Jennifer Crusie's Blog, page 114

Happiness is Making Something New

I’m happy because I started a new book and I like it. I’d be happier if I finished one, but I’m taking what I can get.

What made you happy this week?

Thinking About Anna

So I have 10,000 words done on Anna’s book and Carter is in it, and for some reason it has mob back story, which I had not planned, and I have no idea what happens in Act Two or Three (or really most of One); Act Four ends happily but we already knew that. I mean, the Girls definitely have a direction they’re going in, and I have this whole double identity thing to play with in the romance, and I’m starting to really love the heroine, and the hero isn’t bad, either, but I am once again confronting a wimpy antagonist who probably isn’t the real antagonist.

I just don’t understand how all this mob stuff got in here.

Or exactly what Anna does. I know she works for a very small, private museum/library, I know she takes a lot of classes, I’m not sure whether she’s an art expert or a librarian (both?), and I know why she wears twin sets and stays in the dead-end job, I mean I understand Anna, but there’s all this weird stuff showing up. Of course, that’s because it’s a discovery draft, but still, the Girls seem to be dumpster diving here. I think Anna’s mother is the daughter of a mob boss, and Anna’s coping with her. Maybe the family has ill-gotten gains and that’s why Anna doesn’t need a high profile, well-paying job?

The thing I like about Anna is that she presents as a conservative–hair pulled back, sensible shoes, twin sets, glasses–but then she opens her mouth and she’s as unleashed as her mother, albeit with less swearing. In the struggle between ego and id, Anna embraces the id. I think she’s going to have other skills that she rarely uses. I also think she’s one of those people that people who don’t know her patronize and people who do know her tread carefully around. She’s a nice person, but don’t fuck with her because she takes both ears and the tail. Like I think Grandpa was a hitman and passed down some tips to his favorite grandkid. I see research in my future.

And then there’s Nate, who is now looking pretty conventional in his narrow suit but who has a colorful past as a juvenile delinquent. See, I like the whole not-what-they-appear-to-be thing, both of them trying to live down colorful (criminal) pasts, coupled with the fact that they spend the first several thousand words of the story calling each other by fake names, which evolves into them both having two identities. I love confused identities, integration, doppelgangers. Plus she’s hiding something and he’s an investigator. Somebody’s committing an art crime.

Crap. I think it’s a book.

So now I need a title. Might be nice to make it fit with Stealing Nadine and Haunting Alice since Carter is Nate’s boss.

Also, I think this might be Anna, only with red curly hair. I think I might have gotten the “Anna” from her, too, although it goes well with Mafia granddaughter, too.

And here’s Part One. See, there’s a reason you read through all the babbling.

HWSWA Writing Life Post is Up

In which we tell you we know nothing about publishing any more and basically lose our grip on the conversation.

https://hewroteshewroteagain.wordpress.com/2020/09/26/writing-life/

I Am Hopeless (Edited with a Note)

So yesterday Bob and I were talking about if we wanted to keep going with the HWSWA chats, and he suggested we show up next week (a week from tomorrow) with the conflict box for a new book he’s working on and one of the old books I’ve been working on (Lily, You Again, Lavender, whatever). I said, “Or I could start a new book,” and he said, “Finish something,” which was the right answer because the last thing I needed was a new book.

Then around midnight last night, I was reading a Book Bub blurb, and started to think what I could do with that very common premise and suddenly these people were talking in my head and I loved it and I wrote 4500 words.

But no antagonist. No conflict. No story. Honest to god, I did not need another first chapter with no conflict and no antagonist, just a lot of snappy banter. And if I show up with that next week and give it to Bob “It’s About The House” Mayer, the scorn and derision will know no bounds. Hell, I feel scorn and derision for me.

I don’t even have a title for it. I think the heroine’s name is Anna, and she’s a librarian. I don’t know what the hero’s name is, she didn’t want to know, she told him not to tell her, and so far, it’s all her PoV. Her ex is named Jason because for some reason Jason and Bradley are my Dick Names. Her friend at work is Magnolia. I have no idea why. I don’t even know why they’re librarians. I have no idea what he does for a living. The first part of the story starts in Vegas, but they both leave at the end of the four thousand five hundred words and go to different places. They must meet again at some point, but I have no idea how or why. They do not fight crime, nor is he her new boss, nor does she get pregnant, nor does he have to protect her. The possibilities are not endless.

Her new boss in named Blake Rankin. Maybe he’s the antagonist.

