Barbara Eberhard's Blog - Posts Tagged "fictional-biography"
Familial Relationships
I'm writing my next fictional book this weekend. It's been an intense week, and I needed a little more escapism than writing Dad's biography allows.
But...writing about a daughter-mother relationship has its own challenges. Not the least of which is that I lost my mom a few years ago.
But Anna and Jennifer have a very different dynamic than my mother and I did. Jennifer, as I've written her, had Anna when she was just a teenager. And while she loves her daughter, the resentment of years lost and experiences she never had and never will colors their relationship.
Likewise, Anna loves her mother, but can't help but be tainted by those feelings from Jennifer. She noticed, at a young age, that her mother was much younger than the other mothers of her classmates. And she learned the truth of Jennifer's experiences - being kicked out by her parents, being abandoned by Anna's father, and being "rescued" by Anna's aunt. The pain of Jennifer's experiences can't help but filter into Anna's life, as well.
Still, they have a good relationship, even if they are very different in their interactions with the world. Jennifer is more practical, some might say cold. She is her own woman now, and she's not one to pull punches. Even with her daughter.
Anna, on the other, writes about romance for a living. She's longing for that kind of connection - one she's yet to experience.
But also longing for the warmth of a mother. And so, as Anna experiences the pain of her life being turned upside down, she runs back to the place where she felt that kind of love from a mother figure - the ranch on which she grew up and the woman who fed the household, including Anna.
Anna is much more of a soft-hearted character. Which is why her being exposed as a famous author and philanthropist, when she'd been hiding behind her nom de plume, hurts so much.
Anna needs a little more Jennifer. Jennifer could use a little Anna.
Perhaps by the end of the book, they will.
But...writing about a daughter-mother relationship has its own challenges. Not the least of which is that I lost my mom a few years ago.
But Anna and Jennifer have a very different dynamic than my mother and I did. Jennifer, as I've written her, had Anna when she was just a teenager. And while she loves her daughter, the resentment of years lost and experiences she never had and never will colors their relationship.
Likewise, Anna loves her mother, but can't help but be tainted by those feelings from Jennifer. She noticed, at a young age, that her mother was much younger than the other mothers of her classmates. And she learned the truth of Jennifer's experiences - being kicked out by her parents, being abandoned by Anna's father, and being "rescued" by Anna's aunt. The pain of Jennifer's experiences can't help but filter into Anna's life, as well.
Still, they have a good relationship, even if they are very different in their interactions with the world. Jennifer is more practical, some might say cold. She is her own woman now, and she's not one to pull punches. Even with her daughter.
Anna, on the other, writes about romance for a living. She's longing for that kind of connection - one she's yet to experience.
But also longing for the warmth of a mother. And so, as Anna experiences the pain of her life being turned upside down, she runs back to the place where she felt that kind of love from a mother figure - the ranch on which she grew up and the woman who fed the household, including Anna.
Anna is much more of a soft-hearted character. Which is why her being exposed as a famous author and philanthropist, when she'd been hiding behind her nom de plume, hurts so much.
Anna needs a little more Jennifer. Jennifer could use a little Anna.
Perhaps by the end of the book, they will.
Story Arcs
When I start to write a new novel, I write down an overall outline on 3x5 cards. I number each one, and each has a note or two about what's going to happen at that stage of the plot. All together, they tell the arc of the novel.
But, within each chapter, you should also create an arc. Each chapter should have a purpose - something that it does to push the story forward.
And that means having a mini story within the chapter.
At least, that's how I write.
The chapter title and the basics of what should happen in the chapter from the 3x5 card tell me the parameters under which I'm working. But how I get whatever has to happen to happen - well, that's up to me on a given day. And it's usually where the "magic" happens. Where a character may take a turn that's different from what I had planned. Or a conversation happens that ultimately changes one of the other plot points - and makes me have to update or develop a new 3x5 card.
Each chapter should have a beginning. Just as it's important for the novel to have a catchy first line or paragraph, so too, should each chapter. Why is this chapter important? What will the reader learn? Why is this chapter needed in the plot?
