Category: Craft

Popular Fiction

The past couple of days, Kristin Nelson has posted about learning lessons from popular fiction. The responses have been very interesting to read. Some folks look at the quality of the writing in some popular novels and sneer that it's not good fiction. Other people agree with Kristin's assertion that millions of readers can't be wrong. I fall into the latter category.

My opinion is that anyone who sneers at popular fiction is missing the point. You could argue that writers write to be masters of the written word. And maybe for some, that's truly what they're about. Fine. But most of us are writing to entertain, to tell a story worthy of having someone else read it. We love the idea that a reader will get lost in our tale, empathize with our characters, and feel scared, happy or amused while they're engrossed in the journey. We write in hopes that readers will love our story enough to stay up all night reading when they should have turned the lights out. The truth is, novels are a form of entertainment, and popular books--whether you think the prose is stellar or not--have succeeeded in entertaining their readers beyond expectation. The writers have done their job.

Although Kristin suggests we should examine the popular novels with the intent of discerning 'what worked', I'm not sure that's really possible. I know the answer is in the storytelling and the characterization, but if it were easy to pick out the success factor(s), everybody would be writing hugely popular books and editors would only be buying bestsellers. Doesn't work that way. And as far as I know, most of these popular writers didn't study other popular novels with the intent of finding the silver bullet. They just sat down and pounded out their own.

My daughter bought and promptly devoured the Stephenie Meyer Twilight series. Did I cringe a bit over some of the writing when she read it out loud to me? Sure. But when I sat down to read the book myself, something magical happened--as with any of the books I've enjoyed, I stopped analyzing and just lost myself in the story. I got sucked into who and what and why, and before I knew it, I was eagerly awaiting the release of Breaking Dawn, just like my daughter. Now, I'm not as enthralled with the characters as she is--she's a rabid Edward fan--but I'm still interested in the resolution of the over-arching story question: will Bella and Edward figure out how to be together in a way that doesn't cost one (or both) of them something invaluable?

And I did spend a few moments wondering why these books worked. Twist on the already popular vampire mythology. Flawed characters, each with their own unique backstory. Internal conflict. Sexual tension. Powerful villains. Seemingly unresolvable story question. Basically, many of the same elements you're probably working on developing in your own manuscripts. I truly believe it comes down to telling a vastly entertaining story.

Some detractors of popular books say these novels will soon be forgotten, that only the truly great books endure. But people said that about Shakespeare's plays when he was writing them and look how that ended up. One thing I will say about the surge of popular teen fiction--it's breeding a new generation of readers. And for that, I'm profoundly grateful.

Category: Craft

Revisions

I'm doing revisions on a manuscript, which given the fabulous spring weather we're having (finally!!) should be getting me down. Nope. Many writers hate doing revisions (and term the experience Revision Hell), but I enjoy them.

I like honing my word choices. Polishing the rough edges of my prose. I like seeing things I couldn't see the first time around and getting the opportunity to stretch the plot tension just a little further, or heighten the emotional impact. This is the part of writing that feels very craftsman-like to me. I picture an old-world carpenter taking the fine grit sandpaper to the intricate curls of the bedpost he's carved. Smoothing the wood until he can't sense a single snag with the palm of his hand. That's what revisions feel like to me.

In a perfect world, you wouldn't have to do them under deadline pressure either, but hey. Life is what it is. LOL.

Category: Craft

To Plot or Not to Plot

I know a large number of writers who are self-proclaimed pansters. Meaning that they write their novels without knowing where the book will end up, they just let the characters and the moment carry the story along. They write by the seat of their pants, as it were.

The book is an adventure to them, a journey into the unknown, filled with all sorts of unexpected twists and turns. Very exciting, very creative. And writing this way works well for them. Some of the best writers in the world are pansters, and I admire them.

I just wasn't cut out to be one.

I started off as a panster, but now I'm a plotter--one of those folks who doesn't start a book without an outline. I really enjoy the prep phase of writing: fleshing out my characters, thinking of situations that will test them, imaging roadblocks, trying to figure out what's really going to keep these two 'made for each other' people apart.

Most of the pansters I know say creating an outline--seeing ahead of time what's going to happen--takes all the fun out of writing. Makes it boring. Like reading the last few pages of a book before starting at the beginning.

My experience has been completely the opposite. I find by developing an outline, I free myself creatively. I no longer agonize over whether I'll be able to wrap up all the loose ends, or whether I've given my characters a conflict too difficult to overcome (or one that fizzles out two hundred pages in), or whether my plot will make any sense by the end. I no longer worry about writing pages upon pages of stuff that has to be yanked out because I went off on a tangent that doesn't fit with the fundamental story. For me, the foresight provided by an outline is liberating. An outline keeps me on track, but doesn't take away the surprises. Words still pop into my characters' mouths that I didn't know they would say. They still do unexpected things. And if I haven't done enough peeking into my characters' psyches, they can still grind my forward momentum to a halt by balking at what I want them to do.

What's changed is that now I know how far I can drive off the beaten track before I say to my character: "Enough. Face facts, we're lost. Time to turn around and go back to the main road." I'm not wandering around aimlessly, I'm headed to a specific spot. I don't force myself to stick to the outline--I'm perfectly happy taking a more scenic route when the opportunity comes along--but I do use it to keep me headed in the right direction.

Now, to be fair, I don't believe writers who are pansters are wandering around aimlessly. Some of them, perhaps, but not the ones who use that method successfully. Most pansters seem to have a built-in compass. They may not be driving toward a tidy little dot on the map, but they know they're headed north, and they generally stay on course. Even when, as they like to say, they're flying into the mist.

I wish I had a built-in compass. But I don't. Call me directionally challenged, but without an outline (or a map), I'm soon lost. So, I'm a plotter. And I still find writing my books a huge adventure.

How about you? Panster or plotter?

Category: Craft

Workshops

I truly believe that no matter how much you know about the craft of writing, there's still something new you can learn.

I take online courses and attend workshops fairly frequently--at least a half dozen every year, often more. I also buy the CD of workshops offered at the RWA annual conference. Listening to other authors explain their methods, even if what they do won't work for me, stirs my thinking. I've heard other writers say that writing never gets easier, no matter how long you've been doing it. I suspect that's because the author is always trying to outperform the last book, trying to make this one different, more exciting, more emotional, more something. Seems like stirring your thoughts up every once in a while would help with that.

If you're committed to being a writer--heck, even if you're not--and you don't currently take any courses or workshops, I highly recommend it. There's a wonderful supply of offerings on the internet with some very talented authors and experts as instructors (I've taken workshops from the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, the Carolina Romance Writers, and Writers U, and I've heard great things about the workshops offered by the Kiss of Death, to name a few). And the prices are usually quite reasonable. Try one.

Category: Craft

Articles

As romance writers, we're often called upon to write at least a portion of our stories from the male point of view. Since we're not men, and many of us struggle to understand them, this can sometimes be a challenge. I have my trusty copy of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, but I also recently found two articles on the internet that might prove useful:

- 7 Ways to Decode Men by Diana Swift
- Male POV by Keri Arthur

Happy writing!