Archive for March, 2008

Pamela Clare on Romance, Writing, Her Next Release UNLAWFUL CONTACT, and Life in General.

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008

The day has finally come!! Get the rum and hot crew members ready! It’s time to welcome Pamela Clare to the ship!!

The Lost Chronicles of a Pamela Clare: Act One, Scene One: The Setup.

Sin sauntered across the deck and into the storage chest Hellion presumably kept the gold and extra rum. There was nothing but the old loud speaker and moth balls. She held it up to her lips, waiting for it to click on. A loud, piercing whine screeched through the silence of the ship. “Hello?” Sin looked down at the speaker and scratched her head. “Hello? Can anyone hear me?”

Hellion, with her fingers stuck in her ears, said with a huff, “Yes, wench! Hold it further away from your mouth.” She muttered to herself while Capt’n Jack tried to smooth her ruffled feathers.

Lisa snorted and elbowed Marnee and Ter. “I don’t know why she bothers to use the loud speaker. Everyone knows you can hear her from Tortuga to Australia.”

Sin narrowed her eyes at Lisa. “I heard that.” Bickering ensued through the crew and Sin decided to toss the loud speaker overboard before clearing her throat. “Everyone gather ‘round. Gather ‘round.” Whipping the notebook from her lower back in sheer pirate fashion, “I have the long lost chronicles of one fierce and brave pirate. One that I’ve long admired. I thought I’d share them with y’all.”

The wenches position themselves on the deck in various seductive poses. All of the crew members stopped what they were doing to take notice of the wenches and Sin had to clear her throat once again. “Hello! I swear! You guys have the attention span of gnats! I have the Chronicles of Pamela Clare in my hand and one would think that would earn some respect!”

A hush settles over the deck. Our faithful readers take a pause. “Pamela Clare.” They all said in awe. “THE Pamela Clare?”

Sin grinned. “Well yes. THE Pamela Clare. I told you that I found get my hands on it and here it is! Voila! I’ve even got a verbal agreement that she’s going to come by the ship and have a little chat!”

Loud tittering erupts on the deck of the Romance Writer’s Revenge. “Open it! Open it!” They shout. Sin takes a seat and begins to read from the lost chronicles of Pamela Clare!


The Lost Chronicles of Pamela Clare: Act One, Scene Two: The Interview!

Page 1: What’s a normal day like in the life of Pamela Clare?

P. Clare: Monday through Thursday, I get up anywhere between 4 and 5:30 a.m., write, take a shower, grab some breakfast and head to the newspaper, where I am editor-in-chief. I work all day. No two days are alike. And then I come home around 5-6-ish, make dinner for myself and my son. He’s a senior in high school; my older son is already in college. Then I do whatever I need to do. On bad days, it’s pay bills. On good days, it’s spend more time writing. On Fridays and on the weekends, every spare moment I have goes into writing.

I don’t date. I don’t have television. I don’t go to movies except on the rarest of occasions. (OK, I saw “Fellowship of the Ring” 16 times in the theater…) I rarely party. It’s mostly work, work, work. And that’s okay. When you have a dream, you work for it.

I decided years ago that I could either sit on my butt watching other people live fake lives on TV, or I could live my own life. I cancelled my cable and that was it.

Page 2: What ultimately got you writing your first novel, Sweet Release and eventually moved you into writing your I-Team series?

P. Clare: I love historicals. They’re my first love and that’s what I read. So I knew I wanted to write historical romance. I spent seven years writing Sweet Release as a newly divorced mom working full time with two little kids. Fun. I was thrilled when it sold. Then I wrote Carnal Gift and my personal favorite Ride the Fire. While I was in the midst of writing Carnal, I was talking to my agent about an investigation I was doing of a local cement plant and of the warning I’d gotten from a state official that my life/safety might be in danger. And my agent said, “Why don’t you write romantic suspense because you live it?” And I said, “Sure, all except the romantic part.” And from that conversation the I-Team series eventually came into being. (There’s a Facebook group that I created called The I-Team that includes some of my journalistic colleagues from the real I-Team.)

I had never read romantic suspense before so writing Extreme Exposure was an experiment. I think it went pretty well. J

Page 3: How has your day job, reporter, changed or helped your writing career?

P. Clare: It absolutely helped my writing career. I left academia (archaeology) to write as a journalist, because I knew I wanted to write novels. I thought journalism would give me practice writing. Well, it did more than that. It taught me discipline, and it connected me with a wealth of truly unique, bizarre, scary, incredible, exciting experiences that you just can’t get in a normal life. From interviewing rock stars to being flown around the world to really terrible stuff like seeing horrid acts of violence — it’s been priceless for filling my well as a writer. Grist for the mill, so to speak.

Here’s my bit of advice for this interview: If you want to write, you must experience life. If you don’t push yourself and experience as much as you can, you will have very little upon which to draw. I call it “living at full throttle.” Yep, sometimes you crash (I have done that literally), but sometimes there’s a transcendence to the experience that reveals to you something about the human condition that you never understood before. Those are moments of bliss for me.

