Writing Hitch

Have you ever been plugging along and come upon a major writing hitch that gave you reason to pause?

This happened to me yesterday. I'm really making strides in my re-write of my WIP. I've got all sorts of new goals and motivations and conflicts that are really making the story come to life (according to Katie, the only person who has read the new version so far).

But I needed to sort of explain the motivation of the hero in simple terms and that motivation comes in the financial world...meshing with insurance and benefits and health care plans that I KNOW ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about.

So I highlighted the section and kept plugging along, because I didn't want to lose my momentum. I finish the chapter, send it off to Katie, and of course, while Katie is critiquing she writes, "What's this highlighted for?"

Which lands me right back in that place of confusion. I NEED AN INSURANCE EXPERT.

Good thing my father happens to be one. So we start talking this morning about all the possible scenarios that might happen if a man were to leave his wife (hero's mother) and leave her with nothing. And when she's in need of long-term care, there's no money. But what if they had gotten a divorce? Wouldn't she get 50%? What about if the man just stops paying the premium on the policy and the hero was too young (and the mother too grief-stricken) to really pay attention to things like long-term care policies? Is there such a thing as a signature oversight that would render the hero's mom insurance-less (not a word, I know, but go with me)?

Needless to say, my head is swimming and I'm not even sure I've got a handle on it yet.

Add that to me trying to do some research on the Internet yesterday about long-term care facilities (specifically assisted living homes in California). In order to get pricing information I had to fill out some forms online (which I put my real email address but a bogus phone number) about who I was and who I wanted to put in a home. So now I'm getting emails from eldercare specialists about putting my mother away! Sorta funny...but you do what you gotta do.

Q4U: Has this ever happened to you? How did you solve the hitch? And do any of you think you can explain this insurance thing to me? :)

Self-Diagnosis: Episoditis

After all the character assessments I've done, I thought I'd assess myself. And I've got a bad case of episoditis.

What is this ailment, you ask?

As I'm concluding my read of Debra Dixon's GMC, I'm just being hit over the head with all sorts of helpful insight for my re-write. Add to that an email that came over the ACFW loop that led me to read this article here by author Suzanne Hartman and I'm really gearing up for the editing that my latest book-in-progress will need.

Dixon asserts that each scene in your book should do ONE of the following:

1) Dramatically illustrate a character's progress toward the goal or provide an experience which changes the character's goals (G)
2) Bring a character into conflict with opposing forces (C)
3) Provide a character with an experience that strengthens his motivation or changes his motivation (M)

(And yes, for all you OCD people out there, I realize that the GMC is out of order above, but that was a direct quotation from her book...so it's canon.)

After reading Suzanne's post on episodic scenes, I realized my diagnosis. But don't despair for me...

There is a cure!

Dixon said a good rule of thumb is to have THREE reasons for any given scene in your book. this means when I go crack open your WIP, eeny-meeny-mieny-mo my way to a scene, it needs to accomplish three things.

But what three things?

Well, as stated before, at least ONE of the reasons should be to further the conflict, illustrate/change a goal, or strengthen/change the motivation. PERIOD.

This is not negotiable. (Not really.)

There is a plethora of other reasons to include a scene...so many, in fact, that there can't be any kind of comprehensive list. Dixon gave a few examples:


introduce a suspect
discover clues
sexual tension
foreshadowing
reveal secrets
speed the pacing
establish trust between characters
betray trust between characters

So your crit partners should be able to point to the scene and ask, "What's the point of this scene?" If your answer is, "To increase the sexual tension," then that's NOT enough.

(Jeannie = pointing finger at self.)

So, Katie, I give you full rein to do this with absolutely every one of my episodic scenes.

(Jeannie = quivering in her shoes.)

I will cure myself of episoditis with sheer willpower and one great support network. Thanks, y'all.

Q4U: Are there any other sufferers of episoditis out there? Should we start a support group? I know a therapist...

And remember the Rule of Three when you're writing this weekend!

What Do YOU Do When...

You have written a novel. All or most of it. Then you read a craft book that really opens your eyes to all said book is missing. Do you go back to square one and start over,incorporating GMCs and MRUs and all the other things you were lacking? Do you go back and try to re-write each scene line by line, trying to add in the missing elements? Do you just delete scenes right and left that do not have the elements needed?

Photo by Nic's events

One thing Debra Dixon said in GMC was that you can't just have the hero and heroine meet up in the laundromat to up the sexual tension or to have one more "cute scene" with the two of them before things get really heavy with the story? YIKES!! I've done that more times than I care to admit. What happens is that the author projects HER goals on to the characters instead of the character's goals shining through.

So my dilemma is a big one. I love my story. I love my characters. I love the premise. There is some great conflict already...and some great motivation (for at least one of the characters).

I'm asking for your suggestions as to the best way to go about a major rehaul. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Respecting Readers

I'm coming to the conclusion that I must think readers are stupid. This is not intentional, but as I'm writing, I often find myself wanting to clarify something, just for good measure, to make sure that the reader is on the same page as I am. As a reader, when I'm reading a book, I've sometimes felt indignant at an author explaining something that of course I already knew. Yes, I do this all the time!

Thankfully, my crit partner is so great on helping me find the portions of my WIP where I do this so I can take them out. I'll clarify a smug look or smirk that the reader already would understand from the strength of the dialogue or prose. She always writes, "Stronger without" in the track change comment section. And I reread it and totally agree. Sometimes, a little needs to be left to the imagination, as well. It's no fun if the author reveals every nuance the character is thinking.

I guess the old adage of less is more applies here. Every time I write just that tad bit more, it weakens the overall product. I can't tell how many 100s of words here and there I've eliminated because they were unnecessary! Too telling, too redundant...whatever.

Question for you: Have any of you writers experienced this revelation? Not that we think readers are really stupid, but we just want to give them a little nudge in the direction we want them to go rather than the direction the book can take them on their own?

Pitch Rewrite

Here is my rewritten elevator pitch to an agent:

My WIP is a contemporary romantic suspense about a foster care social worker suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder due to getting raped a few weeks before her wedding date. She has to quit the job she loves because she is paralyzed by fear and anxiety, and her fiance - the director of the agnecy she works for - breaks off their engagement. After two years of therapy, she's given the go-ahead to work in social services again, but she has a panic attack associated with her PTSD while in the line of duty which raises questions about her competency. A handsome attorney with a client on her caseload is keeping tabs on her, which unsettles her because he reminds her so much of her ex-fiance. My heroine wants to learn to trust her fellow man again and prove to others and to herself that she can carry out her responsibilities and reclaim her life back from her mental disorder. In the process, she embraces her faith and femininity once more, but can her newfound strength withstand her biggest fear of being attacked again?

If any agents happen to be reading...I'll be at the ACFW conference this September! Look for me in the elevators or hallways. :)