Judith Post's Blog, page 110

Outline to Finished Draft

This post is too long…again.  But it should finish explaining how I turn an outline into a finished draft.  I hope.  If you still have questions, let me know.  But here goes!

When I start a book, I do pretty detailed plot points.  I didn’t always.  I used to stick to the basics of what had to happen to move the story, but now, when I think of a chapter or scene, I scribble down whatever comes to mind, and the more I scribble, the more things I think of.  That way, when I read my notes, I just need to bring them to life.

Every book starts with a hook.  For Wolf’s Bane, I show Reece racing to her mom’s house. Her mom remarried after Reece’s father died and had two children with her new husband. Eugene’s proud that he has a son, but Jenny reminds him of his mother.  He doesn’t like his mother, so whenever he’s had too much to drink, he likes to smack Jenny.  Reece, who teaches martial arts, rushes to prevent that.

However, Wolf’s Bane isn’t a literary novel.  It’s urban fantasy, so Reece’s family isn’t the main plot.  When she jumps out of the car to rescue Jenny, she sees a woman sitting on a porch stoop.  The woman raises her face to the sky and howls before she runs away. Later, after Reece has sent Eugene to the kitchen and gotten her brother and sister to bed, when she starts to her SUV, a werewolf attacks a young man on the street corner.  The man seems doomed until a gargoyle plummets from the sky to rescue him.  He kills the werewolf, and it shifts back to the woman Reece had seen earlier.  Plot point 1.

Now, that’s all plot point 1 is, a summary of what happens in that chapter.  But I’d already decided that I was aiming for 80,000 words for this book.  As it happened, I ended up with 30 plots points, and the novel ended up being 364 pages and almost 91,000 words.  But at the time, when I finished figuring out my 30 plot points, I figured I needed 2,600 words for each plot point, or about 10 -12 pages.  Each point might involve a few different scenes.  For my latest romance, I plotted forty plot points for 70,000 words.  Why?  Because I knew I wanted shorter, punchier scenes and chapters, only about 7 pages each.  How do I make one plot point into 7 to 12 pages?  By bringing the scene to life.

In Wolf’s Bane, I’d already shown that Reece is attached to her step-brother and step-sister.  If they call, she’s there.  Why?  Why does she care?  How much of an age difference is there between them and her?  How does she feel about her mother now?  Why does her mother tolerate Eugene’s drinking?  And how does her mother feel about Reece popping in to protect Joseph and Jenny?  What was Reece’s father like?  And what does Reece do now that he’s gone and she lives on her own?

Plot point 2:  This is still set-up.  Usually, the entire first fourth of my books are set-up.  This scene takes place a month later.  Reece is back at her mom’s house, and when she leaves, the man who was attacked gets off the bus at the corner and starts toward her.  Moon light hits him, and he starts to change.  He attacks Reece, and again, the gargoyle comes.  This time, he saves her, but his wing’s hurt in the battle.  She drives him to her condo, and he notices that she’s been scratched.  The wolf’s paw mark makes a tattoo-like stain close to her heart.  A sign that she’s a witch.

Again, this plot point only summarizes what happens in this scene or chapter.  I have to add details to bring the scene to life.  What did Reece do when she watched the man shift into a werewolf?  How did she feel?  How did she feel when the wolf attacked her?  When the gargoyle came to help her?  Does she believe him when he tells her she’s a witch? How will she cope with that?  What does it mean?  etc.  Question after question to bring the characters and actions to life.  Anyway, that’s what I do–scene after scene.

For me, once I get the plot points, I can concentrate on “seeing” what’s happening, what each character is doing, what the setting looks like.  I can “hear” the characters, listen to the grunts and shuffling of the battles.  That’s how my outline becomes a draft.

Now, a quick note:  I divide my stories into fourths, and that helps me keep my plot points on track.  The hook is extra–something to grab the reader.  So here’s how I start:

Hook:  Reece races to her mother’s house to protect Jenny from Eugene.
Plot Point 1:  Reece sees a werewolf attack a man and a gargoyle save him
Plot Point 3:  The man shifts and attacks Reece. The gargoyle saves her and she learns she’s a witch.

I know I want 80,000 words, and I’ve decided I can reach that with 30 plot points.  That means that I want my first turning point to come at the end of chapter 7 or 8, at the end of the first fourth of the book.  Reece knows she’s a witch, but she has no idea what that means or how to awaken her magic until the end of the book’s set-up (the first 7 or 8 chapters).  Also, a rogue werewolf tries to kill her, so she’s been targeted for some reason and doesn’t know why.  At the first turning point, an owl brings her a moonstone necklace to awaken her magic and she teams up with the gargoyles who protect Bay City to fight the rogues.