Page 4: Tell us a little about your research habits?

P. Clare: My college degree and graduate work is in archaeology, and my career has been in journalism. Both are very research intensive and involve lots of “digging.” I’m a fact addict, and though I would never claim that any book I write is free from any kind of research error, I do work very hard to be accurate, taking only the occasional liberty. Most of the research for my I-Team series has been done on the job as a journalist. There aren’t a lot of women in investigative journalism because it’s confrontational and sometimes dangerous. I’ve had a lot of really unique experiences as a result of my career, and I can probably say with some degree of certainty that I’m one of very few romance novelists who’s had a gun held on her, seen someone get his head shot off, gotten dozens of death threats, had her home broken into by knife-wielding thugs, and had a couple of stalkers.

Page 5: What does it take to go undercover as a reporter?

P. Clare: A sense that you’re a crusader. Journalism is the only constitutionally protected profession in our country. The Founders felt that a free press was essential to guarantee freedom from oppression. Journalists are supposed to act as a voice for the voiceless. We’re supposed to watch those in power. We’re supposed to shine lights into the dark corners and turn over rocks so that we can expose all the wriggling worms — corruption, abuses of power, silent suffering. I believe in that mission with my heart and soul. Not many journalists partake in journalism on that level these days; for many it’s just a day job.

To go undercover, you really have to believe that you can make a difference and change the world for the better through what you’re doing. I suppose that sounds grandiose and naïve, but when you find something unjust and are able to change what’s happening, it’s an incredible feeling. To bring justice into someone’s life is such a blessing. I could tell you stories…

Page 6: I know that you played on your experience of going undercover in a prison to write UNLAWFUL, did that make the book harder to write in the sense that you had an understanding what happened behind closed doors? And how will it affect future books in this series?

P. Clare: Actually, this book is full of experiences gleaned not only from my 24-hour stay behind bars, but also my long focus on reporting prison issues. There are a few topics I’ve specialized in as an investigative reporter, and women in prison is one of them. That experience — both covering stories and being behind bars myself — really make this book easy in terms of filling it with authentic detail. A couple of the cases mentioned in the book are stories I broke — a heroin overdose behind bars and an inmate’s stillbirth due to neglect on the part of the prison guards. In fact, the book is dedicated to the stillborn baby. I definitely feel like my own experience gave me a very real understanding of the issues.

I don’t think it will have an impact on future books because I don’t plan to set any others in the same sort of prison milieu. But I always draw from my own reporting background for the I-Team stories. One other topic I’ve reported on extensively is issues faced by contemporary American Indians, and that’s what’s going to underpin Naked Edge, the next book in the I-Team series.

Page 7: What was your favorite part about writing UNLAWFUL?

P. Clare: I loved getting lost in Marc and Sophie. Marc was a really fun person to inhabit, if I can use that word. I loved his inner dialogue.

I also loved getting to use my prison slang. I’d waited years to do that!

I loved writing about two people who are so attracted to one another that it’s almost a force of nature for them.

I also loved showing the stuff that happens behind bars and opening that up in a fictional context.

Page 8: I feel like the relationship that Sophie and Marc share is a little more special (they share a past, which I’m super excited about!) than the bonds between Kara and Reece and Tessa and Julian. Can you tell us a little bit about what it took to write each relationship and how they all differ?

P. Clare: Sophie and Marc, as you point out, have known each other since high school. When people connect during those really vulnerable years, the bonds can be very strong. Neither Marc nor Sophie has forgotten the night Marc took Sophie’s virginity. And although the present very much intrudes into their relationship, there’s always that deep affection, that remembrance, underlying their feelings for one another. There’s one scene in particular that betrays what they mean to each other — the scene in which Sophie recognizes Marc. He’s holding her down, with her wrists pinned. And gradually their hands shift until their fingers are interlaced.

For me as a writer, it was very emotionally rich stuff to draw on. I really feel my characters are real when I’m writing. So when they’ve got interesting stuff in their minds and personal histories, it because a fun thing for me to experience along with them.

Kara’s issue was an inability to trust men, so Reece came along and managed to heal that wound. Tessa didn’t really trust men, either, at least not sexually. She was very cautious. Then along comes Julian, and he turns her world upside down, at the same time proving himself to be the one man she can trust. But the relationship between Sophie and Marc is much more complicated because of past associations and what those meant to each of them.

Page 9: What was the most difficult scene/situation/relationship to write in UNLAWFUL CONTACT?

P. Clare: I spent three very difficult weeks writing the scene were Marc confronts the primary villain (no spoilers here). THREE WEEKS. Getting the flow of the action right from the moment Marc appears on the scene to the moment when the final shot is fired and keeping the emotions intact was very tricky for some reason. Usually action scenes are the easiest ones for me to write.

