Hot surfer dude!

Remember how that sexy pic of Matthew Mac inspired Luca in SEX, GOSSIP & ROCK & ROLL?

Well, here's another pic that has inspired an entire book.

I've had this photo of semi-naked, wet Brad Pitt saved for ages! Years, in fact, just waiting for the right plot to come along...and now it has!

My editor has approved my proposal for ONE NIGHT IN CAPRI, a Harlequin Romance Christmas story to be released Dec 2012.

The hero is Archer Flett, a super hot Aussie surfer who hails from Torquay (and yes, I'm heading down there shortly to research first hand, love this job!)

So what do you think of my newest hero?
Approve?

CONFERENCE GOLD: Plotting

Here is a brief summary of my notes taken at Susan Wiggs fabulous session, PLOTTING FROM THE INSIDE OUT.

The plotting/pre-writing phase.

-Find your 'white' space. (eg. long walk)

-Make a collage (not an avoidance technique, is part of your 'white' space, being the architect of your story.)

-Make a playlist ('white' space again, even if you don't listen to it while writing it can spark ideas.)

-Focus on a powerful emotion you're experiencing (you don't need a big plot if your character has a big issue/problem)

-Couple an image with that emotion (may lead to something you can hang your story on.)

-Sociogram (what I refer to as mind maps-see previous post on this blog.)

After all this pre-writing, you should have an idea of your main character.
For Susan, this pre-writing phase can take up to 2 weeks, less if tight deadline.

For me, hearing her describe how she uses collaging, etc...(may do it then not look at it again while writing) resonated with how I do my pre-writing. Loads of research, may collage, then don't look at it while writing!

-Go through this process with every main character in your book.

-Take your main character to the point of decision in her life.
(Open blank document, start writing in 1st person present tense, fast writing, where character unloads her baggage/burden she's carrying-great internal problems!)
Also encourages the character's natural voice rather than the author's (about 500 words.)

-Start each day's writing with your character DOING THE NEXT INDICATED THING.

-Self help books also a great source for giving arc of growth for real issues.

Tomorrow, a summary of Kelley Armstrong's workshop, Picking up the Pace.

THE WRITE WHISPER: The question you must answer

We've all heard the terms 'premise' and 'theme' bandied around.

And if you're anything like me, having to label my story kinda freaks me out.

If I had to do it, I'd say many of my contemporary romances have been stories of second chances.

But there's something more important than figuring out theme while you're actually writing. Answering the all important STORY QUESTION.

So what is a story question?
It's the question that drives a reader to finish the book or watch a movie.

eg. Will Bella and Edward overcome all obstacles to be together?
Will Woody and Buzz save their toy mates and get played with in safety?

Interestingly, the answer to the question isn't often in doubt.

We know Bella and Edward will overcome all obstacles to live HEA.
We know Woody and Buzz will look after their mates and save the day in the process.

But what's important is getting your reader to care about the story question.
And to do this, we need to get our readers to care about our characters.

Both Bella and Edward are fish out of water characters. They don't belong. They're outcasts/strange in their respective worlds. And Edward is 'out' of this world. But Bella's desire for the vampire is strong. She'll let nothing stand in their way of being together and a powerful desire makes a character more compelling.

Along with getting your reader to care about your characters, your reader should be in doubt how your story question will be resolved. (Even though the ultimate outcome is rarely in doubt.)

eg. Though we strongly suspect Bella and Edward will end up together, they face enormous obstacles in getting there. Jacob, the Volturi, Victoria, their families, the list goes on.

So want to write a great story?

-Create a compelling story question.

-Create a character reader's will root for

-And a reason why they'll support that character through to the end.

-Create obstacles, make it look like that character can't obtain what they want.

-Try to answer your story question in an unexpected way.

Happy writing!

The Brazilian

TWO WEEKS IN THE MAGNATE'S BED is going Brazilian this month.

Can you believe we're already into July?
Half the year gone?
Have you achieved your goals? Set new ones in the lead up to 2011?

I'm not a goal setter as such. I just sit down at my keyboard and get the job done.
Which is kind of nice when I look back over a year and realise how much I've written.

While I've just started writing my next Modern Heat and another YA, I have a major idea bubbling away in the back of my brain.

Time to grab a pen and paper and brainstorm, methinks...

THE WRITE WHISPER: Methodology

Writing processes intrigue me.

How writers write.

Do they plot? Fly by the seat of their pants? Write to music? Write in silence? Have some magical trick to make words pour out?

If a writer's most commonly asked question is 'where do you get your ideas from?', a close second would be 'how do you write your books?'

Or more technically, 'how do you plot?'

When I first started writing, I was a plotter.

I played around with character charts, answering questions on my hero and heroine, filling in an art sheet with a basic story outline. It helped me, knowing where I was heading with a story.

Then somewhere along the line I changed.

Completely.

These days, I'm a pantser.

Don't get me wrong, I still need to do a little pre-writing plotting. I need to know my characters but I focus more on their motivations and what drives them rather than knowing their hobbies and family.

I need to know they'll be in conflict and how, not their favourite car or their star sign.

So I jot down a page or two of motivations and conflict. And off I go. Flying by the seat of my pants. And the ride's exhilirating each and every time!

That said, I'm still intrigued by plotting.