The second turning point comes at the middle of the story.  Wedge Durrow and his werewolf pack join Reece and Damian to fight the rogues, and they have an idea who the rogues are.  Hecate, a powerful witch, joins them, too.

The third turning point hits at the three-quarters point of the book, and the fourth quarter of the book leads to the final, big battle and resolution.  It ties up all the subplots, etc.  For plot points and structure, I highly recommend: http://storyfix.com/story-structure-d....  The point is, once you have your hook, first plot points, three turning points, and the end of your book, all you have to do is fill in more plot points from A to Z.  And then, all you have to do is bring each of those plot points to life.  Good luck and happy writing!

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 16’s up

Zanor decides to play dirty.  I usually post the image for the chapter here, but I decided to spare the faint of heart.  Zanor’s never nice, so be warned.  He’s a villain with no redeeming qualities.

http://www.judithpostswritingmusings.com/chapter-16.html

Plot to Story

I blogged about how I rewrite last week and mentioned that I use plot points to keep  myself on track.  A fellow writer asked how I turn an outline into a finished draft.  I might make a muddle of this, and it might take me longer than usual to describe, but here’s what works for me.

1. My books always start with an idea, something that snags my interest and won’t let go.  For the romance I’m working on now, I wanted a protagonist who makes a habit of falling for the wrong guy, the guy who won’t be good for her.  I wanted her to work with a hot guy who doesn’t rev her hormones at all, and they become friends.  And finally, I wanted her to meet Mr. Right, but not realize it because he’s interested in someone else.

2.  Once I have an idea, I populate it with characters who’ll make it work.  Paula is a widow who lost her husband on tour in the military.  She has two kids.  And she’s a chef.  She moved to Mill Pond for a slower pace, but the resort she cooks for has grown so popular, she’s swamped, so Ian hires Tyne–Mr. Hottie, her assistant chef.  Jason delivers supplies from the area’s regions to her kitchen everyday.  And Chase owns the bar on the edge of town.

3.  Now, I can start writing.  First, there’s the hook–the event that shows the protagonist and draws the reader in.  The first chapter always makes me crazy.  It has to introduce the main character and some important minor characters.  It has to tell us the book’s big problem and the internal struggle the protagonist has to solve.  It has to ground the readers in a setting, to let them see the protagonist’s world and how it affects her.  And if there’s a romance, this is a good time to hint at it.  I rewrite first chapters over and over again.  So, in my romance:

Hook: Paula walks her kids to the school bus and waves them off.

Okay, this isn’t plunging the reader into drama, but it shows the reader what’s important to Paula–juggling a career and being there for her kids, even if it leaves her frazzled and alone after her husband’s death.  To bring the scene to life:  What does Paula look like?  How can I show her when I’m in her POV?  How old are her kids?  Use dialogue to “hear” them, to show what their personalities are like.  Why does she walk them to the bus?  What time of year is it?  What does the setting look like?  How does Paula shift from Mommy to chef every day?

Scene 2:  Paula hurries to Ian’s office (the man who owns the resort) to meet her new assistant chef.  Ian let her help choose him.

To bring the scene to life:  What kind of a boss is Ian?  What’s the resort like?  Describe Tyne.  Why did Paula choose him as her assistant?  Does she have any reservations? What’s he like?  Why did he want this job?  How is he qualified for it?  Let me “hear” the three people and see what they’re like.  Let me hear Paula’s thoughts and feel her emotions.

Okay, you get the idea.  A plot point is just that–an event that happens in the story. When I sit down to write, I have to bring that scene to life.  I usually write the first three chapters in my book before I try to work on any more plot points.  Why?  I need to hear my characters and see how they react to things before they become real to me.  I still don’t know them that well, but I have a feeling for them.  Then I work on character wheels to round out their personalities and histories, their strengths and weaknesses.  Characters need to be consistent.  That’s how we decide how they’ll react to things.  And finally, I start filling in the signposts (plot points) along the way from the beginning of the book to the end.  I always know my book’s ending, or how else can I aim for it?

So,  I know the book’s beginning:  the hook, the big problem, the internal problem, and the inciting incident.  I know the setting.  In the first fourth of the book, the protagonist reacts to the changes around her.  She tries to find her balance and make everything work. I usually introduce at least two subplots that mirror the protagonist’s struggles.  By the end of the first fourth, she comes up with an idea to meet her goal.  That’s a turning point, and that’s the plot point I aim for at the end of the first quarter of my story.  The thing to remember is that the character doesn’t just react to what’s happening to her.  She struggles to survive it, to move forward, and to reach her goal.  Plot points aren’t about what people do TO your protagonist.  They’re about what the protagonist does to reach her goal.  It won’t turn out the way she wants it to until the end of the book, but she doesn’t stop trying, (if you’re writing a happy ending).  At the end of the book, she saves herself. The hero/love interest might stand beside her, but she flexes her new muscles and fights her own battles.