I also cried my eyeballs out at the climax of the story. I spent probably eight hours writing and crying and went through an entire box of Puffs.

And, of course, the sex scenes. Sex is very difficult to write, in my opinion. Drives me nuts, and not in a good way.

Page 10: What’s one thing that each Sophie and Marc would ultimately change about their past?

P. Clare: For both of them it’s one thing: Don’t lose touch with each other. Marc thinks in the story that if that one thing were different — if he’d kept Sophie in his life — everything would have gone differently, and I think he’s right.


Page 11: How does Marc Hunter compare to your previous heroes- The Senator, Reece Sheridan and über-bad boy turned FBI Special Agent, Julian Darcangelo?

P. Clare: Marc is an über-bad boy in his own way. Convicted of first-degree murder, he’s serving life without parole when the story opens. But there’s more to him than even he is willing to admit. But whereas Julian was very dark inside and out, having grown up without love in his life, Marc at least had a mother and a little sister who loved him. He might seem like more of a bad boy than Julian at first, but inside he’s not quite as dark as Julian. Reece is just the all around Perfect Man. Got to find me one of those.

Sin: Amen Pamela! *making notes to find Julian later on and have my wicked way with him*

The Lost Chronicles of Pamela Clare: Act One, Scene Three: Questions?!

Alright wenches and pirates of the Romance Writer’s Revenge!! Time to get to know Pamela Clare! She’s in the house today to talk about and answer any and all questions. No question is too tough for this pirate!! Make sure to ask LOTS of questions about her next release in the I-Team Series, UNLAWFUL CONTACT, to be released on April 01, 2008!! Inquiring minds are dying for spoilers!

Comment, Comment, Comment! There will be rewards for lucky commenters! (To be announced later today!)

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The Soundtrack of the Hero’s Journey

Monday, March 17th, 2008

All stories are the same at the core. Even our ancient ancestors knew the value of a commercial ending where good triumphs evil and the boy gets the girl. Beowulf. David & Goliath. Jesus. (Okay, so there’s some disqualifying disclaimers about the boy getting the girl thing…but I assure you, we’ve always wanted the good guy to win.) Joseph Campbell recognized it: All stories relate and put into perspective the human experiences (themes, if you will) of love and conflict. It’s why a lot of the time we stare blankly at our screens, wondering what to write and sound original, because nothing has been original since man started scribbling their stories down.

Because Joseph Campbell wasn’t a writer, he wasn’t exactly interesting in how he explained all this. And he certainly didn’t have the benefit of a smörgåsbord of pop hits to explain the key points. Music always gets me in touch with the scenes I need to write, so maybe you can use this to make a little soundtrack for yourself when you find yourself at a hero’s journey step you’re writing. Think how much better the scene with Beowulf and Grendel would be if Who Wants To Live Forever or The Final Countdown had been playing in the background.

The Ordinary World: This is the part where you reveal the lives of the hero and heroine before they meet. What are their problems, what’s missing? This aspect is frequently tied with “The Call to Adventure” as an opening hook, to draw the reader in and keep them interested. It’s a careful balance to reveal enough of the characters that we connect to them and care about the urgent problem.

Song: Ordinary World [Duran Duran]; It’s a Beautiful Life [Ace of Base]

The Call to Adventure: the inciting incident, the hook. The urgent problem that suddenly disrupts the ordinary world where the hero and heroine was previously holding it together. The more urgent, the better.

Song: It’s the End of the World as We Know It [REM]

Refusal of the Call: Clearly we don’t want urgent problems. We are content with the status quo from before, and we make every effort to ignore the problem (in hope it goes away) or give it away (make it someone else’s problem.) And because our natural inclination is to ignore our problems or have someone else take care of them, we create more conflict—and consequences to our actions and inaction.

Song: We Don’t Need Another Hero [Tina Turner]

Meeting with the Mentor: Don’t worry: this is not always Yoda or Gandalf. In a regular romance novel, you don’t exactly go around looking for little green men or white-bearded magicians to pick their brains for advice. But you usually do have the funny sidekick best friend or the precocious child who offers up the one statement that makes the hero/heroine reconsider taking the steps toward love.

Song: That’s What Friends Are For [Dionne Warwick]; You Can Call Me Al [Paul Simon]

Crossing the First Threshold: The first plot point aspect that is frequently referred to in other less fun, confusing writing articles. It is the event that is the first turning point where the hero and heroine are going to start working together.

Song: Let’s Work Together [Canned Heat]; Take a Chance on Me [ABBA]

Tests, Enemies and Allies: The first half of the middle where the hero and heroine are still getting to know each other, where enemies who will cause problems later (as well as here) reveal themselves, where we’ll meet characters who want the hero and heroine together. If you follow the four-act structure, this is the “complications” portion of the programming. I think this is where the sexual tension is building to the boiling point.

