I have to admit that for most of my career I didn't think my books had any structure at all. But I recently noticed that I've been using three act structure for quite a while.
First, what is it?
Your book begins with an inciting incident that gets the characters together. But by the end of act one, usually chapter 3 for me, everything changes.
In NANNY FOR THE MILLIONAIRE'S TWINS the heroine tells the hero she is engaged.(That'll change a romance.)
In THE TYCOON'S SECRET DAUGHTER, the hero has demonstrated that he's a totally different man than the man the heroine was married to. No longer drinking, he's like a brand new person and she has to deal with him that way.
Act II has the characters dealing with this change. A lot of times that change causes work and/or new goals. For instance, in THE BABY PROJECT, the hero and heroine who have been given co-custody of a baby move in together. Act II is all about the changes that happen when they move in together and try to raise this baby together. He has to learn how to change diapers. She has to deal with a baby when she's still hurting over the loss of her own child.
Of course, in that time together (Act II) in a romance, the things that they do to solve the problem discovered at the end of Act I, will bring them close enough that they will fall in love.
But...at the end of Act II there is a black moment. A point in time when these two people who have been falling in love suddenly realize this isn't going to work.
Now, all black moments are different. So sometimes your heroine will think it's working but the hero freaks out ... or sometimes the hero has a secret that when discovered ruins everything. There's no pat answer for a black moment, except to say that it DEMONSTRATES (not tells but shows...demonstrates) to the H and H that maybe this love they think they have is wrong.
Which means there's misery in Act III, along with some soul searching until either the hero or heroine realizes they were wrong in thinking this love wouldn't work and one of them goes back to the other and professes love or explains why this love will last.
That takes us to the happy ending.
Now, I'm sure others may draw up three act structure differently. But I've hit the highlights of what I do. (And it's worked for 54 books! LOL)
Happy Monday! And thanks to Anne for the question!
susan
Monday, June 24, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
The passage of time
I'm teaching a class on writing a category romance this month and I asked the attendees for questions they'd like to see answered in this blog.
The first question was about dealing with the passage of time.
Here's my reply...
If you've ever read any of my books, you will notice that my people fall in love quickly. Over a Christmas holiday. For the two weeks she's helping him with his baby. Or while they're stuck together in a cabin in a snowstorm.
Because the timeframe is so small, I take advantage of every 'event' to show how that impacts their feelings for each other.
That's how I use the "stuff" of every day life to show how their feelings are growing (their conflicts are being revealed and obliterated) and how they "could" fall in love in such a short period of time.
But if your characters seem to be falling in love too quickly, and you feel they need more time together to make their feelings realistic, you sometimes have to "show" the passage of time -- without every ding dang movement being on the page.
For instance, the first week of a hero and heroine (who have just met) working together, everything is important. Because they are just finding out about each other. But in the next week, if I banged the drum on everything happening in their lives it would be boring and repetitive.
So I might start a chapter with ... Two weeks later, they were still at odds over that baseball game. Or two days later, he read her most recent report and realized she'd begun to put his suggestions into action.
Or ... They ignored each other for four days, but on the fifth day she couldn't keep silent anymore.
I know. I know. That's telling. And telling usually isn't allowed. But if you only do that once or twice in a book, readers won't mind.
Another way...
May turned into June and June became July. And suddenly one day he was on her doorstep.
A lot of what you use depends upon your writing style and your voice...and your story.
But sometimes, really, you can't tell every detail of every day and you do have to say things like..."The next day..."
Happy Monday, and thanks to Margaret for her question!
The first question was about dealing with the passage of time.
Here's my reply...
If you've ever read any of my books, you will notice that my people fall in love quickly. Over a Christmas holiday. For the two weeks she's helping him with his baby. Or while they're stuck together in a cabin in a snowstorm.
Because the timeframe is so small, I take advantage of every 'event' to show how that impacts their feelings for each other.
That's how I use the "stuff" of every day life to show how their feelings are growing (their conflicts are being revealed and obliterated) and how they "could" fall in love in such a short period of time.
But if your characters seem to be falling in love too quickly, and you feel they need more time together to make their feelings realistic, you sometimes have to "show" the passage of time -- without every ding dang movement being on the page.
For instance, the first week of a hero and heroine (who have just met) working together, everything is important. Because they are just finding out about each other. But in the next week, if I banged the drum on everything happening in their lives it would be boring and repetitive.
So I might start a chapter with ... Two weeks later, they were still at odds over that baseball game. Or two days later, he read her most recent report and realized she'd begun to put his suggestions into action.