 

This blog is getting long, so I’ll write more about plotting and bringing your plot to life next week.  If you have any specific questions, let me know in the comments.  And if you have something that works for you, please share.  More later…

Chapter 15’s up

Our daughter’s coming to visit tomorrow, so I thought I’d better put this up now.  Hope you enjoy it!  http://www.judithpostswritingmusings....

 

Never Rush ReWrites

Unfortunately for you, I tend to blog about whatever I’m doing at the moment.  Right now, I’m pounding out pages to finish my third romance. And yes, a deadline is in my near future. But even though I want those page numbers to grow, I still take time to rewrite as I go.

So that’s what’s on my mind at the moment.  Is it worth it?  Would it be faster, better if I just wrote the damn thing and then went back to tweak it?  Nope.  Because I wish I had patience, but I don’t. Once a book’s finished, I don’t like it as much anymore.  I happily plot the entire story ahead, and that’s all right.  The plot points are just dots on a map:

Ian hires a new assistant chef to make Paula–his head chef’s–work load easier.  Tyne, the new guy, is hot and intense, but Paula’s only interested in Jason, the man who delivers the fresh meats and produce each day.
When Jason sees Tyne in the kitchen with Paula, he gets snarky–obviously feeling threatened, so he asks Paula to meet him at Chase’s bar on Friday night and promises her a dance.
Chase makes time to sit and chat with Paula when she walks into his bar.  He warns her off Jason, tells her that the man’s a player and he doesn’t want to see her get hurt.  Paula finds it easy to talk to Chase. They have a lot in common, but Chase is interested in Daphne, who walks into the bar with the professor she’s started seeing.

Okay, you get the point.  Plot points are only direction signs to keep the story moving in the right direction.  I have to bring them to life, and that’s where my characters come in.  They still surprise me with what they do with the little I provide for them.

I ask them: What do you want to do to make this scene work? Paula, the practical character, will get down to business.  Her work and her kids always come first.  Tyne gets things done, but he always puts his own spin on them.  And Chase will use charm and smiles to make everything he does look easy.

So plot points are fun.  I can’t wait to see how my characters react to what I’ve thrown at them.  They keep me interested all the way to The End.  But then the story’s told.  Finished.  And it’s taken me a long time.  Once I reach that stage, I don’t mind (even enjoy) tweaking what my beta readers mark for me to fix, because I never get everything right, but those are usually broader fixes or word choices circled in red.  Usually, those fixes don’t take that long.  But to go through each page, each scene, each chapter and work to make each word more vivid, each exchange more dynamic–nope, it wouldn’t happen once the book is done.  So I rewrite as I go.

I often spend two hours each morning, rewriting pages I wrote the day before.  Most of the time, it’s to find what’s missing.  Yes, my characters are moving and talking through each scene, but have I made their motivations clear?  Have I hinted at deeper issues?  Am I describing surface/shallow actions, or do they have depth/substance?  And have I added emotions?   Do I give a feel for their surroundings?  A sense of place?

When my brain’s tired, when I’ve written a few hours and words don’t spring readily to mind, I fall into lazy habits.  “He smiled.  He frowned.  He shrugged.”  My action tags grow minimal and repetitive.  During rewrites, I push myself to be more creative, more original.  (At least, I try.  I still get red marks for those:)  In my second romance, Opposites Distract (coming out July 5), Brody’s eyebrows did all sorts of things when I ran out of mental juices.  Thankfully, my editor nixed most of them.  Sad thing is, I never noticed how talented Brody’s eyebrows were until I saw them circled in red.  Now, I try to pay attention.  Repetition–of any kind–gets old.

I’d never spend two hours on each set of ten to fifteen pages when I finish a book.  It just wouldn’t happen.  I’m sick of the book by then.  So, for me, I don’t have a choice.  It’s rewrite-as-I-go if I want to put in the time to do it right.

Every writer’s different.  Find what works for you.  But a lot of people recommend turning off your editor brain while you write a first draft.  And that works for them.  But it doesn’t for me.  I’ve dug out extra little nuances and tidbits by going over what I did the day before.  Best of luck that you find the writer’s path that’s right for you.  And Happy Writing!

 

My webpage:  http://www.judithpostswritingmusings....

My author’s facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JudithPostsurbanfantasy/

twitter: @judypost

Chapter 14’s up

I tried to change the pace a bit in this one.  No battles–just Damek, the incubus/demon who’s courting Hennie:)  The man can set your world on fire–literally, so beware.  http://www.judithpostswritingmusings....

