidbits of story for my fiction-in-progress. I fell asleep thinking about the hero/heroine bar scene and it really came to life for me in my mind. I went to sleep with the intention of waking early (fiction always compels me to get up early and write–like 5am or earlier early) and writing myself into the story.
Sometime during the night, maybe during one of the massive thunderstorms that rolled through town, my brain changed gears. Instead of waking to thoughts of Christopher, I woke up with the complete outline and most of the text of a freelance article I’d just barely brainstormed a few weeks ago with one of the Serious Writing girls. Every bit of the article is there, on the tip of the brain, screaming at me to write it down. Of course I’ll comply–it’s a cool article idea that I hope will help many writers during the summer months get more done with the kids at home. Never, ever overlook writing when it comes unprompted to the brain. (Beth’s first law of writing).
I love that nonfiction writing forms itself in my brain with very little anguish to me. Unlike fiction, I don’t usually have to write out, longhand, my freelance articles–it’s straight to the computer, type that sucker up, and let it simmer a few days before editing & proofing. There are few wrong turns, unless an editor wants a rewrite or additional source. Nonfiction always flows. Fiction does too, but not as often.
Man, do I love freelancing…
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Why I love writing romance fiction
If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you’ve probably noticed that I have a love/like (never hate) relationship with writing fiction vs. freelancing. My fiction doesn’t sell, my freelancing does. If you’re a writer, a little gratification now & then (in terms of a paycheck and/or credit) is nice, hence why I’ve been doing more freelance lately.
Last week, in cleaning up some old files, I found the beginning of a story I started last year and realized that it’s really not that bad. I love the premise (if you’ve read Mandi’s Lucky Day, it’s a little twisty like that) and the hero is just a flat-out hunk with a tortured soul. I’ve been reading over the old notes and finished pages (about 12), and have found the story creeping back into my mind at odd times of the day.
Last night, I took the fiction writing notebook (yes, I have a fiction and a freelance one…they look and feel different) to bed and instead of getting sleep, brainstormed on the first three chapters, intent on answering one major question:
Who falls first?
Romance writers know what I mean. In a romance, either the hero or heroine has to give in first and show their hand in the attraction game. Otherwise, you lose readers. (In case you didn’t know, Mandi is the one–and only–since the story is from her pov). There has to be some type of awareness on the part of one character for the other or we just run around in circles waiting for someone to make a move.
However–this is one of my weaknesses. For the most part, I’m a pantser. I do a bit of broad, overarching plotting (I know the beginning, ending and first kiss scene), but I generally write the rest by the seat of my pants. In the case of showing their hand, I rarely know who goes first, and when writing as a pantser, find that it’s difficult to nail down.
So when I sat last night with the notebook and freshly-loaded fountain pen, I was trying to save myself a little grief and know the attraction focus from the start. I’ll be honest: I didn’t have much faith that I’d figure it out. I was tempted to just start writing and see how far I got, but instead I asked a lot of questions of my characters. I actually learned that my heroine’s ex didn’t get caught with the secretary, he had some type of secret life (hence the “ex”). I discovered that the story takes place in mid-spring Chicago, not Louisiana. I realized that my heroine’s original name of Lily is entirely too light and simple for such a complex girl (I can’t write far into a story without the perfect name. Once I name a character, they almost NEVER change). I also found that Christopher (that hunky hero I mentioned above) likes drinking scotch (ick) in quiet, dark bars. I found that I didn’t need the setup scene in chapter one: if I dive into the story, it makes much more of an impact to the plot and reader.
Oh, and I discovered that Chris falls for [Lily] first. She’s the exact opposite of the type of woman he thought she’d be (a setup date for a friend), and he is totally enamoured with her when she sits beside him at the bar and chats up the bartender about the loser professor she’s gotta date for her sister in law…which happens to be him.
That’s why I love fiction writing. Unlike freelancing, which I can almost completely complete in my head, I have to write out the problems of fiction to discover the solutions. Must be the mystery that has me hooked. Or that hunky hero…
What the heck am I doing here telling you about it? Where’s that fiction notebook?!
It's pretty simple, really. I'm a writer who loves writing about writing, and sharing all the tricks of the trade with other writers. And when I'm not writing, I'm thinking about writing. I have a hunch you know what I mean :)