Song: Hungry Eyes [Eric Carmen]; Abracadabra [Steve Miller Band]

Approach to the Inmost Cave: Plot point 2. Midpoint of the story where the characters, whether they realize it or not, start to love each other. Trust, intimacy.

Song: Can’t Help Fallin’ In Love [Elvis or UB40]; Fallin’ [Alicia Keys]

The Supreme Ordeal: Plot Point 3, an event that has far reaching consequences and which answers the question posed in the first part of the book. (Frequently characters start out with one goal or want, and here is where it is sorely tested.)

Song: Hanging by a Moment [Lifehouse]; The World I Know [Collective Soul];

Seizing the Sword: Consequences of the Supreme Ordeal, either good or bad.

Song: Everything You Want [Vertical Horizon]; We Are the Champions [Queen]

The Road Back: A somewhat quieter time before (and including) the Black Moment where on the surface things appear fine, but beneath the surface, we know everything is going to implode and have fall out

Song: It Must Have Been Love [Roxette]; Don’t Know What You’ve Got (Till It’s Gone) [Cinderella]

Resurrection: The part after the Black Moment where the heroine womans up (or the hero mans up) to their neuroses and gets a grip. Tinkle or get off the pot. Because we’re writing HEA’s—they tinkle.

Song: Return to Me [Bob Dylan]; …Baby, One More Time [Britney Spears]

Return With the Elixir: The HEA. ‘Nuff said.

Song: Baby, I Love Your Way [Big Mountain]; Power of Love [Celine Dion]

So clearly besides my schizophrenic and questionable taste in “pop/rock” music, we can also come to the glaring conclusion I’m no closer to completing my synopsis this week than I was last week and have now chosen to pursue that most noble of all writing traditions: PROCRASTINATION. If you had a soundtrack for the hero’s journey, what songs would you put on it? What’s your hero and heroine’s theme or love song?

And speaking of songs that get you in the “mood” for scenes, what songs do you listen to when you’re writing love scenes? (Bow-chica-bow-wow…) I’m afraid my song choices are just as tasteless as the ones I’ve listed above. Right now I even have Britney’s Slave4You rolling through my mind.

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Eating My Words

Monday, March 17th, 2008

We’ve talked a great deal on this blog about plotting. Who is pantsing it and who is plotting along. We’ve discussed storyboarding, outlining and even collaging. A couple of crew members balk at all this plotting talk saying it constricts them or freaks them out to see plot points or even scene ideas written down somewhere. They act as if it’s carved in stone because they commit it to paper in any way and that crimps their style. My reaction has always been this is silly. Nothing says it’s written in stone. It’s all changeable, flexible, disposable. You’re the writer and you are in charge.

And these words have back around to bite me on the ass.

I’ve been trying to move forward in the old WIP. Months ago I wrote a sequence of scenes down in a notebook including what would generally happen in each scene, what I wanted to accomplish with it, and maybe a line or two of dialogue. I grew dependent on the notebook as if I couldn’t go forward without referring back to it. But when I came to the next scene in the notebook, it wasn’t working. I just sat and stared at the screen. Words didn’t come.

Then I realized that wasn’t the right scene for this spot in the story. And what I wanted to accomplish with the scene needs to happen later anyway. So a new scene appeared and with it, a new character. For some reason, I had been reluctant to go against those words I had written months ago. As if I couldn’t change it. I was restricted, restrained, my style was officially crimped.

So, I am a big enough pirate to say, I was wrong. I still think jotting down scenes can help at some point and there are people who can plot the entire book ahead of time and it writes itself. But I now understand the resistance to plotting on paper. The need to just let it come. The freak out shivers that afflicted Sin when the Captain made her plot.

I’m not sure if this makes me a total pantser, but I am glad this revelation came before I was ready to throw the damn computer out the window. I have a new character to develop, a new conflict and motivation for my heroine (YEEHAW!), and a new occupation for my heroine. This will be her third sort of. But this one will fit much better.

So, have you had to break any chains lately? Had any new crafting revelations? Have a large quantity of alcohol I can consume to get me through the “I told you so” dances that will be taking place all day?

Oh, and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!! May the luck of the Irish be with you, and may your words be flowing like Guinness on the Emerald Isle.

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Hottie Crew Member of the Week

Sunday, March 16th, 2008

Last night I attended a Professional Bull Riders event. I haven’t been to one of these shindigs in some time and none of my favorites were there, but it was still a fun night. Mostly because I got to watch adorable cowboys all night long. This has convinced me we need a cowboy on this ship. So, I give you Cole the Cowboy.

*cue Big & Rich SAVE A HORSE, RIDE A COWBOY*

To be honest, I haven’t figured out exactly what Cole’s duties will be, but after looking at this picture I’m sure you’ll all agree with me in saying who cares. I say he’s a morale booster and that’s enough. And I have some creative ideas about what we can do with that saddle….