By the same token, the chapter should wrap up with something intriguing. Maybe it's the first part of a story that will play out in the next chapter. Maybe it's a lesson learned. Maybe it's a major change in direction for the reader - something the author intends, but hopes the reader doesn't see until he or she gets to that point in the novel.
And what comes in between should have an arc. Not necessarily following the course of time - the start of the chapter to the end of the chapter doesn't have to be sequential. But the ideas, the plot points, the characters' development - those should have an arc.
Through the story arc of the chapter. Through the story arc from chapter to chapter. And from the beginning to the end of the novel's story arc.
But, within each chapter, you should also create an arc. Each chapter should have a purpose - something that it does to push the story forward.
And that means having a mini story within the chapter.
At least, that's how I write.
The chapter title and the basics of what should happen in the chapter from the 3x5 card tell me the parameters under which I'm working. But how I get whatever has to happen to happen - well, that's up to me on a given day. And it's usually where the "magic" happens. Where a character may take a turn that's different from what I had planned. Or a conversation happens that ultimately changes one of the other plot points - and makes me have to update or develop a new 3x5 card.
Each chapter should have a beginning. Just as it's important for the novel to have a catchy first line or paragraph, so too, should each chapter. Why is this chapter important? What will the reader learn? Why is this chapter needed in the plot?
By the same token, the chapter should wrap up with something intriguing. Maybe it's the first part of a story that will play out in the next chapter. Maybe it's a lesson learned. Maybe it's a major change in direction for the reader - something the author intends, but hopes the reader doesn't see until he or she gets to that point in the novel.
And what comes in between should have an arc. Not necessarily following the course of time - the start of the chapter to the end of the chapter doesn't have to be sequential. But the ideas, the plot points, the characters' development - those should have an arc.
Through the story arc of the chapter. Through the story arc from chapter to chapter. And from the beginning to the end of the novel's story arc.
Book Length
Generally, speaking, I try get my book lengths to about 300-350 pages.
I'm not sure why that length appeals to me so, but it does. It makes a book feel like a book.
It's also not so long that people will be intimidated to read it. My first book is closer to 600 pages, and it's a commitment to read it. It's written in three parts, that makes it a little more digestible. But still, 600 pages is a lot.
I have a couple of shorter books, coming in around 200-250 pages. Those seem almost too short, to me. Part of the reason for that is that the software that we use to publish books on KDP doesn't like to put a spine on a skinny book. And a book without a spine just seems wrong.
My current novel crossed 100 pages today. That's great!
However, according to the outline, we're about halfway through. I just finished writing Chapter 13 of 25. So, if you extrapolate, that would mean this book would be in the 200-250 range.
That thought has been bugging me. As I said at the outset, I prefer my books to be 300-350 pages.
But I also know me. I've changed the original outline a couple of times already. So, it's entirely likely that the next 12 chapters will expand to 24. Or I'll go back and add a few more chapters in an earlier part of the book.
I'm sure it'll get to 300 pages in the end. But still, I can't help but be a little concerned.
The truly silly part of all this is that, of course, I'm writing the darned thing. I can change the writing to fit my needs, right? Well, mostly. I still have a vision of the characters and the plot. And I'm not going to distort that just to get to a certain page length.
So, let's hope the plot expands a bit, or I think of something to add earlier. Bound to happen.
I'm not sure why that length appeals to me so, but it does. It makes a book feel like a book.
It's also not so long that people will be intimidated to read it. My first book is closer to 600 pages, and it's a commitment to read it. It's written in three parts, that makes it a little more digestible. But still, 600 pages is a lot.
I have a couple of shorter books, coming in around 200-250 pages. Those seem almost too short, to me. Part of the reason for that is that the software that we use to publish books on KDP doesn't like to put a spine on a skinny book. And a book without a spine just seems wrong.
My current novel crossed 100 pages today. That's great!
However, according to the outline, we're about halfway through. I just finished writing Chapter 13 of 25. So, if you extrapolate, that would mean this book would be in the 200-250 range.
That thought has been bugging me. As I said at the outset, I prefer my books to be 300-350 pages.
But I also know me. I've changed the original outline a couple of times already. So, it's entirely likely that the next 12 chapters will expand to 24. Or I'll go back and add a few more chapters in an earlier part of the book.
I'm sure it'll get to 300 pages in the end. But still, I can't help but be a little concerned.
