Writing Life & Tidbits & Sneak Interview Preview : Beth Miller, Agent, Writers House

I've been teasing you about my current WIP. And it's been fun. I think part of the reason I'm being coy is that my characters are behaving exactly the same way. This hero and heroine are driving me batty. He's a stoic, only child who buries his emotions. She's the youngest of five and was neglected so she's learned to be a spark of light.

They're perfect for each other, right? But they aren't making it easy for me. I'm working hard to figure out what's driving them together and pushing them apart. At heart they are more alike, than they are different. It is in the differences that the conflict occurs. The EMOTIONAL conflict. And that's why this story is a little different for me. Instead of external devices and turning points being used to drive the story forward, internal revelations and emotional responses are driving the story. THE CHARACTERS are in charge.

And whenever I try to put them somewhere to make the story move a bit more, they fight me. But then she's a rebel and he's an alpha male who wants to control everything. Trust me, there's a lot of hair washing going on at my house just to shake loose what they want to say.

Agent Beth Miller at Writers House took the time to speak with me about her writing background and how she ended up becoming an editor with a very unique skill set. You'll have to tune in tomorrow, February 19th at www.romancemagians.blogspot.com to learn them. But I do want to share who we both go fan-girl over in the Romance Writing world. Here's what she said when I asked her this question:

Have you ever become star-struck when meeting an author? If so, who?

Nora Roberts.  I may have drooled.  J

I still can't stop dropping my chin to the ground and gaping at Nora Roberts whenever I see her at the RWA National Conference. She's just amazing to me. And so is Linda Howard. She supports our writing chapters at the local and national level. How awesome is that? So polish your entries now. The 2013 Linda Howard Award of Excellence is still open for your diamond waiting to be discovered. Check out www.southernmagic.org for details.

Write All About It

I am cooking with oil, burning through the first draft. I'm on fire with the story and I can't wait to bang it out. There will be lots of revising to do, but I have learned through various ups and downs of writing that my process is my process. I can't fight it. I have to write the story to know the characters. Already they are revealing little nuances and thoughts that have surprised me. I am so excited. I feel like they are getting to know each other and that is how I am getting to know them. This draft isn't perfection. It's got a lot that will be edited out, but I have to write all about it because that's how I will know all about it.

For instance, my reserved engineer? She has a toe ring. Ha. It's a small fact. But I didn't find that out until I wrote 20,000 words!! And my Argentine hero? He's born of the sea and finds refuge in the waters he sails. He's master of his world most when he is there. I love him. He's wounded, lost, angry, bitter and yet through all this I'm already learning that my heroine will be the only woman who has the strength to guide him back to earth, to healing, to being a man capable of not just passion, but great love.

I am happily discovering my story by writing 4,000 words a day. That's my target except on travel days when I pump out 1000. Today is a 4K day. As is tomorrow. I will finish this first draft by the end of next week. Then I will set it aside for a short break, read through it quickly and begin the long process of revising the story. Shaping and molding the words to make them stronger. Carving the words that won't work for the story's flow. Shoring up the motivations and characterizations. This will take time. But it'll be worth it when I'm done. 

How do you write? What's your process?

Cats, Cookies & Characters

I've been a taking a break from blogging for three reasons:

Tonks loves the hutch but she loves to make trouble as well!

1. Character Rebellion: I have two strong characters. I know my heroine. She's fantabulous. My hero is amazing and sexy and wonderful, but NOT TALKING. I was floundering in the 4th Chapter because my hero and heroine felt like marionettes and not people. I know what happens at the end. I know what she and he must go through so they can have each other, but my hero has NOT been cooperating with his story. And after a day of reading and chilling and thinking, I finally figured him out. Well, poor guy just is scared witless. Now I know why. And I can't wait to reveal his secrets to my readers.

I made 4 plus dozen cookies. Yum!

Tons to repackage and sell.

