R.W. Richard's Blog, page 15

Critique group woes

Have you ever worried about writing a novel by committee? I have.
Week after week, recently, I a critter, who has an agent says, “I’m having trouble with believability.” [I’m writing a romance.]
In a critique group, it is not recommended that you not stick up for yourself, mostly because of time and slightly because of egos. So I say nothing. I go home make corrections that I understand and then try to guess what she meant. Is it that my 18 year-old black girl and my 20 year-old white boy are somehow not attracted to each other or I’m writing them wrong? What I usually do when editing from critique group input is fill in more story via dialogue and interior monologue to make the story richer. [BTW. This type of romance is called NA, i.e. new adult.] I look at setting, time lapses, everything. This introspection has never been without value because it sharpens the story.
I was nonetheless curious about what she meant about believability. I asked her on a break and she couldn’t pin it down. So I prompted her with an example that I knew I was going to change. She said, “I don’t know if that’s the way the hero and his dad get along.” I do. The group cannot be expected to remember what you wrote in previous weeks for many reasons.
To name a couple:
1. They missed a week or weeks.
2. They forget. It isn’t their story.
A funny thing happens on the way to the weekly group meeting. I write 3 to 6 pages max, 1 scene or chapter only. My writing is tight and sometimes doesn’t cover some interior monologue that I felt might be helpful in showing more story. I do this because of time limitations. Also, I never summarize previous chapters and/or explain things that have changed because each scene should stand on its own merits or so the experts say.
I remember a vice-presidential candidate saying many years ago, “Who am I and what am I doing here?”
If I don’t understand the other writer’s story, I usually give a pass because I’m not on top of every nuance. BUT. I can’t blame anybody else for getting lost and offering a suggestion that my story in some way is unbelievable. I just take it under advisement. You have probably heard that phrase before in your own group(s). It usually means I’m hurt, I don’t want to talk about, I don’t value your opinion, but it should mean, how can I improve my story and could you be more explicit.
For those now curious, I’m writing the best novel of my life and I have my critique group to thank for it. All of them.
 

Inspirational romance

Searching for meaning, purpose and love finds its way into profane stories that often don’t mention religion or the Golden Rule.

But these stories show and have no time to tell. Showing is always the most dramatic way to get in a dig for right over wrong.

Today, the Academy Awards had much love to show:

A Star is Born, shows an incredible romance with three people, he, she and his demons.

Black Clansman, forget the Klan, those people are idiots and find hate and that hate might be the only way they can make money. This is a love story between two cops, one black and one a Jew.

Green Book, here a love between a white and black is shown amidst 1970s hate.

Roma, shows a live-in housekeeper in Mexico City who has a life of her own.

We are not told what is right or wrong. The movie shows us the way.

The delicate nature of romance

This post is a follow-up to a previous post called "Painting oneself into a corner", published 1/27/19.
Consider the difficulties of writing a two POV story, the hero and heroine. Girl meets boy in an odd or cute meet. They struggle together or apart or a little of both. They become both protagonist and antagonist. Usually there is a huge physical pull between them. There are often external antagonists to spoil their plans. They may have different plans. They may see the antagonist(s) as protagonist(s). You are writing a novel and because of the length and the need for drama you must set up various barriers to their future love.

Balance this with the way most people get together. They’re attracted, they like, they love (or they discover they’re incompatible).

If you watch a romance or romantic comedy, most of the roadblocks are easily identifiable because they come from outside influences. A good actor and actress will try to show you their inner conflicts typically with facial expressions or body language. Sometimes they address the problem with words. All this fits into a two hour movie.

Herein lies the problem for a writer. Try writing hundreds of pages of ever changing interior conflict between hero and heroine, using both viewpoints and making it seem real.

Because of this difficulty the conflict expressed in interior monologue needs tropes as understandable and believable assists:

1.      Not ready for love.
2.      Not ready for marriage or fear of commitment.
3.      Not wanting marriage or kids.
4.      Having something more important to accomplish, career, school.
5.      And an infinite number of other problems that the author’s creative mind comes up with for their special story.
Next week, I’ll write about how hard it is to fool the reader regarding who he or she will pick.