Maybe next time I’ll start with an outline. That could be good.

Addendum: I wrote this at 3AM and set it to post at 5. Then I fell asleep and as far as I can remember did not dream, but when I woke up, I had a plot. It’s a caper and I lied, they probably will fight crime. I forgot that if you go to sleep right after you’ve written a lot, the Girls keep working. I even have a kind of structure. The first five thousand words are one night in Vegas in her PoV (Part One). The next five thousand words are one day in DC in his PoV (Part Two). Then they start working together until they hit the first turning point (Part Three) and then I think it’s just the next three acts (Parts Four, Five, Six). So One and Two are five thousand words and Three, Four, and Five are around twenty-five thousand and then Six is fifteen thousand. I will not, of course hit those marks, but that’s ball park. It’s a romance about art theft. Or fraud. Or something. She works in a museum library. He’s an expert on art fraud. Or theft. Or something. It’s not an accident that they ended up in the same casino on the first page of the book. Also, they meet on the first page instead of my usual two-intro-scene start, so I’m good there.

Still no title. But I can use the research on both this and Stealing Nadine, so that’s good. I can have Carter work with him, although only as a minor character here. Still no name for the guy, although she calls him Charlie in Part One, so I have that.

This is a Good Book Thursday, September 24, 2020

I’ve been sampling romances still, but not buying many, mostly because the writing seems (a) awkward and (b) trite. They’re both hot, they think about sex a lot, can he protect her (get a taser, lady), how much info dump can we get in here. Yes, I’m getting jaded. So instead, I’ve gone back to watching TV, especially cop shows on MHz, which, since they’re all subtitled, is like reading. Only with moving pictures. Still annoyed I can’t get the last two seasons of The Art of Crime. Now watching Murder on the Lake. Bookmarking a lot of he-has-issues-she-has-issues-they-fight-crime stories. Yeah, I know, it’s like romance all over again, only with blood in some great scenic locales, mostly European and beautiful. Also pre-pandemic. Sigh.

What are you reading (subtitles count)?

Random Thoughts about Reading Romance:

“Can he protect her?” has just moved up the list beyond “smirk” for heroes. Now I don’t read past the blurb.

What’s with all the ex romances? I don’t have anything against them, but they’re everywhere now, more ex-loves or hopeless loves from the past than brand new guys/women. Is this something to do with yearning for past stability? Usually when there’s a glut of a romance subgenre–rape romances, gothics, baby romances, etc.–it’s a reflection of reader fears and hopes, but the ex thing has me baffles. For one thing, the back story problem is big.

I’m skipping shape-shifters, too, which is odd because I have minor character shape-shifters in one of WiPs. Think I’m gonna change that.I get the idea of somebody turning into an animal in bed, but I feel strongly that it should be metaphorical not literal.

Working Wednesday, September 23, 2020

I worked: I got this post up on time. Also asked Mollie to fix the commenting problem, which I hope is working now. Also finished the other half of the revising example post on HWSWA. Also threw out half my kitchen (I’m a slut for kitchen gadgets). And, of course, worked on Nita. Planning on doing the last scheduled chat with Bob later today; after that, I think we’re just going to talk about what we’re working on, give up any pretense of teaching. Or as Bob said, “Let’s just do the weeds.” We end up there anyway. Expect talking about new ideas, what we’re watching on TV (which Bob will drop in as non-sequiturs), what we’re reading, what we’re revising, and as always, what Gus is doing (he’s serving as an excuse to get Bob out of the chat).

So what did you do this week?

Rest of HWSWA Post About Revising Nita is Up

Why yes, I am working today.

First post is here.

Second post is here.

Also, I really need a white board.

Admin Question

For those of you who were having difficulty commenting, losing your comments because the site was so slow to load, has that been fixed?

HWSWA: Revising Examples

Two posts on revising Nita over on HWSWA, first one is up now, second should be up . . . soon. Nothing you all haven’t heard a million times, although the thoughts there are moving me closer to dumping my TV for a white board. I miss my white board.

Happiness is the Fact that Ruth Bader Ginsberg Was Here

In the “don’t cry because they’re gone, celebrate because they were here,” I am very glad that Ruth Bader Ginsberg fought the good fight for 84 years. WaPo posted a slide show of RBG portraits with some of her quotes that’s cheering, too. Nigel Buchanan in New Zealand did the portrait to the right.

So I’m sad that she’s gone, but I am uplifted by her example and her spirit.

What lifted you up this week?