We’ve been anticipating it and promoting it for more than two weeks and the time is finally here. Pamela Clare will be hopping aboard this Wednesday (19th) to talk her latest Romantic Suspense release HARD EVIDENCE. We might also get her to share about her Historicals, writing, investigative reporting, and of course hotties. Mark your calendars now and help us give Pamela a big pirate welcome this Wednesday.

Now, anyone interested in some riding lessons?

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Working it

Friday, March 14th, 2008

I’m glad I pretend to be a pirate, because honestly, I wouldn’t make a good one. I don’t want to be a legend, or even a household name. I’m not a leader I’m a follower. I’m sure upon hearing this proclamation; Captain Jack will take away my weekend rum portion. Oh well, I’m not much of a drinker either. *g*

I’m new to the writing game. I’ll be the first to admit I have a lot to learn on the rules, and intricacies of the world of writing. The only thing I’m certain of is that I love to write.

I’ve always been a loner.

My two brothers are 6 and 7 years older than I am. I practically grew up an only child. I played alone most of my childhood, and never once complained. You might assume it’s because I was a spoiled child. Well, that’s beside the point, but I actually enjoyed playing alone. I could sit for hours with my Barbie dolls and be completely content. I credit these moments as my earliest work with dialog. I either talked aloud or mentally conversed with Barbie, Ken, and Midge. I brought GI Joe into the mix when I wanted a little adventure action. I enjoyed making up scenes and situations for them to act out, and of course, it involved a great deal of angst. Even at an early age, I aspired to be a queen of angst.

I still am a loner. I would be content to live on an island as long as I have my laptop, a lifetime supply of Diet Coke, and a bookstore nearby. The point I’m trying to make, is that I don’t always enjoy conversing, especially when it involves talking about me. I can write stories all day, but when it comes to getting my point across, I lack ingenuity. I may have a wonderful understanding of the subject at hand, but that doesn’t mean I’ll ever prove it to anyone, and most of the time it’s not my main priority.

I realize that in networking with other writers, I meet many successful people who can prove to be great mentors. I appreciate the blog for that reason, and I admire the writers and readers who stop by every day to comment. I admit I find it hard to get to know people in type written words. It’s very easy to misinterpret words without the accompaniment of facial expression. It’s difficult enough for me to get to know a person when they are standing in front of me. You throw a keyboard and a couple of modems in the equation, and it gets even cloudier.

If being published depends on me tooting my own horn, and name-dropping then I’ll never succeed. It’s not about whom I know, or who knows me, it’s about my individuality, and how I voice it in my writing. If somewhere during the journey I make a few lingering impressions with my peers, then I’ll feel I accomplished something.

Don’t get me wrong, I love you all, but if you need me, I’ll be below deck.

Do you find it intimidating to network? Are there days when you don’t feel like commenting, or blogging, even when it’s your day to produce? Does anyone else have the sudden urge for a drink with the accompaniment of a tiny paper umbrella? Is it Friday yet?

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We Have Our Heading…

Thursday, March 13th, 2008

We will launch April 1st.

No, I’m not kidding. I tell the truth quite frequently and yet everyone seems so surprised.

 Come sail with us on April 1st as we launch out on our new adventures…with a new ship!

Posted in Captain's Quarters (Hellion) | No Comments »