Or ... They ignored each other for four days, but on the fifth day she couldn't keep silent anymore.
I know. I know. That's telling. And telling usually isn't allowed. But if you only do that once or twice in a book, readers won't mind.
Another way...
May turned into June and June became July. And suddenly one day he was on her doorstep.
A lot of what you use depends upon your writing style and your voice...and your story.
But sometimes, really, you can't tell every detail of every day and you do have to say things like..."The next day..."
Happy Monday, and thanks to Margaret for her question!
Monday, June 10, 2013
Reading from Hard Copy
The book that was due June 1 is finally about ready to go in. (When I got the flu, my editor kindly granted me an extension!) I've read the beginning of the book at least four times. Every Monday morning I start at the beginning of my wip and read EVERYTHING I have, taking time to fix typos, pump up dialogue and descriptions and out-and-out change scenes that are wrong. So by the time I'm at the end of my book, the beginning has been through several revision processes.
So...Why did I print a hard copy of my book yesterday to read today?
Because I'm one of those old school people who believes books "read" differently on paper.
I have no idea if this is true or not, but I do realize that when I switch media I read differently. I see things on paper that I didn't see on the computer screen.
I also make a list of questions. i.e. Could you find a soccer game on TV in June in Italy?
I also make a time line. In one book I accidentally had two Wednesdays in the same week. Learned that lesson.
I also make a very brief (new) storyboard that shows me the important points of every chapter so I can go back and read the storyboard, following each character arc and making sure all story threads are tied up.
It's a long process. LOL!
But in the end I'm always glad I took the time to do all these things. You will never see two Wednesdays in the same week in any of my books...at least not the recent ones! LOL Loose ends will be tied and all arcs will work.
Which makes it worth the extra hour or so I spend every day in the last week of writing each book!
Happy Monday
susan
So...Why did I print a hard copy of my book yesterday to read today?
Because I'm one of those old school people who believes books "read" differently on paper.
I have no idea if this is true or not, but I do realize that when I switch media I read differently. I see things on paper that I didn't see on the computer screen.
I also make a list of questions. i.e. Could you find a soccer game on TV in June in Italy?
I also make a time line. In one book I accidentally had two Wednesdays in the same week. Learned that lesson.
I also make a very brief (new) storyboard that shows me the important points of every chapter so I can go back and read the storyboard, following each character arc and making sure all story threads are tied up.
It's a long process. LOL!
But in the end I'm always glad I took the time to do all these things. You will never see two Wednesdays in the same week in any of my books...at least not the recent ones! LOL Loose ends will be tied and all arcs will work.
Which makes it worth the extra hour or so I spend every day in the last week of writing each book!
Happy Monday
susan
Monday, June 3, 2013
What's so funny?
I read a Facebook post a few weeks ago wherein a angry writer told her fellow writers three things that she hated in books -- mistakes she thought others were making. Included in the mini-rant was the warning that banter and sarcasm were not humor...
What? Wait?
Since when are banter and sarcasm not humor? They are.
Now...in fairness to the author of the rant...Done POORLY they aren't funny. LOL
In fact, banter and/or sarcasm that go on too long definitely aren't funny. My rule of thumb for "funniness" is to find the funniest chunk in a piece of banter and use only that.
But that's not the purpose of this post. The purpose is to warn you, as writers, as readers, as contest judges and people who write reviews...be fair. But also be careful. :) You don't want to be the one who comes out looking bad for making a statement that's off the mark. You can't make a broad and general statement "banter isn't humor" that will turn some poor unsuspecting newbee writing soul into a crazy person trying to get rid of her banter, when the real bottom line was that the writing you'd judged wasn't good.
Also remember your own personal prejudices. I'm not a fan of sarcasm because I live in a house of men who do nothing but make sarcastic comments. So when I judge a piece of work that's laced with sarcasm, I keep in mind that what annoys me might be hysterically funny to others. :)
Still, as I read the mini-rant I understood exactly where the author was coming from. Humor is very hard to write and what's funny to one person may not be funny to another. Still if we want to draw a truth from her post...I think it would be the kiss rule. Keep it simple, sweetie. Keep it short, sunshine.
Happy Monday!
susan
What? Wait?
Since when are banter and sarcasm not humor? They are.
Now...in fairness to the author of the rant...Done POORLY they aren't funny. LOL
In fact, banter and/or sarcasm that go on too long definitely aren't funny. My rule of thumb for "funniness" is to find the funniest chunk in a piece of banter and use only that.