2. Cookies: In addition to being a writerly momma, I am also a DRAMA MAMA. I have banded with three other Drama Mamas to help bring folks into our teenagers' benefit play. They're trying to raise money to get to the South Eastern Theater Conference in Chattanooga where they'll represent Alabama. Pretty cool beans. Which means I am baking lots of cookies and other sundries as part of their fundraising efforts. What is so wonderful about all this is that the moola they raise helps ALL the kids. This is a group who takes care of each other. Kind of intense because my current characters are involved in fundraising as well. But their fundraising is to raise research money to search for an understanding and a cure of a yucky disease which is killing their best friend. Love my teen and her crew. Love my characters, too.

Tonks is so relaxed!

 3. Writerly Cats: The household felines have been taking over the new writing space. When I opened up the office, Tonks found all kinds of new caves to be cavelike inside. And she is chasing the paper, the paper clips and more. She is up to mischief. And speaking of mischief, the Teen's cat MISCHIEF has also returned to the office. A tentative truce is set up. Missy and Tonks are trying to get along for the most part. Much like my characters, it is an uneasy alliance, but they do it out of love for me.

Mischief has returned to visit the office.

She and Tonks are reluctant allies.

And so that is the way of the world in my corner of the universe. 

What's in your world today?

What Happens Next? Why does it Matter? Lessons to Think About

I live in a fictional world where the main question is often "What happens next?" What are the characters doing, where are they doing it, and why are they doing it and does what they are doing matter to them and to the story?

What happens next? Sometimes I don't know. Sometimes I think I know. Sometimes I fool myself about knowing which leads to many revisions. I believe this is because I haven't sat down with my characters and discussed why they are doing what they are doing next. What drives the characters drives the story forward.

More than anything in the past year I have learned that if I play Goddess of My Manuscript, my characters rebel. This means slowing down, looking at what I've written and asking is this really what they are doing next? How do I know for sure? Well, I don't. I just have to write it out, mull it, look at it again, and play with the story until the manuscript gels.

And even then I know that someone will come along a poke holes into what I believe has been the solution all along. First it will be critique partners. Second it will be contest judges. Third it will be editors and agents. And I know I will have to write again. And again. And again.

BUT I do know one thing--I must first write the story as I see it unfold from beginning to end before I make monumental changes to it. I must first revise it at least once before I start sending it out to my critique partners. I need to discover my story before I let other people tell me what the story should be about and mess up my relationship with my characters.

Oh, I can brainstorm. I can call up a CP and tell them I have an idea about a scene in the current WIP and what do you think? They might agree or disagree, but it's called bouncing ideas off someone to see if the ideas can work. There's not point in writing something if it won't work.

I have to be in my characters' heads. I have to think with their thoughts. I have to react as they would react. And I have to do all of this on blank pages by filling them with words. Words I have written to the best of my ability.

So here are my basic rules for writing:

1. Write the first draft for YOU and the CHARACTERS. Don't let anyone TOUCH your story or CRITIQUE IT without knowing it well enough.

2. Brainstorming is a good thing. Bounce ideas off people to see if they will gel with the story regardless of where you are in the process. They'll either be affirmed or not. BUT ultimately, it is YOUR STORY so you must decide how to fix it in the end.

3. Be prepared to MAKE CHANGES after you have completed your manuscript.

4. Even when you think you're finished--even if it you are published and have an editor--be prepared to make MORE CHANGES.

5. In romances CHARACTERS TRUMP EVERYTHING. Write them well, make them jump off the page and YOU WILL GET INTEREST. And then guess what?

6. Be prepared to make changes to YOUR CHARACTERS based on editorial and agent input.

7. Stay with your story and think about it every day so you can be open to the revelations your characters send you when you are in the shower, in the bath, driving long distances, sitting through boring meetings, putting on makeup, cleaning floors. Trust me. If you stay with your story every day, you will find ideas popping into your head at odd times.

8. Judges comments are to be taken with a grain of salt. They are NOT THE FINAL WORD. They CAN BE WRONG. They CAN BE RIGHT. But ultimately, the reason you enter a contest is to get to the FINAL JUDGE--an editor or an agent. I personally have incorporated GOOD COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS into my writing, but NEVER UNTIL I GIVE IT THOUGHT AND TIME.

9. Editors and agents send revise and resubmit letters. It is up to you to decide if they are right about their suggestions. If you decide to Revise and Resubmit, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING THEY SAY EITHER. They are giving you suggestions based on their instinct and knowledge. BUT ULTIMATELY IT IS UP TO YOUR CHARACTERS TO MOLD THE STORY.