The truly silly part of all this is that, of course, I'm writing the darned thing. I can change the writing to fit my needs, right? Well, mostly. I still have a vision of the characters and the plot. And I'm not going to distort that just to get to a certain page length.
So, let's hope the plot expands a bit, or I think of something to add earlier. Bound to happen.
Picking Up the Pieces
I spent the past couple of weeks focused on wrapping up the biography of my dad. I'm still waiting for comments from some of the folks I interviewed. But having heard from some of them, with no inputs, I'm guessing the others will likely do the same. So, I edited and put the finishing touches on that book. To be published in July.
This weekend, instead, I turned my attention back to my novel, Rich People's Problems.
When last I'd written in it, almost a month ago, I had realized that the major climax was happening on page 100. Much too early. I had gone back to several of the chapters and broken them up, with the intention of adding content to the earlier parts of the book, pushing the climax to later in the page count.
This three-day weekend has been full of doing just that. And I'm pleased to report that - finally! - the storyline is flowing more easily. Ironically, I wrote about the novelist protagonist having problems writing. Not so ironic, I guess, though she's nothing like I am, in real life. Fodder is fodder, after all.
Anyway, one of the main issues had been that, in my original dream, the relationship between Anna and Andrew, while distant in the recent past, had never been contentious. In my drafting of the novel, though, I had created a tension between them. Based on the Raggedy Ann taunt one of Andrew's friends had made when they were teenagers. It had been bothering me that I changed this crucial plot point from the situation in my dream, where Anna goes to Andrew specifically because she knows he can sympathize with negative publicity, having experienced it himself.
But when I was writing, and having come up with a title for the book, it just made more sense for Anna and Andrew to be at odds. And the childhood taunt also made sense, Anna being much poorer than the Johnsons and their friends.
But it was bugging me. It's not often that I have changed such a major part of the plot.
But today, the writing came together. And I like the new direction. So, whew.
And I added about 20 pages to the beginning of the book. Not sure the climax is far enough along yet. But things are better than they were.
This weekend, instead, I turned my attention back to my novel, Rich People's Problems.
When last I'd written in it, almost a month ago, I had realized that the major climax was happening on page 100. Much too early. I had gone back to several of the chapters and broken them up, with the intention of adding content to the earlier parts of the book, pushing the climax to later in the page count.
This three-day weekend has been full of doing just that. And I'm pleased to report that - finally! - the storyline is flowing more easily. Ironically, I wrote about the novelist protagonist having problems writing. Not so ironic, I guess, though she's nothing like I am, in real life. Fodder is fodder, after all.
Anyway, one of the main issues had been that, in my original dream, the relationship between Anna and Andrew, while distant in the recent past, had never been contentious. In my drafting of the novel, though, I had created a tension between them. Based on the Raggedy Ann taunt one of Andrew's friends had made when they were teenagers. It had been bothering me that I changed this crucial plot point from the situation in my dream, where Anna goes to Andrew specifically because she knows he can sympathize with negative publicity, having experienced it himself.
But when I was writing, and having come up with a title for the book, it just made more sense for Anna and Andrew to be at odds. And the childhood taunt also made sense, Anna being much poorer than the Johnsons and their friends.
But it was bugging me. It's not often that I have changed such a major part of the plot.
But today, the writing came together. And I like the new direction. So, whew.
And I added about 20 pages to the beginning of the book. Not sure the climax is far enough along yet. But things are better than they were.
Back to Fiction
Now that I'm only writing one book at a time, it's been going a little smoother. At least it did today.
Last night, as I was settling into sleep, I had an idea. Or rather a series of ideas about a fight between my two main characters in Rich People's Problems and how the resolution of it would bring them to resolving all the underlying tension they've had between them the whole book. It felt like resolution of my challenges, as well.
It also would solidify the book's subtitle: The Story of Raggedy Ann and Andy. I wanted that subtitle to end up with a positive spin. And up to this point, it's been a source of contention.
I don't want to spoil the book by giving away too much. But suffice it to say, Anna and Andrew find their way to each other. As one would hope in this kind of novel.