But that's not the purpose of this post. The purpose is to warn you, as writers, as readers, as contest judges and people who write reviews...be fair. But also be careful. :) You don't want to be the one who comes out looking bad for making a statement that's off the mark. You can't make a broad and general statement "banter isn't humor" that will turn some poor unsuspecting newbee writing soul into a crazy person trying to get rid of her banter, when the real bottom line was that the writing you'd judged wasn't good.
Also remember your own personal prejudices. I'm not a fan of sarcasm because I live in a house of men who do nothing but make sarcastic comments. So when I judge a piece of work that's laced with sarcasm, I keep in mind that what annoys me might be hysterically funny to others. :)
Still, as I read the mini-rant I understood exactly where the author was coming from. Humor is very hard to write and what's funny to one person may not be funny to another. Still if we want to draw a truth from her post...I think it would be the kiss rule. Keep it simple, sweetie. Keep it short, sunshine.
Happy Monday!
susan
Monday, May 27, 2013
Mapping out the End
This week I hit the point in my manuscript where I have about 50 pages left. For a Harlequin Romance that's a tad under one-fourth of the book. So if you're working on a longer book, a 400-page single title for example, this post would apply to the last 100 pages of your book. :)
Anyway, when I get to this point, I know it's time to figure out the end.
Figure out the end? Don't you have a synopsis?
Yeah.
A storyboard?
Uh-huh.
So why are you only now figuring out the end?
Even if I use the ending I have in the synopsis or on the storyboard, it's still gonna get some tweaking because lots of things change or morph as I write.
In this book, I totally changed the ending. I'd been building to something and, honestly, if I don't follow through on what I've been building to, I think the book will read lopsided (or the eds will make me rewrite).
As we work through the actual writing of a novel, characters change. We discover things about them we didn't know. Or we realize something, a comment or piece of their past we believed was trite, the characters themselves consider vitally important.
So, when I hit the point where I only have 1/4 of the book left, I figure out the black moment and the resolution of their problem (their happy ending). Then I work backward. I make sure that I feather in a lot of hints and foreshadow important things.
For instance, there is a secondary character who will play a role in the black moment. Two chapters before that I will have the hero mention that he's being put on the guest list for "the big event" at which the black moment takes place.
The heroine has to get a new job. And the uber-poor heroine has to somehow scrounge up a ball gown. The path had to be paved for both of those.
Because so many things have to happen, working backward allows me to not just remember to get them in...it also allows me to figure out the best place to put those things for maximum drama.
For me the ending is like playing with dominoes. I need to have certain things happen so all I have to do is figure out which domino needs to fall first to make the whole thing come tumbling down.
So try that on your next book. When you reach the point where you only have one-quarter of your book left, figure out your black moment and resolution, then work backward. What has to happen to make that black moment "work."
Happy Monday...
susan
Anyway, when I get to this point, I know it's time to figure out the end.
Figure out the end? Don't you have a synopsis?
Yeah.
A storyboard?
Uh-huh.
So why are you only now figuring out the end?
Even if I use the ending I have in the synopsis or on the storyboard, it's still gonna get some tweaking because lots of things change or morph as I write.
In this book, I totally changed the ending. I'd been building to something and, honestly, if I don't follow through on what I've been building to, I think the book will read lopsided (or the eds will make me rewrite).
As we work through the actual writing of a novel, characters change. We discover things about them we didn't know. Or we realize something, a comment or piece of their past we believed was trite, the characters themselves consider vitally important.
So, when I hit the point where I only have 1/4 of the book left, I figure out the black moment and the resolution of their problem (their happy ending). Then I work backward. I make sure that I feather in a lot of hints and foreshadow important things.
For instance, there is a secondary character who will play a role in the black moment. Two chapters before that I will have the hero mention that he's being put on the guest list for "the big event" at which the black moment takes place.
The heroine has to get a new job. And the uber-poor heroine has to somehow scrounge up a ball gown. The path had to be paved for both of those.
Because so many things have to happen, working backward allows me to not just remember to get them in...it also allows me to figure out the best place to put those things for maximum drama.
For me the ending is like playing with dominoes. I need to have certain things happen so all I have to do is figure out which domino needs to fall first to make the whole thing come tumbling down.
So try that on your next book. When you reach the point where you only have one-quarter of your book left, figure out your black moment and resolution, then work backward. What has to happen to make that black moment "work."
Happy Monday...
susan
Monday, May 20, 2013
Keeping Perspective
Sometimes it's the old... But I'm not sure what to write.
Sometimes it's...I have dishes to do.
Sometimes it's...I don't feel like writing.