10. Trust YOUR INSTINCTS. Trust YOURSELF. Trust YOUR CHARACTERS.

So this is what I have learned. I hope it helps. Happy Writing!

Writers, WIPs, Wrangling & Work

I'm back from my workshop in Atlanta, but I am not jumping back into my writing. Why? Because the answers I sought only led to more questions about my story. I am glad I went to the all day workshop, but now I must examine my story a bit more closely and make sure that my plot is strong enough.

Intuitively I already knew my story has plotting issues. This is what happens when you don't shore up all the lovely scenes in your head with solid structure points. And every time I go back into the story to fix a major plot point, it affects the entire story. As one writer friend said, it's like pushing down a domino and then a whole row tumbles.

I know my beginning, my set up, my ending and my pinch points. But the middle is a bit iffy. I believe it's a decent midpoint, but I brought the middle to the workshop to make sure it was decent. And the leaders said I needed more. A bigger reason for why my heroine wants to do what she does. I need a very compelling reason for her decision to stay in the area she is living in. But I balk now at the idea of adding a HUGE plot element to fix the story. Why? Because another author who critiqued my work said to "keep it simple." And there will be "more than enough conflict" to compel the reader to read.

I've brainstormed fun ideas to shore up the story with one CP. Suddenly I am on the Internet researching Burlesque dancing (don't ask--long story). Another CP said "if the writing is compelling, the reader will read it anyway and why does anyone read the books they read?" Back to keeping it simple, right?

Repeat after me: writing isn't for sissies or the faint of heart.

In the meantime, I got contest entries back for my opening. I scored well. My "writing voice" was strong and they scored me high in that regard. Whew. One problem solved. I didn't final, but I didn't expect to as the story was still in major revision at the time I entered. I sent in the first 10 pages to see if I was going in the right direction before I was told by the author I had a two tone story. I've worked my little writer fingers to the bone to fix the tone, but that was before the entry flew to the coordinator.  So I was pleased that the comments and scores were pretty decent. Lots of perfect scores from two judges, one of the judges (a published author in romance so gotta heed that one) marked me low on my characterization and the other two marked me high. Two loved the original plot, but the author was iffy on the originality (there are only 12 stories in the world, the trick is to tell them in unique ways). Well, the plot is different now, but that's okay. I believe the issues with characterization are cleared up by fixing the tone.

Right, so now I have even MORE information to digest and deal with before I trudge onward. And I eagerly (not) await my other contest scores (I know I didn't final because they called the finalists on Sunday and I didn't get a call). That entry was the same entry I sent to the critique author and has been changed already. I'm sure that one will not do well--I am praying for decent and constructive feedback.

Repeat after me: not all contest judges strive to be constructive and some of them are soul crushing critics who may not realize the pain they inflict isn't necessary. I try to be constructive when I critique. I usually succeed.

Ironically, I judged another category in that contest. I hope my entrants receive my critique with spirit it was given. I want to build people up, not tear them apart. Why pi**on somebody's parade? I sincerely hope I have judges who judge like me: with kindness in their intent.

On the way home from the workshop, my writing friend and I chatted about what we had learned. We had a four hour drive so we chatted a lot. We clarified her plot points (Larry Brooks' book continues to help me understand plot and I wish I had read it BEFORE I wrote this MS).

But mine? Hmm, not so much. I did decide that I am not writing a thriller or RS (why are nearly all the examples for writing taken from thrillers and suspense movies?) and that the main conflict is, as always BOY MEETS GIRL, BOY AND GIRL WANT EACH OTHER, BOY AND GIRL CAN'T HAVE EACH OTHER, BOY AND GIRL FIND WAY TO BE TOGETHER. THE END. All the other plot stuff is just that, plot stuff. Romance readers want to be entertained, and they want a credible plot, but most of all they want to fall in love with our hero and they want our heroine to deserve him. They want the LOVE to be compelling.

Romance is MORE about characters than it is about plot.

So here I sit, at my computer with a lot of questions. And a lot of ideas and a lot of information. I sit here and wait for contest results to come back so I can digest them and think some more.