Behind Again

I was ahead.  Now I’m behind.  It’s time for me to glue my fanny in my chair and write, write, write!  I’ve spent most of November and December on a social buzz–lots of company and holidays.  Lots more than usual. But I’m a Libra.  I love connecting with friends and family.  I love cooking and catching up.  New recipes, new cookbooks excite me.  But now, I need alone time.  I get a bit cranky without it. And while lots of people detox during January, I need solitary time.  I need to lock the door to my office and caress keyboard keys with my fingertips.

I need to write a LOT of words.  And I’m so ready!  Paula, Jason, and Chase have been calling to me, but I’ve made them wait.  I can write urban fantasy inbetween bits and pieces of life.  I think of River City as my second home.  I can bounce inside of Babet’s head in a mini-second.  I know her, and I love Prosper as much as she does.  When I walk down Magic Street, I look for the tourists who zip from shop to shop.  I feel the sweat cling to my skin because of the heat and humidity.  And I tense up when I make the drive to the voodoo settlement by the bayou.  I know what those women are capable of.

With my romances, I have to live inside the characters, feel their emotions rise and fall, and I can’t do that with lots of interruptions.  Someday, maybe.  But not yet.  Romance is still new to me.  Each book deals with a new protagonist, and each protagonist is different than the one before.  She wrestles with different demons, strives for different goals.  I make the book’s journey with her, watching her evolve.  I can’t pop in and out of her head.  I have to live in her skin and feel what she feels.

January is dedicated to Paula, Jason, and Chase.  The poor girl is surrounded by more hot men than any woman deserves.  (Yeah, I feel for her:)  But Ian is happily married.  Cross him off the available list.  And sexy Tyne, the new assistant chef, feels more like a kid brother than a love interest.  Scratch him, too.  That leaves Chase, the perpetual bachelor, and Jason, the player.  Tough choice.  But that’s what this book is about.  Which one is a keeper?

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Chapter 13’s up!

Happy New Year’s Eve!  I plan on staying up to watch the ball drop while I drink champagne, so I’m posting chapter 13 now.  I might not be worth much tomorrow:)  I wish you all a wonderful 2016.  And remember, vampires should never mess with voodoo women, in case that comes up in your neighborhood.  I wanted an image of a wax voodoo doll, but couldn’t find one, so this will have to do.

http://www.judithpostswritingmusings.com/chapter-13.html

Writing: My Experiment

I’ve put up 12 free chapters on my webpage for Babet & Prosper’s short novel RIVER CITY RUMBLE.  I have at least nine more chapters plotted.  It might go longer.  And I have to say, this has been an interesting experiment.  What have I learned?

 As far as marketing, I’ve read on other blogs that offering free stories on your webpage helps increase sales.  I thought that if readers liked the chapters and free Babet and Prosper stories in the side column, they might spring for some of the bundles on Amazon.  I’ve gotten the occasional hit, but I’ve had better luck paying for advertising than offering free stories on my webpage.  I’ve had a lot more visitors, but that hasn’t translated into sales.  For now, I’m just happy I have more visitors and reach more people, so I’m okay with that.  But as a marketing tool, advertising seems to work better.
As for writing, telling a story as a weekly serial has made me really concentrate on what I put in each chapter.

 Have I kept the characters interesting and alive in the reader’s mind?  It’s been a week since they’ve thought about them.  Do they remember Viviane, Jacinta, or Hennie?  Have I made them distinctive enough?  How do I jump start their personalities again?
Something significant has to happen in every chapter.  There are no “down” chapters that link from one event to the next.  Whatever happens has to be important enough to hold the reader for another week.
Is there enough variety?  Yes, a chapter has to be significant, but I can’t write a battle for each of them.  Yet I want an event that’s significant, that makes the reader feel satisfied that it’s going to impact the final outcome.
Have I offered the reader a variety of emotions?  Have I made the characters complex enough that they care about them?  Worry when they’re in trouble?  Be surprised about how they react?  Have I offered some laughter or amusement to buffer the tense moments?  Some warm or poignant moments to touch the heart?
I try to permeate the feel of River City into the story.  I hope to show the bond between the protagonists who live there, so that each character is part of the whole.  The series is long enough, the cast of characters has grown, and it’s hard to give them each a part and let him/her shine.
Am I cranking up the conflict and tension, so that things just keep getting worse, so that the final showdown will be big and bad enough to satisfy the reader?  Zanor won’t go down easily.  Defeating him has to test the protagonists past anything they’ve done before.

I’ve written other serial stories, but they’ve been short–four or five chapters, and I like them because they challenge me.  This is the first time I’ve tried a serial novel, something longer with more characters and events.  And it’s challenged me, too.  But I’m enjoying it.  Whatever you’re working on, I hope it stretches your writing muscles AND brings you joy.  Happy Writing!

 

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Chapter 12’s up early

Vampires shouldn’t menace us on Christmas Eve or Christmas day, so I put up Chapter 12 BEFORE the good will flows.  No matter what you celebrate or how, I wish you happy holidays!

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