My God/Goddess Complex

Wednesday, March 12th, 2008

I watched the Disney movie, Hercules, yesterday. I enjoy the movie; in fact, I enjoy most Disney movies. But, too often my enjoyment is lessened by my annoyance at how much they differ from their originals. So, characteristically, my movie watching was peppered with much harrumphing over how far Disney diverged from mythology in order to pacify our monogamy loving society. (Of course, the only company I had in my movie watching was my one year old and he was, predictably, unmoved by my rant.)
It was frustrating, though. Zeus professed his love for Hercules repeatedly and was shown cuddling Hera to him as if they were a happy married couple. Apparently philandering, jealousy, and pettiness are a little more than the Disney movie, rated-G audience could tolerate. I’d imagine most parents wouldn’t wish to deal with the resultant questions from the real myths - “Mama, did Zeus really pretend to be Alcmene’s husband in order to have sex with her so she could have his son, Hercules?”
I find all this so upsetting because there is value to the morals (or lack thereof) and themes in mythology. One of the things I like most about the Greek myths is that the majority of the gods have complete disregard for the struggles of the humans their actions affect. For example, as referenced above, Zeus visits Alcmene, Hercules’ mortal mother, while her husband is away disguised as her husband. Upon discovering that Zeus got this chick pregnant, his wife, Hera, in a jealous fit, decides to make Hercules’ birth difficult by delaying his delivery and making the poor girl suffer through a long, life-threatening ordeal.
Why wasn’t she pissed at Zeus, I ask? Why weren’t his clothes, bowling trophies, and electronic equipment strewn along the side of Mt. Olympus? Instead of taking her anger out on the real cause, she goes off and harasses Alcmene who was just as much deceived in the whole mess as Hera was.
Well, because like so many myths, this story teaches us wee mortals that sometimes life isn’t fair and we just have to power through and suck it up. In myths, it is usually the character who continues to struggle and persevere in the face of great odds that is rewarded by the gods.
Now, you ask, what does this horrible flashback to high school English have to do with romance writing?
Well, we as the writers are the gods.
Oh, I’m not propagating philandering, jealousy, or other such pettiness and wrong-doing. I’m saying we have to have complete disregard for our characters feelings. We have to make their lives miserable and drag them through ordeal after ordeal. Because at the end, if they keep struggling against all the obstacles we horribly put in front of them, they will be deserving of the happily ever after we have planned.
I’m about to write the first of a few big black moments in my WIP. It’s where my hero discovers that my heroine has been hiding the fact that she’s a witch. Not so bad, except that he finds out because she uses magic to save them from a fire that begins while they are occupied in a rather compromising situation, after which they are discovered in a state of dishabille. So, now he’s going to be forced to marry a girl who’s lied to him for weeks, who is different from everyone else, and who has made no effort to hide her need for a wealthy husband. And, well, she loves
him and now he has a bunch of reasons to distrust her.
In a nod to my more “let’s all just get along” tendencies, I’m balking. It’s going to be sad and heart-wrenching and I’m probably going to cry. And, I’ll feel stupid, I think, because they are just fake people.
But, I have to be their god and make them earn their HEA.
I’m hardening my heart, people… and preparing to rip theirs out.
Have you written any of these black moment scenes? If so, what advice do you have in the execution of character torture? Any ways to make it less painful? Or, if that doesn’t strike your fancy, how about Disney movies. What are your favorites and am I the only one who rages against misrepresentation of original stories?

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Game of Pick Up

Wednesday, March 12th, 2008

When I was a child there were endless games to be played. I spent the majority of my time at the church yard, sitting on the grass hill beside the old school bus in Rowland’s driveway watching the older boys play basketball with an old, netless goal. Days turned into months, years turned into years. I was a scrawny thing as a kid. My feet were too big. My arms too long. My legs too spindly. I could barely get the ball up to the hoop. And finally, one summer day the ball came my way and I picked it up. The boy with his dark brown eyes looked down at me, grin as wide as his face.

“You’re holding that ball like you can play.”

I pursed my lips, enjoying the feel of the warn leather and sleek rubber against my fingertips. By this time, I was almost ten. Every night, I’d sneak up to the church and practice on my own. I’d watched the boys enough that I knew what to do. I could shoot the ball. I could dribble. I cocked my hip out and pitched him back the ball. “If you let me play, I’ll show you.”

The boy smiled and motioned me over. He ruffled my hair as we walked over to the group of boys standing in the middle of the makeshift concrete court. “Check it out. She wants to play.”

All of them groaned, except the boy standing at my side. He pushed me forward and I thought my knees would start knocking. I pulled my ponytail tighter and set my shoulders. I could play. I wouldn’t let them talk me out of it.

“I want to play.” I said, smacking the ball from the boy standing beside me. I dribbled it while I let them debate and finally the boy who had drawn me over said he would sit out. My heart beat nervously, thumping hard against my ribs as we took our places. I stood at the point and the other boy with freckles, the one who was in my class and sat behind me in last year pulling my hair, telling people I had lice, that my mother was really my sister, stood in front of me. He sneered as he bounced the ball hard and it smacked my hands with a sharp sting. I bit my tongue and shoved it back at him. He stood there for the longest time, staring me down before he tossed the ball to his right and ran to his left, shoving my shoulder as he went by. He made me work hard to cover him, running me around in circles until I was blue in the face.

The game went on forever. The sun was hot on my shoulders, baking me like a chocolate chip cookie. Grandma had laid out a red tank top for me and a pair of matching shorts. It was a boy shirt from the Goodwill. The freckled boy had on one that was blue and I felt my heart sink. I saw the look in his eye when he realized we were wearing the same shirt and he opened his mouth to lay into me. “Mama too poor to buy you girl clothes? You want me to just give you this shirt so you don’t have to pay a dime for it?” I turned on my heels and started to walk away. Grandpa had warned me earlier in the summer to stop fighting. Grandma was giving him a headache telling him the devil was alive in me. Grandpa just wanted me to get it all out before I was a teen. Whatever that meant.

“I know why you don’t have any friends.” I paused. I knew this was coming. “You’re not a boy or a girl. You’re a freak!”

And before I knew it, I wheeled back around and walked back to him with one goal in mind. Beating him senseless. “Take it back!” I shouted. “Take that back!”

And he grinned. “Whadya gonna do? Hit me with your little freak hands?”