Last night, as I was settling into sleep, I had an idea. Or rather a series of ideas about a fight between my two main characters in Rich People's Problems and how the resolution of it would bring them to resolving all the underlying tension they've had between them the whole book. It felt like resolution of my challenges, as well.
It also would solidify the book's subtitle: The Story of Raggedy Ann and Andy. I wanted that subtitle to end up with a positive spin. And up to this point, it's been a source of contention.
I don't want to spoil the book by giving away too much. But suffice it to say, Anna and Andrew find their way to each other. As one would hope in this kind of novel.
Amazon Book Categories
With each book I publish, I agonize over which book categories to use to list the books on KDP, which translates to their listings on Amazon. You only get to choose three categories on KDP, and obviously, those choices help readers find the books - or not.
With Maverick for the Built Environment, biography was the obvious choice. But...there are all kinds of biographies. I chose "biography: artists, architects, and photographers" - which is kind of a weird set of choices - "biography: science and technology". When I first published the book, it topped out at 272 on Kindle under "biography: artists, architects, and photographers". That was amazing; today, two weeks later, it's at 909, which is still amazingly high. Amazon also added the book to "biographies: scientists", which I would argue doesn't really apply. And also to "artist and architect biographies", which is somehow different than "biography: artists, architects, and photographers" where it is also listed.
To try to get more views on Amazon for my fantasy books, where there are millions of fantasy novels, I tried to be a little more selective than just "fantasy". Eric did some research, and between us, we came up with "fantasy: epic" - which I think of as tales with life-and-death choices - and "juvenile fiction: fantasy & magic". The idea of "juvenile fiction" was to get younger readers to consider the trilogies; Harry Potter and the Anne McCaffrey books have created young readers for fantasy series. KDP didn't like the combination, though. It didn't understand how a book could be both juvenile fiction and adult fiction. Clearly, the algorithm was not designed by authors. As with Dad's biography, Amazon also has added categories for the fantasy trilogies. The last book in the first trilogy, The Prophecy Fulfilled, is #48,072 in sword and sorcery fantasy and #83,774 in children's fantasy & magic books. Sword and sorcery fantasy is another category I thought I'd used for the trilogies, though KDP doesn't reflect it. There are not really swords in my fantasy trilogies. But there is lots of sorcery, aka magic.
The last category of books I write, though, has proved the most difficult to categorize. I called the novels I write about love and life from a woman's perspective (first person narration) fictional autobiographies or fictional biographies. In KDP, I'm using the choices of "romance: contemporary" and "women's fiction: contemporary". On Amazon, they have also categorized the books under "biographical fiction", which I don't think I knew was a category. The problem with these categories are that I don't think of my novels as romances, at least not the kinds of romances I've read since I was a teenager. While the women and men I write about fall in love, and often have sex as a result, there is not a focus on the sex part. I don't write sex scenes in graphic detail. I chose "romance: contemporary" as a category because a lot of women read from that category. I just hope anyone buying one of my books and expecting lots of sex isn't disappointed. Likewise, "biographical fiction" is problematic as a category - to me - because the novels are usually only about a small part of the woman's life, the meeting and falling in love - not an entire lifetime. There's usually some other elements to the novels, as well, generally related to how they get past themselves and do the falling in love part. So, in that regard, romance is the focus on the books. But "biography", to me, implies a whole life's novel. So, I worry, again, about whether people will be disappointed in buying the books with that category when they find out the novels only cover part of the main character's life. Overall, I think "women's fiction: contemporary" is probably the best fit. I've read other authors in this genre, like Emily Giffin, and I would say my novels are similar in nature. Girl meets boy. Problems get in the way. Girl and boy have to find their way past them to find love.
When and if I ever do full marketing campaigns for my writing, I'll probably have to rethink these categories. Again. Maybe.
With Maverick for the Built Environment, biography was the obvious choice. But...there are all kinds of biographies. I chose "biography: artists, architects, and photographers" - which is kind of a weird set of choices - "biography: science and technology". When I first published the book, it topped out at 272 on Kindle under "biography: artists, architects, and photographers". That was amazing; today, two weeks later, it's at 909, which is still amazingly high. Amazon also added the book to "biographies: scientists", which I would argue doesn't really apply. And also to "artist and architect biographies", which is somehow different than "biography: artists, architects, and photographers" where it is also listed.
