Cordelia Kingsbridge's Blog, page 15

(Belated) Sunday Update

I completely forgot to do this yesterday! My usual routine’s been very off-kilter the past few days, because between taking care of my sister’s sick dog and my own A/C breaking, I’ve spent most of my time at my parents’ house. The silver lining is that it was cool enough today for me to just open all the windows and be pretty comfortable with no air conditioning (which is still broken).

I hit a major milestone last week in finishing the rough draft of A Chip and a Chair. I don’t feel much of a sense of relief yet, though, since it needs so much revision before I can turn it in. I let it sit for a couple of days as planned, and dove into the revision process on Saturday. If I stick to the schedule I set for myself, I should finish up in time to meet my goal of turning the manuscript in before the end of October.

Also coming up this week, on October 25, is the first Cordelia’s Workshop! This is a new Patreon bonus for patrons at the Rebel tier and higher, in which I’ll break down an aspect of the writing process every month, illustrating my discussion with one of my own works. This month, I’ll be discussing how to plot a novel using my favorite three-act structure, with Kill Game as the example reference. Story structure is a favorite subject of mine, and I’m excite to delve into the nitty-gritty of my process in a way I’ve never shared before.

Have a great week, everyone!

Just rereading SoS from the start again - and loving it!!!

Yay, thank you so much! That makes me really happy to hear. :-)

“Dominic was acting like Rebel when she was about to get chicken.” Is perhaps the greatest line in literally history and made me smile so thank you. Also very adorable to imagine.

Haha, thank you! Rebel’s love of chicken is stolen from my parents’ dog Charlie, who absolutely loses her mind whenever she knows there’s chicken around. If you even say the word, she’s ready to do backflips. And I’ve always conceptualized Dominic as having a lot of canine qualities - which I mean as the highest of compliments, because dogs are my favorite creatures on earth!

at do you think things might have been like for Levi and Dominic if they had met in their 20s, both individually and as a couple(assuming they get together)

Well, Dominic was traveling around the world with the Army Rangers for most of his twenties. That wouldn’t preclude starting a new relationship, of course, but it would make it a lot more difficult, especially since Dominic wouldn’t be able to be open about it (Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was in effect then).

The complicating factor, though, would be that Levi and Dominic wouldn’t like each other if they had met earlier. I mean, they didn’t even like each other when they met in canon. Before Stanton mellowed Levi out a bit, Levi was even pricklier and less trusting than he is now; before Dominic left the Rangers and subsequently sowed his wild oats, he was a restless free spirit with no interest in commitment.

Without having been changed by those experiences, and without being forced to get to know each other through events like those in Kill Game - events which made them rethink their negative first impressions of each other, learn the important things they have in common, and admire each other’s strengths - Dominic and Levi wouldn’t have been friends, let alone a couple. So all told, it’s a good thing they met when they did!

Hey! I'm the "sexual tension" anon (and the "help me organize my notes" anon). Thanks so much for the advice on both topics! It gave me a ton to think about and I'm happy to say my one character is much more independent now (aka - not attached to his partn

You’re very welcome! I’m happy to have helped, and I wish you the best of luck with what sounds like an intriguing project. :-)

Hey ! I asked you the question about knowing who the SoS was, thank you for answering, it actually makes a lot of sense. I just finished the third book, and this ending ? Omg ! I just want to rush to OER now ! It's so good ! The killer is so protective of

And now a really lighter question, what house would Levi and Dominic be in ? I would put Dominic in gryffindor, with a bit of hesitation with Hufflepuff, but he is brave and reckless… Levi, I would say slytherin. What do you think ? And btw, thank you so much for putting all this work into your stories, they are amazing, and I love reading everything that you do ! 2/2

Thank you very much! Levi is actually my own favorite character of mine, as well. :-)

I would put Dominic in Hufflepuff, honestly! He’s definitely brave and reckless at times, but his personality is more defined by his friendliness and empathy. He also cares a lot about what other people think of him and wants everyone to like him and get along, which is not historically something we’ve seen in Gryffindors, LOL.

It’s tempting to want to put Levi in Slytherin, but if you think about it, he’s too straightforward. He almost always says exactly what he’s thinking, even if it’s tactless, and he’s a poor liar. I’d be more inclined to put Levi in Gryffindor, in fact, because he does what he believes is right regardless of what anyone else thinks of him, and is brash and unafraid to share his opinions even when he knows they’ll be unpopular.

I named my kitten Levi that’s what I wanted to say I’m sorry I’m embarrassed sorry

Please don’t be embarrassed! I was 99.9% sure that’s what you intended. And that’s one of the most incredible things I’ve ever heard! I’m truly honored. I hope little Levi brings you tons of love and happiness over the coming years.