I balled my little hand into a fist and punched him square in the nose. The boys were silent. The freckled boy howled. He pushed me hard and I fell backwards onto the concrete. My hand was covered in his blood and his nose was a waterfall. We stared at each other for the longest time and I got up and launched myself on him. We rolled and punched and kicked and screamed. We fought like that until I could barely lift my arms anymore and the boy who had started this all by bringing me over plucked me off of him by the back of my shorts. “Alright, pip squeak, I think you’ve had enough.” He tossed a look to the freckled kid, “Time for you to go home.”

The boy gave me the stare down until he rounded the corner of the church and the rest of the boys reluctantly took off too. Dusk was approaching; supper would be starting soon for most of them. It was only the boy and me. He regarded me with an amused look for a long time, while I stared at my little bloody hands. I’d glance up at him waiting for him to laugh and say “told you so”. But he didn’t. He walked over to the forgotten basketball and used his foot to kick it up to his hands. “I’ve seen you up here late at night.” He said and I glanced up at him. “I’ve watched you shoot the ball. You’re really getting pretty good.” I blushed. Thank god for blood stains and sunburn because I was already shy and embarrassed to all end.

“I didn’t see you shoot the ball.” He said, handing me the ball. “Why?”

I shrugged a shoulder and lobbed the ball up to the hoop. It went in with a little rattle and bounced back down to me. I bounced it around a little bit and I watched the dust bounce up each time it hit the concrete.

“You didn’t want them to make fun of you, did you?”

I shot a look up at him and shook my hand. I handed him back the ball, ready for this day to be over with. “Thanks.” I told him. “I’m sorry I caused problems.”

He grinned, a boyish lock of blonde hair fell over his eyes. “See you next time.”

But I knew that there wouldn’t be one. Too much trouble. That is until I became a teenager. Then I whooped those boys ass into the dirt with my basketball skills. Except for that boy. He helped me get there.

Just like everything else in my life, there’s always something I wish I would’ve kept up with. Always something left behind in the pursuit of another dream. I loved basketball. I played every waking moment until I fell in “love” with a boy. Then I fell in love with boys in general. Then I fell in love with writing poetry. Then I fell in love with basketball again. Then singing. You get the point.

As a writer, there’s always something needing your attention. But sometimes there is something; waiting in the wings, under a pile of half read books with bookmarks you’ve been looking for months now. Killer dust bunnies have assumed watch over it with tiny pollen infested assault riffles. Each night as you walk by, you slide a longing gaze over it, the feeling of dread settles in the pit of your stomach at the thought of annihilating the killer dust bunnies and picking it up for the first time in forever. It calls to you in the middle of the night. Not really saying much at all, other than reminding you it’s still there. Waiting anxiously for you to take another chance at it.

And then one day, you sigh. You can’t stand it anymore. It’s driving you literally insane. You pick it up; blow the killer dust bunnies away and flip open the pages. You see faded handwriting, places where the ink has blotted into a big blob. Torn pages where you’ve taken a piece for a quick phone number cuts off an important sentence that you no longer remember what it was leading up to… What I’m talking about is that dreaded partial manuscript. You know, that one you were passionate about for all of a month before you got bored with it and sat it down without another thought. The concept was good. You had passion for what you were writing about, but like all puppy loves, it came in with a fury and went out like a lamb. But all it takes is a little spark to get it going again. Just a thought. A glance. A conversation over dinner. A mood that strikes late at night. So you take out the pen and start writing again, feeling that joy that you once felt for the story line, the characters, the overall feeling of the work. You take joy in your quiet time, alone with your work. And it produces BIG numbers in the word count game. You’re happy. For now. But what keeps you happy? Is it the fact of starting something fresh in your mind? Or is it the joy that you found the first time when writing it? And what keeps you from ditching it again? For me it’s all about progress and staying positive while writing. So if it makes me happy, I do it. And if it doesn’t, well sometimes I just grit my teeth and bear it.

Have you ever ditched a manuscript and came back to it days, weeks, months, years later? Did you ever finish it? What gives you the most joy about reading and/or writing?

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Fear Factor: What’s Scarier Than Being Thrown Into a Pit of Snakes?

Tuesday, March 11th, 2008

Here’s a list of a few of the things I’d rather do right now than complete this stupid synopsis:

Be tied to a stake and burned to death (you die of the smoke inhalation first anyway)

Fish tomatoes out of a tank of snakes with just my mouth (I saw this on a reality show. They used pissed off garden snakes. I’d rethink this if they were actually using cobras or something.)

Substitute teach (yeah, you heard me) a group of high-schoolers about Henry David Thoreau, even though I’ve never read him and never got why he was a big deal since his writing was as engaging as watching paint dry.

House work.

Folders.

Yep. It’s bad.

But I went to the trusty web and pulled off some articles about synopsis writing; and then I headed off to lunch to pick the best one to follow. Of the four articles, three scared me right off. They babbled about hooks and using your writer’s voice; I nearly went into a coma several times just trying to get through the articles. But the fourth, “The Top Ten Questions For A Successful Synopsis” by Victoria Ardito, was engaging and easy to follow. Plus she used a Disney story to prove her point. How could I resist?