To try to get more views on Amazon for my fantasy books, where there are millions of fantasy novels, I tried to be a little more selective than just "fantasy". Eric did some research, and between us, we came up with "fantasy: epic" - which I think of as tales with life-and-death choices - and "juvenile fiction: fantasy & magic". The idea of "juvenile fiction" was to get younger readers to consider the trilogies; Harry Potter and the Anne McCaffrey books have created young readers for fantasy series. KDP didn't like the combination, though. It didn't understand how a book could be both juvenile fiction and adult fiction. Clearly, the algorithm was not designed by authors. As with Dad's biography, Amazon also has added categories for the fantasy trilogies. The last book in the first trilogy, The Prophecy Fulfilled, is #48,072 in sword and sorcery fantasy and #83,774 in children's fantasy & magic books. Sword and sorcery fantasy is another category I thought I'd used for the trilogies, though KDP doesn't reflect it. There are not really swords in my fantasy trilogies. But there is lots of sorcery, aka magic.
The last category of books I write, though, has proved the most difficult to categorize. I called the novels I write about love and life from a woman's perspective (first person narration) fictional autobiographies or fictional biographies. In KDP, I'm using the choices of "romance: contemporary" and "women's fiction: contemporary". On Amazon, they have also categorized the books under "biographical fiction", which I don't think I knew was a category. The problem with these categories are that I don't think of my novels as romances, at least not the kinds of romances I've read since I was a teenager. While the women and men I write about fall in love, and often have sex as a result, there is not a focus on the sex part. I don't write sex scenes in graphic detail. I chose "romance: contemporary" as a category because a lot of women read from that category. I just hope anyone buying one of my books and expecting lots of sex isn't disappointed. Likewise, "biographical fiction" is problematic as a category - to me - because the novels are usually only about a small part of the woman's life, the meeting and falling in love - not an entire lifetime. There's usually some other elements to the novels, as well, generally related to how they get past themselves and do the falling in love part. So, in that regard, romance is the focus on the books. But "biography", to me, implies a whole life's novel. So, I worry, again, about whether people will be disappointed in buying the books with that category when they find out the novels only cover part of the main character's life. Overall, I think "women's fiction: contemporary" is probably the best fit. I've read other authors in this genre, like Emily Giffin, and I would say my novels are similar in nature. Girl meets boy. Problems get in the way. Girl and boy have to find their way past them to find love.
When and if I ever do full marketing campaigns for my writing, I'll probably have to rethink these categories. Again. Maybe.
Realist Romance?
As I've written before, I have hesitated to call my non-fantasy novels "romances". I demurred this was because I don't have a lot of sex in the books. Which is true.
But also I've tried, in this novels, to bring a realistic portrayal of relationships.
I based my first novel, Life Reimagined, on my life. It was a retelling of a relationship I'd actually had and two takes on what might have happened - good and bad - if he and I had been able to work through the reasons we didn't end up together. In the process, I realized that the reasons we'd had for not making it as a couple had, in fact, been good ones. And getting the fictional couple past them had required some changes for both main characters that I don't believe would have ever happened in real life.
Two more of my novels are loosely based on actual events: Pre-Bound Girl and The Drum Set. In Pre-Bound, the main character falls for men who are never quite everything she wants based on a checklist she created for herself of the perfect man. In the end, she marries a man who isn't perfect, but who is perfect for her. I believe this is a realistic perspective, though also a romance trope. No couple is ever going to be "perfect" for each other; as a favorite columnist has written (I'm paraphrasing), "You aren't going to agree on everything. But you have to be able to live with the things you don't agree on, and you have to be able to disagree with honesty and trust." The Drum Set was based, in part, on the trauma and drama of a life-or-death situation. And that sometimes, facing hard situations forces one to come to the realization of what one wants, or makes one be honest with oneself and one's partner. Whether that ends up positively is a whole other question. In the case of my novel, it did. But again, the resolution felt real, probably because it mirrored much of what had actually happened in my own life.