And if I get stuck in the sagging middle or need clarification, I always resort to trusty pen and paper to roughly plot the rest of the story=one sentence to describe what needs to happen in each chapter to the end of the book.

There's something comforting in having those sentences, like signposts guiding me to the end. And it makes me write quicker too.

So back to the methodology of writing.

I've read resource books on plotting, have enjoyed them, but they scare me.

Similarly the index card method and breaking your story into acts with climax points and turning points. Fascinating but scary!

I like the uncertainty of not knowing where my characters will lead me.

I like giving them free rein.

But I swear my inner plotter is tempted by all that structured lining up color coded cards on a wall...

So what works best for you?

The bedroom

You all remember how much you loved Rhys' house?

Well, I just realised I never got around to showing you the bedroom.

Technically, I made this Jade's bedroom in the book.

What do you think?

THE WRITE WHISPER: Dreaming

I've mentioned on several occasions that I get many of my ideas/titles/first lines/characters in that half drowsy/half awake state just before dropping off to sleep.

In fact, if I need to ponder a plot point or a conflict that isn't quite working, I'll take to bed, close my eyes and let my mind wander.

It's a great technique and often works. (Drifting off to nap is a bonus!)

Imagine my surprise when I recently discovered there's a technical term for this.

There is a naturally occurring sleep state called the HYPNOLOGIC STATE.

As I've already described, it is the phase of sleep right before you drift off and right before you wake up, and is a state of altered consciousness.

Apparently it's a highly fertile time for creative people!

The trick is to utilise this phase.

Ask yourself a question before you lie down. eg. What is the main obstacle keeping my characters apart?

Close your eyes.

Let your mind drift...doze...

But you must remember what happens in this state.

I've heard a recommendation to hold one arm up in the air, as the tension required to hold the arm up will keep you on the verge of that sleep/awake state, and as the ideas/concepts/connections come, you immediately write them down.

For me, I close my eyes, let the ideas flow, and jot them as soon as they arrive.

It's a tried and trusty plotting method for me.

Writers out there, have you tried it?

Does it work for you?

THE WRITE WHISPER: A gem of an idea

One of the most common questions I'm asked as an author is 'where do you get your ideas?'

The answer?

Everywhere! A glance, a couple holding hands, a newspaper headline, a magazine article or often in that strange half-awake/half-asleep state where I scramble frantically for a pen and pad in the dark and scribble down that nebulous idea/opening line/title before it fades (I'm always scared I'll forget it by morning if I don't write it down!)

Right, so you have your idea.
Where do you start?

Last year, I wrote an article for Romance Writers of Australia's monthly journal on 'What Drives Your Story?'

The article revolved around plot driven stories versus character driven stories.
For me, I'd come up with an idea and immediately dive into the plot, imagining what my characters would do in such a scenario.
For others, the characters strut into their mind larger than life and a plot develops from there.

As writers, we all have tried and true ways of doing things. You'll know if you're a plot or character driven writer; it's what comes easiest to you. That is, after you come up with an idea, which do you find easier, coming up with a plot or the characters?

So what happens when we shake things up a little?

Next time you have a gem of an idea, try this:

If you're a plot driven writer, let your characters drive the story.

If you're a character driven writer, play around with the plot first.

You'll be amazed at how a fresh approach can inject a bit of 'oomph' into your writing.
And we're always learning, right?

Ideally, every story we write needs to be character driven.
We want to create believable, real, compelling characters that keep readers turning pages long into the night.
And that comes back to motivation, mentioned in an earlier post.

Whether you're a plot or character driven writer, motivation is what drives our characters, what keeps them believable, what makes them leap of the page and into the readers' hearts.

But in the early stages, when that new, nebulous idea has shimmered into your mind, play around, shake things up and see where your gem can take you.

That's my 'write whisper' for this week.

Pre-preparation

Margaret wants to know:

Collage, interview with characters. I'd be interested to hear how much preparation you do, Nicola, before you start to write? Do you plot your story out in detail or write into the mist? I know you write very quickly so I guess you must have some idea of how it's going to pan out.

I used to be a confirmed plotter.

Yes, I had an idea of key scenes (though not the whole book.)

Yes, I'd jot down one or two lines per chapter (though this tended to happen more when I got a bit stuck in the 'sagging middle')

And yes, I'd start with a 2 page proposal (with pics of hero and heroine) having some idea where the book was heading.

Then after a mid-07 chat with my last ed, I've changed how I work.

My books were plot driven.

She suggested I go with character, hence the change in my preparation. For my last 2 books, I started with character: did the interviews, knew them inside out before starting.

So how did that work out? Well, I'm waiting to hear back from new ed on both those books so I'll let you know ;)

The collaging is fun and gives me a 'mood' for the book, so I've done a collage for my last 4 books.

The character preparation is way more time consuming than anything I used to do (I spent hours last night, on top of previous hours!) but I now feel confident to tackle THE DATING DILEMMA, knowing Bryce and Eve are going to leap off the page.

I hope!

So do I plot in detail? No.

But rest assured, once I start this one and the thrill of the first few chapters has faded, I'll be jotting down that brief chapter by chapter outline, whether I stick to it or not. :)

So how do you do it? Are you a plotter or a pantser or a little of both?