Sometimes it's...I need a break. Just today. I swear I'll get back to it tomorrow.
I don't care why you procrastinate or what you call it (like a break) procrastination is procrastination and it ruins careers.
So how do you handle this?
If you're not sure what to write, check your could, might, must and should list. If you wrote down all those scenes and scene possibilities popping around in your head when you first got your idea, there's something on that list that could jumpstart your imagination. If you didn't write a could (happen), might (happen), must (happen) and should (happen) list for your story...do one now. :)
Second, dishes? Really? That would keep you from writing? If you must do dishes then use that time to think about what you'll write when you're done. :)
You just don't feel like writing? Read what you wrote yesterday. Or go back an entire chapter and read your wonderful prose, see your fantastic characters interacting. That usually puts my head in the game again. Once I get into the story, I don't want to come out. I want to write.
Finally... You need a break? This one I might give you if you can tell me a really good reason you need a break. Maybe you worked twelve hours straight the day before, you edited, you got fifty new pages written and now your brain is empty. If so...take a break.
But if you're just wimping out on me...Forget it! Get your butt into that chair.
I had a chat this morning with someone who set a very tough schedule for herself this year. She said, "Susan, am I insane?" and I said... "No. You want to be somebody someday. All these books you're doing this year will jumpstart your career and boost your readership." And she smiled.
Because that's the truth. The people who work win.
Wanna win? Then work. Don't procrastinate. Don't be easy on yourself or fluff off the hard days. Get your butt into the chair and keep it there! On Friday when you've accomplished your goals, you will thank me.
Happy Monday
Monday, May 13, 2013
Wedding Weekends
On Saturday my niece Lea got married. This Saturday coming up, my nephew Brian is getting married. It's been a busy couple of months and the upcoming weeks are going to be even busier.
So what do we want to talk about this morning?
How about people watching? LOL!!!
Seriously... What better place to people watch than at a wedding?
Remember that great scene in Steel Magnolia's where Dolly Parton and Olivia Dukakis were watching people dance at Shelby's wedding. And Olivia told Dolly that one of the women's dancing looked like two pigs wrestling in a blanket? I laugh every time I think about that.
That scene didn't just make us laugh and create one of the funniest lines in recorded history, it set the stage for the fact that these women who started off gossiping would become great, lifelong friends...but also that people were funny.
If you watched that movie, you saw the Southern girls and guys had their stereotypical leanings, but just when you were about to write a character off as a cliché he or she did something to make you think the writers were brilliant!
Because that's the truth about people. At least half of our personalities are ... well, what everybody would expect for our age, size, education...hair color. But each of us has something, some odd, quirky hobby or tic or thought process that makes us unique, fun, wonderful.
And that's what readers are looking for when they read. They like recognizing the kindly grocer with a bald head and round wire glasses, but they want to see something fresh and unique about him. Is he also the town bookie? A closet erotica writer? Or somebody on the World Poker Tour?
Think just a little bit longer, a little bit harder, maybe a little bit outside the box and give readers characters who create a story rich with reality. Because let's face it, everybody's got a quirk, a habit, a hobby...or something that makes us who we are.
Our characters should too.
Happy Monday
susan
So what do we want to talk about this morning?
How about people watching? LOL!!!
Seriously... What better place to people watch than at a wedding?
Remember that great scene in Steel Magnolia's where Dolly Parton and Olivia Dukakis were watching people dance at Shelby's wedding. And Olivia told Dolly that one of the women's dancing looked like two pigs wrestling in a blanket? I laugh every time I think about that.
That scene didn't just make us laugh and create one of the funniest lines in recorded history, it set the stage for the fact that these women who started off gossiping would become great, lifelong friends...but also that people were funny.
If you watched that movie, you saw the Southern girls and guys had their stereotypical leanings, but just when you were about to write a character off as a cliché he or she did something to make you think the writers were brilliant!
Because that's the truth about people. At least half of our personalities are ... well, what everybody would expect for our age, size, education...hair color. But each of us has something, some odd, quirky hobby or tic or thought process that makes us unique, fun, wonderful.
And that's what readers are looking for when they read. They like recognizing the kindly grocer with a bald head and round wire glasses, but they want to see something fresh and unique about him. Is he also the town bookie? A closet erotica writer? Or somebody on the World Poker Tour?
Think just a little bit longer, a little bit harder, maybe a little bit outside the box and give readers characters who create a story rich with reality. Because let's face it, everybody's got a quirk, a habit, a hobby...or something that makes us who we are.
Our characters should too.
Happy Monday
susan
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