Simplicity

Simplicity
There are so many books about how to start a novel. The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman and Hooked by Les Edgerton are two of my favorites.
We all know or should know that the first scene or chapter should have an inciting incident that changes everything for the hero. This is a sweeping recommendation, bordering on a commandment. We also know that we shouldn’t start with dialogue as a rule because we don’t know the characters too well yet nor do we know where we are. This is a pointer often given.
Today, I want to write about the first paragraph or two. These suggestions are pointers not some sweeping do or die commandment.
First, let’s see an example from chapter one, paragraph one of Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips:
“It wasn’t every day a guy saw a headless beaver marching down the side of the road, not even in Dean Robillard’s larger-than-life world. “Son of a…” Dean slammed on the brakes of his brand-new Aston Martin Vanquish and pulled over in front of her.”
I hardly know where to begin or what to leave to your imagination or for you to figure out on your own. Phillips is that good. Simple words or phrases like side of the road, marching, larger-than-life, brand new, headless beaver… all evocative and precise (and understandable). There is not one word that doesn’t fit. Her first paragraph is like a mosaic in which removing any piece spoils the art.
Immediately, we have a sense of who Dean is, what he wants and/or maybe doesn’t know it “her.”
1.      The first paragraph gives us a story promise. The rich, Dean, is going to go out of his way for a strange lady or something he has never experienced. What’s with his life (purpose or lack of) that would compel him to stop his car?
2.      It tells us where he is, a back road somewhere.
3.      It shows our hero to have a sense of adventure, fun and wonderment of life.
4.      “Marching” gives a sense of the heroine. She’s proud and maybe disgusted with her plight since she’s no longer wearing her head.
5.      “Slammed on the brakes” shows that the hero is impulsive. He already finds the “beaver” irresistible in some way he might not yet fully comprehend.
6.      Pulling over in front of her shows his type A personality. He saying stop right there young lady. I must talk to you and I always get my way.
For most of us mortals telling a bit about the POV character and where he is, in the first paragraph, is a good start. To engage the reader’s imagination in a focused way is good. To write using abstraction is bad. Bad, because a wondering mind will lead to the reader wondering why she’s reading your story.
For homework read over your first paragraph and see if you could be confused with Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

Painting oneself into a corner

Painting oneself into a corner

In writing, writers sometimes find themselves boxed in by the plot, promises made early in the story, left turns our own characters dare throw in. There are any number of reasons. How do you know it’s a corner? You don’t know what to do to move on. Do you go back and rewrite everything? Do you hope the reader will suspend belief?

Let me give you a concrete example. It’s only page fifty and the hero and heroine are crazy for each other. The hero declares his love. Oh no, you have 200 or more pages in which to develop the story and give them the happily ever-after they deserve. What happened to all the road blocks? What happened to making things worse? Black moments, etc.

One solution, if the hero goes overboard verbally let the heroine put on the breaks. You’ll see this technique used by Hallmark all the time.

If you are not writing a romance and the protagonist has solved the plot problem too early, then let the antagonist put a bridge over the wet paint so the hero can escape and they can play their deadly game. This often happens in Bond movies. The machine is about to laser Bond in half when the antagonist leaves it to his idiot assistant (and all hell breaks loose).

I write this tiny inspiration today just to say there may be an easy way to move on and continue writing. So follow your instincts, have paint brush and work toward the corner.

24/7 immersion

24/7 immersion
The technique of forcing the hero and heroine to be together 24/7 on a journey of change is an often used technique. Why?
If done right, it is often a mix of fish-out-of-water for both the audience and the hero and heroine. The other reason why is the 24/7 immersion of the hero and heroine with each other. How many of you wish you could have had this while dating. You’d know soon enough if you were compatible or in love. The nay-sayers say things like how could you fall in love in three days. If you date once or twice a week, how long would it be before you pile up 3 or x full days?
For romance writers who have seen It Happened One Night, 1934, we treasure the memories of one of the most perfect romances ever portrayed.
Many put down the Bachelor franchise but consider the immersion and think again. I’m not selling the show just the concept for writing.
So how does a writer handle immersion? Take care to observe the changing environment and how the hero and heroine react to it and each other. Counter-point: if you have a heroine or hero who works, has family, friends and other interests you may have a longer story. Slow down for the moment they fall in love. It is pivotal and must be believable. Don’t get me wrong. The story is not over when they realize they’re in love, whether it be immersion or slice of life. If done right there are obstacles typically both in interior thought and outside influences. Black moments are the grist for our mills.

The boy behind the cereal box

The boy behind the cereal box
Did you ever wonder why kids love to line up cereal boxes and hide behind them? They’ll sometimes play peekaboo and sometimes parents will encourage this by starting a peekaboo. Sometimes they’ll be reading the box or claiming they find the box utterly absorbing. Sometimes they’re hiding from their siblings, who they may have a love hate relationship with. They love their sib but at the same time they can’t stand them. They have a right to their own thoughts and privacy, right?
Kids grow up. How much of our behavior is dedicated to hiding behind a barrier? We choose to do one thing over another. We go to parties and sometimes wish it would end so that we can go back to normal. Or we’re shy or uncomfortable at parties and try our best to contribute.
What of the heroes or heroines in our stories? We’re all a mix of social and anti-social to put it simply. These ying-yang behaviors can be used to give your characters more depth. Another way of measuring the difference between protagonist and antagonist is in how far or close they are to putting up barriers.