The Gift for Michael has a supernatural component. In that, it's not realistic at all. How the two main characters come to love seems authentic, nonetheless. And there's a bit of a denouement where we learn a bit about what happens after the book ends. While the story ends with some aspects being idealistic (she gets a job that barely exists and probably isn't one you could afford to have a family on), I'd like to think the relationship between Michael and Amanda is honest and forthright.
Best Meet-Cute Ever had one of my most "controversial" relationships, because Jake starts off lying to Tina. Getting these two characters to be honest with each other and get past his terrible behavior took some doing. I'm happy that at least one of the reviewers said something to the effect of "Tina believed in Jake, so I tried to, too, and eventually did." That's entirely how I thought about it as I was writing. What could Jake do to gain her trust again? It's incremental. It's not like some romance novels I've read where the couple have one heart-to-heart conversation, and all is forgiven. Jake has to earn Tina's love after hurting her.
I'm at the point now in Rich People's Problems of trying to get the main characters back on track without making it forced. Anna's mother just called her out on thinking Anna and Andrew know each other when they haven't really spent time together in a couple of decades. Having been best friends when they were kids is a nice foundation. But it's not enough. And they aren't the people they were then. So, a magical post-sex, all is well, let's be together forever isn't in the cards. They have a couple of hard conversations ahead of them. The good news is that they've already had a couple of those deep discussions. They know how. They are learning to trust each other again after a teenage drama broke them apart. But it's not going to be easy.
So, is there a genre called realistic romance? Because I'm a romantic, which is why I've read hundreds of romance novels in my life. But I'm also a realist, which is why I call my books fictional biographies - because I'd like to think the people and stories could have been real.
But also I've tried, in this novels, to bring a realistic portrayal of relationships.
I based my first novel, Life Reimagined, on my life. It was a retelling of a relationship I'd actually had and two takes on what might have happened - good and bad - if he and I had been able to work through the reasons we didn't end up together. In the process, I realized that the reasons we'd had for not making it as a couple had, in fact, been good ones. And getting the fictional couple past them had required some changes for both main characters that I don't believe would have ever happened in real life.
Two more of my novels are loosely based on actual events: Pre-Bound Girl and The Drum Set. In Pre-Bound, the main character falls for men who are never quite everything she wants based on a checklist she created for herself of the perfect man. In the end, she marries a man who isn't perfect, but who is perfect for her. I believe this is a realistic perspective, though also a romance trope. No couple is ever going to be "perfect" for each other; as a favorite columnist has written (I'm paraphrasing), "You aren't going to agree on everything. But you have to be able to live with the things you don't agree on, and you have to be able to disagree with honesty and trust." The Drum Set was based, in part, on the trauma and drama of a life-or-death situation. And that sometimes, facing hard situations forces one to come to the realization of what one wants, or makes one be honest with oneself and one's partner. Whether that ends up positively is a whole other question. In the case of my novel, it did. But again, the resolution felt real, probably because it mirrored much of what had actually happened in my own life.
The Gift for Michael has a supernatural component. In that, it's not realistic at all. How the two main characters come to love seems authentic, nonetheless. And there's a bit of a denouement where we learn a bit about what happens after the book ends. While the story ends with some aspects being idealistic (she gets a job that barely exists and probably isn't one you could afford to have a family on), I'd like to think the relationship between Michael and Amanda is honest and forthright.
Best Meet-Cute Ever had one of my most "controversial" relationships, because Jake starts off lying to Tina. Getting these two characters to be honest with each other and get past his terrible behavior took some doing. I'm happy that at least one of the reviewers said something to the effect of "Tina believed in Jake, so I tried to, too, and eventually did." That's entirely how I thought about it as I was writing. What could Jake do to gain her trust again? It's incremental. It's not like some romance novels I've read where the couple have one heart-to-heart conversation, and all is forgiven. Jake has to earn Tina's love after hurting her.
I'm at the point now in Rich People's Problems of trying to get the main characters back on track without making it forced. Anna's mother just called her out on thinking Anna and Andrew know each other when they haven't really spent time together in a couple of decades. Having been best friends when they were kids is a nice foundation. But it's not enough. And they aren't the people they were then. So, a magical post-sex, all is well, let's be together forever isn't in the cards. They have a couple of hard conversations ahead of them. The good news is that they've already had a couple of those deep discussions. They know how. They are learning to trust each other again after a teenage drama broke them apart. But it's not going to be easy.