Repeat after me: writing doesn't always mean writing words and counting them. Writing takes a lot of thinking, daydreaming, wondering and mulling.

And today I will do a bit more wondering and mulling. I've also decided to talk to my hero and heroine. I'm going to sit down with my Main Characters and ask them a lot of questions. Why? Because I have realized that I have played Goddess of their lives too many times and it is not working for me. I've tried to direct their lives with plots and schemes and ideas. And they aren't cooperating. Therefore I will step aside and let them take charge. I need them to tell me why I should write their story.

Stay tuned. I'll let you know if they reveal their story to me later. I hope they do because I entered this MS in the MAGGIES and the contest deadline is June 1, 2010. There's nothing like putting all our proverbial derrieres into the fire to get the job done.

Status Update: Cat, Characters, Conflict

Status Update for Dowager Feline Clancy: She is on the mend. The Grand Old Lady is healing nicely with the antibiotics, her blood work came back with nothing too scary other than raised white count (infection is our going diagnosis), and she's chowed down 6 small cans of Fancy Feast wet food. She started purring again yesterday and was laying in bed with me this morning for love and affection. Whew! Dodged a bullet!

Status Update for Cast of Current Characters: Muddling through this WIP in Revision with doubt and frustration as my constant companions. I've unearthed surprising emotional elements and have attempted to shore up the plot with new scenes, but I am not sure if my attempts are stellar. I know I have to go in and layer tons of senses and eliminate some repetitive phrases and word tics, but I am not ready to CUT again. I am so tired of cutting and pasting and rewriting. I love my characters. If I didn't love them so much, I would have thrown in the towel and started a new book. But I am fighting for them.

Status Update for Conflict: Wow, I know I've got internal conflict going strong. I know I have a crazy external plot and that's what is driving me insane. This started off as a category BLAZE type of a book. Now I have this insane ST with suspense and sex and laughter. Yes, deeper emotional elements are surfacing. Why now? Argh. I know I will have to weave them in later. I've literally had "Place Marker Scenes" that I've expanded into decent first draft scenes, but will this MS be ready for other eyes by the middle of March? I don't know. So much feels like it needs to be layered in and I am completely adrift regarding my Villain (who finally revealed himself to me by the last third of the book). I want to send it out and get feedback, but one of my CPs says I should wait till it's super strong. Another reader is willing to peek now and see what is working. I still don't know if the other two CPs can withstand some the rawer parts of the current WIP. Need to ask them first.

Conclusion: keep muddling along, keep layering in stuff, keep working on the new scenes. Give myself time to finish it to MY satisfaction.

Hopefully I won't have total drek by mid-March.

Stay tune!

I've Always Depended on the Kindness of Critique Partners

First of all, I am very grateful to have the most amazing writing partners and critique partners who are HONEST and who are ENCOURAGING.

I had despaired earlier this week when I had my own worse convictions about the story confirmed. I had also super freaked when my people stopped talking to me. They exited the brain cells and went to a country far far away when I considered, briefly, punting a key part of their history. 

Oh they were mad.

And only other writers can understand that truth. 

I promised these people I'd write their story, but I couldn't find a way through my tangled web of words. So I made a decision to write a different story and incorporate elements of their story in a desperate attempt to salvage my work. 

No. That was not a good idea at all.

I've never had my people leave the building. Ever. I have them following me into the shower (I remember Alex in Sweet Sensations nagging me about another love scene and I couldn't get him to stop until I helped the randy boy out). They drive with me when I am running errands and tell me stuff. They wake me up in middle of the night with something else to say.

Yes. I have other people in my head.

Till Thursday night. That was a bad night.

But I slogged away, a CP called and helped me rediscover the core of the story and then we brainstormed a brilliant way to save their story without compromising their integrity. And now they are waking me up early in the morning to get up and write it.

Good times. 

Of course, the one thing I hadn't prepared for was researching PIs and other cop stuff. Thank goodness the universe in her infinite wisdom had me sign up for a course online to cover elements about this world THIS MONTH. And my other writing chapter is posting an online workshop in the same field so I signed up for it as well.

Now that my peeps are back. I am back in action.

Feels good. Feels really good.