Puerto Rico

Guest blogger: Robert RicciardiPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico means port ruler. This can apply describe a proud people.

What I am about to write might seem like politics, but it’s not.Point 1: Two weeks ago, Mr. Richard wrote about Decòr. He suggested that many men start out slobs in a marriage. And then tongue in cheek how this could lead to divorce.

Point 2: Suppose you’re married and you have a budget of $2000 each month. You must pay for food, mortgage, and various other bills. If you are lucky, you’ll save some for your children’s college education. Your back yard fence needs major repair but that will have to wait. Do you repair the fence and buy no food? Do you repair the fence and not save for your children’s education? No, and besides it still wouldn’t be enough.PRIORITIES. Right? Good.

Point 3: Then you’ll agree that one could make an analogy to the people of Puerto Rico, all of them U.S. citizens, our family. They need help and we have a limited budget. Why is it we have to fix the fence before we completely help Puerto Rico (our family)? It turns out we are rich and can spend some on the fence or wall, but our people’s destitution comes first. Some of you will say that the people of Puerto Rico brought it on themselves by not choosing Statehood. Hey, how many of you have teenagers in your family who have a different opinion? The family still stands. We have a moral duty to all our citizens.Point 4: Most homes have no front wall. It you are the kind of person who won’t stand for dissent in your family, perhaps you should build a wall to keep your family from escaping.

Okay, maybe this is somewhat about politics. Will Mr. Richard save me?Bob Richard: Men who are always right should live alone. Where’s the romance in that?

Décor

DécorOn the average, boys becoming men choose disarray. Girls becoming women choose order.

Walk into any college dorm and be witness.

When men move into their first apartment, they decorate in what mom and dad gave them plus what they saw discarded on the street. Women need to color coordinate or it’s no thanks mom and dad.When men move into their first condo or home, they might have a little money left at the end of a pay check to pick a recliner, card table and a huge TV.

When women move into a condo or home they build a nest.Of course, our renaissance man has an eye for beauty.

Many men start thinking at this point, what can I do to attract a female? This is the stuff of comedy, because they think their good looks or great job will win the day. They don’t think about decorating.

Finally and somehow married a man retreats into an area he has learned is called a man cave. The wife retreats to her friends wondering what she was thinking when she married this slob. He forgets the toilet seat, leaves clothes on the floor, puts rotting food everywhere but the trash, etc. Basically, she becomes a mom without giving birth. She educates and the man who loves her listens and learns. Sometimes. Ever wonder why there’s a huge divorce rate besides infidelity?

All this doesn’t have to be in real life if the girl/woman chooses a metro-sexual or Renaissance man. In the movies and romance novels this stuff just makes us smile or laugh. It is also one more barrier to overcome before we reach a neat and tidy HEA (happily-ever-after).The moral of the story for any author is that the descriptive details and the heroine’s reaction to them is priceless. But don’t force it. If the hero wants to be or is an architect or any other type that celebrates the beauty of all things, use it to your advantage once again in the descriptive assessment of the heroine.

Happy Holidays...

Alpha revisited

The Alpha male revisited
I have promoted Beta males for romantic leads. A Beta male is someone who is sensitive and celebrates the needs of other people. Often described as a renaissance man. The publishers often ask for Alphas, particularly Harlequin. Why? Using the Alpha formula for story often writes itself. The stakes are raised scene by scene, the internal war to become a better man is intense, because he’s in an environment that challenges his beliefs. The beliefs can be considered strange to most normal human beings. The Alpha lives in an egocentric universe in which everything he thinks and does is correct and right. There is no moral right or wrong. It’s his way or the highway.
I have accepted a challenge from myself to write the ultimate Alpha, since my heroes are typically Betas. I’m enjoying it to no end. For me, it is so easy to write into every scene a shift or change in how the hero experiences the world. His heroine is everything he hates and visa-versa. This is extreme, a baptism of fire for me. But when I’m done, I’ll feel like I accomplished a great deal. I already feel like I’m saving two (imaginary) souls. This overboard feeling is warranted when a reader feels uplifted by the story, when a reader changes his or her life because of a piece of fiction.