So, is there a genre called realistic romance? Because I'm a romantic, which is why I've read hundreds of romance novels in my life. But I'm also a realist, which is why I call my books fictional biographies - because I'd like to think the people and stories could have been real.
Plans Change
Yesterday, I wrote about a conversation between my two main characters. I called the chapter "An Attempt at Talking".
Because these two have trouble talking. They've been denying their passion for each other for weeks since Anna came to the ranch. Really, they've been denying their passion since they were teenagers when Anna's mother interrupted them before they had sex. There are decades of pent-up passion that have underscored their more recent interactions.
Because there is this passion, and because neither of them is sure about the other, there has also been a lot of defensiveness. And pushing the other one away. Or not listening, jumping to conclusions. Almost every conversation ends up in an argument.
Except Andrew finally told Anna about his childhood. About losing his mother. And why he calls her Raggedy Ann. I don't want to ruin the book for readers, so I won't say anything more about that. But it was something he needed to tell her. And it led to them having sex. Finally.
But sex doesn't always solve everything. In fact, most of the time, it just creates complications. Which is what it has done between Anna and Andrew.
Because they don't communicate well. And communication has to be part of any relationship, along with sex. Or to put it another way, they will only be having sex if they can't find a way to communicate and start making love instead.
So, the day after their first foray, they try to talk about things. Really talk about the challenges between them. Anna's mother has convinced Anna that she and Andrew don't really know each other anymore. Which is true because they aren't good at communicating. And being honest with each other. And being themselves.
Anna tries in this chapter. She talks about her life now. How she's a successful writer. She's gotten a movie deal. She's wealthy. She's got a life back in New York.
But Andrew is still being defensive, and he doesn't hear her. And so, she reverts to being defensive, too.
And their attempt fails.
My intent was to have the next chapter be called, "Another Attempt". For Anna and Andrew to talk to each other, and really listen.
But, as is often the case, the characters had different ideas. Anna had a conference call for her movie deal. And then she had to talk to her editor. And her publicist. In short, she had a morning being the businesswoman she is.
Then, she went to Cecelia, who is the heart of the ranch - and the heart/conscience of the book. Anna talks to Cecelia about the fact that she and Andrew don't communicate well. And Cecelia disabuses Anna of some of her defensiveness about Andrew.
And, so, now Anna is ready to talk to Andrew again. 12 pages later.
Because these two have trouble talking. They've been denying their passion for each other for weeks since Anna came to the ranch. Really, they've been denying their passion since they were teenagers when Anna's mother interrupted them before they had sex. There are decades of pent-up passion that have underscored their more recent interactions.
Because there is this passion, and because neither of them is sure about the other, there has also been a lot of defensiveness. And pushing the other one away. Or not listening, jumping to conclusions. Almost every conversation ends up in an argument.
Except Andrew finally told Anna about his childhood. About losing his mother. And why he calls her Raggedy Ann. I don't want to ruin the book for readers, so I won't say anything more about that. But it was something he needed to tell her. And it led to them having sex. Finally.
But sex doesn't always solve everything. In fact, most of the time, it just creates complications. Which is what it has done between Anna and Andrew.
Because they don't communicate well. And communication has to be part of any relationship, along with sex. Or to put it another way, they will only be having sex if they can't find a way to communicate and start making love instead.
So, the day after their first foray, they try to talk about things. Really talk about the challenges between them. Anna's mother has convinced Anna that she and Andrew don't really know each other anymore. Which is true because they aren't good at communicating. And being honest with each other. And being themselves.
Anna tries in this chapter. She talks about her life now. How she's a successful writer. She's gotten a movie deal. She's wealthy. She's got a life back in New York.
But Andrew is still being defensive, and he doesn't hear her. And so, she reverts to being defensive, too.
And their attempt fails.
My intent was to have the next chapter be called, "Another Attempt". For Anna and Andrew to talk to each other, and really listen.
But, as is often the case, the characters had different ideas. Anna had a conference call for her movie deal. And then she had to talk to her editor. And her publicist. In short, she had a morning being the businesswoman she is.