I just wanted to tell you that named my new baby kitten I saw your tweet yesterday and it made me really emotional, I cannot wait for the last installment of SoS. Thank you. <3

I think there may be some words missing from this message, but it’s very sweet nonetheless, and greatly appreciated. I’m thrilled you’re enjoying the series! :-)

Hey ! I've never read SoS but I follow you on patreon and with the Q&A of this week I became so curious that I just HAD to read it, I just finished the second book and I love it ! I think Levi is one of my favorite character of your works, I love his perso

Yay, I’m so happy you’re enjoying the series! Thanks for deciding to give it a try. :-)

And this is actually a fantastic question, not stupid at all. The answer might surprise people who haven’t heard me discuss it before:

The Seven of Spades’s identity and motivation were what inspired the entire series in the first place.

I knew who the Seven of Spades was, and why they do what they do, before I even knew who Levi and Dominic were. The whole series is structured around the SoS’ motivations.

When you’re writing genres like mystery, thriller, or action/suspense - in other words, plots with a concrete antagonist who the protagonist is trying to stop - it is so, so important to have a thorough grasp of who that antagonist is, what they want, and what they’ll do to get it.

After all, the antagonist is the one whose actions initially drive the plot. The protagonist may (and probably should) take a more proactive role later in the story, but in the beginning, they’re reacting to the antagonist. If you don’t know what the antagonist’s goals are, how can you know what those plot-initiating events are? How do you know what kind of protagonist is needed to oppose them?

I think it’s important in any genre to know the ending of your story before you begin, but with mysteries/thrillers, it’s essential.

Thanks again for the great question!

How do you write such amazing sexual tension with your characters? I start writing and it's like my characters want to jump in bed by chapter two! I want to draw it out, especially since one character has some hang ups when it comes to sex (especially with

At its most basic level, sexual tension builds when characters want to have sex but can’t for whatever reason(s). This applies to characters in established relationships, too - couples can create sexual tension by flirting with and teasing each other in situations where they can’t have sex, to heighten the anticipation for when they can seal the deal later.

Sexual tension has two dimensions: physical attraction and psychological attraction. You need both to truly satisfy the reader.

Physical attraction is usually easier for authors to write. Characters can find each other physically attractive regardless of the obstacles keeping them apart, even if they don’t like (or can’t stand) each other. It’s also easy to find moments to showcase a character’s physical attractiveness.The human body doesn’t need a lot of encouragement to think, “Yeah, I’d hit that.”

Psychological attraction is trickier. Like I said above, if you’re looking to build sexual tension, that tells me there’s one or more obstacles preventing the characters from having sex. Their psychological attraction to each other has to develop over time to a point where they’re willing to face the consequences of overcoming those obstacles, because their desire to be together now outweighs everything else.

If your characters are ready to jump into bed by chapter two - and that’s not what you wanted - that tells me there was no real conflict keeping them apart in the first place.

Sexual tension is a process of taking two steps forward and one step back. Every time the characters make progress in their relationship, the conflict springs up to reality-check them. But, through the events of the story, the characters are also developing their psychological attraction to each other, which drives them to continue pursuing it despite the obstacles in their path.

What that looks like is very individual to the nature of each story’s conflict, especially whether said conflict is internal or external (or both). In your example, you say one of the characters is an abused omega who has hang-ups about having sex with alphas due to past trauma. Would that character want to have sex with a new alpha right away, regardless of how much he liked him? Probably not.

Why not? Well, that’s the conflict you’re exploring with the relationship! What specific events in the omega’s past would interfere with him developing a new relationship in the present? What actions on the new alpha’s part - even if completely benign - might trigger flashbacks or bad sense memories for the omega and scare him off? How did the abuse affect the omega’s sense of self-worth, his assertiveness, his ability to trust people? And so on.

For the alpha’s part, how does he feel about getting involved with an omega who has a history of abuse? Is he even aware of it? If not, how does he interpret the omega’s reactions to him - is he offended? Confused? If he does know about the omega’s past, what kind of anxieties does that provoke for him? Does he worry about re-traumatizing the omega, or maybe that he’ll inadvertently take advantage of him? Etc.

A lack of desired sexual tension usually means you need to delve further into the conflict(s) keeping the characters apart. That conflict needs to be serious and believable, or it’ll just seem like an artificial prop you’re using to drag things out, which annoys readers a lot! And the progress towards resolving the sexual tension should have some sense of forward momentum - even in a slow-burn scenario - so that the reader is feeling that same tension and anticipation, and is cheering the characters on instead of getting frustrated with them.

As always, outlining is your friend.

I hope this helps! Thank you so much for the question, as well as your kind words. :-)