Then, she went to Cecelia, who is the heart of the ranch - and the heart/conscience of the book. Anna talks to Cecelia about the fact that she and Andrew don't communicate well. And Cecelia disabuses Anna of some of her defensiveness about Andrew.
And, so, now Anna is ready to talk to Andrew again. 12 pages later.
Resolution Begins
Today's writing starts the reconciliation of Anna and Andrew. They're finding their way to being together in the real world.
And that begins the resolution of the tensions of the book. The protagonists are talking to each other, rather than past each other.
It took some doing to get them to this point. I try to think about the hard conversations I would have had to have with my husband if we had been in similar circumstances. These two have a history that's fraught with complications. They lust after each other, sure. But that's not enough to build a solid foundation on, regardless of what the rom-coms like to portray.
In this case, there have been past mistakes that needed to be resolved. There were conversations that had happened that needed to be rewound or unwound, to get to the real truth behind the quips.
And the two protagonists had to see each other as the fully fledged people they are now, versus the children they had been.
They've had those hard conversations now. They've acknowledged their past pain. And they've started to figure out what the future would bring and the challenges they will face to make it reality.
Though there's one more complication before we have our happy ending.
And that begins the resolution of the tensions of the book. The protagonists are talking to each other, rather than past each other.
It took some doing to get them to this point. I try to think about the hard conversations I would have had to have with my husband if we had been in similar circumstances. These two have a history that's fraught with complications. They lust after each other, sure. But that's not enough to build a solid foundation on, regardless of what the rom-coms like to portray.
In this case, there have been past mistakes that needed to be resolved. There were conversations that had happened that needed to be rewound or unwound, to get to the real truth behind the quips.
And the two protagonists had to see each other as the fully fledged people they are now, versus the children they had been.
They've had those hard conversations now. They've acknowledged their past pain. And they've started to figure out what the future would bring and the challenges they will face to make it reality.
Though there's one more complication before we have our happy ending.
Day-To-Day Life
Novels aren't exactly about real day-to-day life. After all, real life can be pretty mundane.
But, in the course of any novel about people finding love and deciding to make a life together, I think it's important that they trying to get past the romance of new love, when we behave and do things we might not otherwise do, and get to the point of being truly themselves in a more "routine" life. So, that's what I'm trying to establish with my characters in today's chapter.
However, these are not people with ordinary lives - she's a world-famous author and he owns a beef ranch - and they don't live in the same place. Which means, by necessity, one of them is not going to "at home" wherever they are.
Most of the novel to this point has taken place on the Colorado ranch. That's where Andrew lives, grew up, and what he does for a living now that he's an adult.
This chapter moved the action back to New York City, which is where Anna is a novelist. She didn't grow up in NYC, but she has an apartment there and enjoys the energy of the city. She had been anonymous until the start of the novel, when her pseudonym was revealed to the world. So, back in New York, she has to get used to being recognized. And Andrew has to figure out how to just live vs. visiting NYC like a tourist.
Anna's got a lot going on with her books and other things. Andrew runs the ranch remotely, but also has some other things going on.
But it's the mundane living together that we get to see a bit more of, to convince us - and them - that there's a future.
But, in the course of any novel about people finding love and deciding to make a life together, I think it's important that they trying to get past the romance of new love, when we behave and do things we might not otherwise do, and get to the point of being truly themselves in a more "routine" life. So, that's what I'm trying to establish with my characters in today's chapter.
However, these are not people with ordinary lives - she's a world-famous author and he owns a beef ranch - and they don't live in the same place. Which means, by necessity, one of them is not going to "at home" wherever they are.
Most of the novel to this point has taken place on the Colorado ranch. That's where Andrew lives, grew up, and what he does for a living now that he's an adult.
This chapter moved the action back to New York City, which is where Anna is a novelist. She didn't grow up in NYC, but she has an apartment there and enjoys the energy of the city. She had been anonymous until the start of the novel, when her pseudonym was revealed to the world. So, back in New York, she has to get used to being recognized. And Andrew has to figure out how to just live vs. visiting NYC like a tourist.
Anna's got a lot going on with her books and other things. Andrew runs the ranch remotely, but also has some other things going on.
But it's the mundane living together that we get to see a bit more of, to convince us - and them - that there's a future.