So let’s jump right in, shall we?

Who is the heroine and what does she want?

Well, that should be relatively easy, right? Okay: Livie Foster is a single (is this redundant? Hmm) 28-year-old secretary who sews costumes in her spare time and dreams of dating a guy who isn’t searching for a love like the Titanic. She longs for adventure, but mostly she longs for acceptance. I’m going to have to use a different identifier for her. That secretary bit is boring, but what else can she do? Shark-hunter? Argh.

Who is the hero and what does he want?

I’m not looking forward to this. Livie should have been the easy one! Okay: Ben Tucker is a spoiled brat who was turned into a beast…maybe not…32-year-old married charmer, who is the brother-in-law to Livie’s best friend. He wishes for someone to see the real him, not the philanderer everyone assumes him to be. But the woman who seems to understand him most—isn’t his wife—and longing for her gives credit to all the rumors.

What brings the hero and heroine together?

Livie and Ben meet at a New Year’s Eve party; and later, they have to work together as they are both in her best friend’s wedding.

What problem do they encounter at their first meeting or shortly thereafter?

Livie finds out he’s married and the “rat bastard” no one else can stand.

How do they overcome the initial problem and achieve some measure of success?

Livie gives Ben the benefit of the doubt and becomes friends with him because she believes her friend’s assessment of Ben might be prejudiced without facts. The more she hangs out with him, the more she sees a caring nice guy rather than a villain. Plus he’s not cheating with her on his wife—and she’s not really sure how he’d have time to fit in another woman. (Tolerable, perhaps; though this runs into that philosophical question of: “when is it cheating? When they’re doing the deed? Or is being friends enough since that is a sort of ‘emotional’ cheating?” I’m beginning to really hate my hero. And even if he’s not married, only dating someone serious—this is still a moral question. Ah, well, life’s not perfect, hmm?)

What happens to spoil initial success?

Hard to narrow this one down. Is it the wedding reception scene or the crashed party later? At the wedding reception, his wife confronts Livie—and Livie is mortified and realizes how appearances are far more condemning than truth. Doesn’t want to be a ‘homewrecker’ figuratively or literally. She makes the choice that reflects this; and the crashed party is re-confirmation of this choice.

Where does this problem lead?

They don’t get together, and this leads to more unhappiness all around, though they try to move on with their respective lives. While on a group float trip, Ben and Livie get caught in a compromising situation, and Ben punches Livie’s boyfriend to defend her honor.

What risk do hero and heroine take to deal with new challenge?

Livie is given an ultimatum to choose between her friendship and Ben. She chooses neither and refuses to talk to anyone.

Ben separates from his wife and pursues Livie, after resettling in his own apartment.

What is their dark moment?

Ben is shot by a mystery woman, leading all to believe that he is a cheater—and that he’s cheating on Livie. (I know. This is where all of you are going: WTF? What mystery woman?!? The one who shot him in the opening hook, guys.)

How do they get their HEA?

Livie decides to trust Ben rather than believe what is circumstantial evidence. Ben lives. It is revealed that it is Ben’s brother who is cheating—and Ben has been covering (protecting) him. (Ha, I bet you guys didn’t see that coming. That’s okay. I didn’t either. Dee had to tell me that little tidbit. She was completely convinced that was my major twist, and how could I not agree?)

Now I have to go back and turn this into a present-tense bit of writing, but it’s possible to do so.

The other keys everyone kept harping about?

Don’t refer to the other secondary characters by name. This should be about the romantic arc between your hero and heroine, so your secondary characters should remain as secondary as possible by being nameless.

Have an opening hook. (This one gave me hives.) Basically something that’s on the back of the novel—the blurb. Show off your writing voice here, definitely. Ask the novel’s story question.

Be concise. Don’t tell everything that happens. Cover the main plot turning points.

Clearly even though I’ve answered the questions, the synopsis (and the book) still need a lot of work. And I’m sorry for those of you who didn’t want to know the twist until it was published. (Honestly since there is a snowball’s chance of this particular book being published, we’ll consider this an exercise in how to write my next book…and synopsis.)

Anyone done a synopsis yet? Any tips to make it easier? Anything you’d rather be doing than writing it? Any tomato-divers out there? House work junkies?

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Why do they do that?!

Monday, March 10th, 2008

We make decisions everyday. From what time to get out of bed to what to wear to what to eat. We are always making choices. Even refusing to get out of bed and face the world is a choice. And what moves us to make these choices? Motivation.

It’s not something we always consciously think about. I sometimes decide what to wear to work based on who I might see that day. If the owner of the company is coming, the more professional clothes come out. If I know a particular guy I have my eye on is coming in, a different type of top goes on. And if I know the higher ups are all taking the day off, the jeans and tennis shoes work just fine.

Right now I’m working on my food choices which are motivated by my deep desire not to fulfill my potential of becoming as big as a house. Trust me, I have the potential to reach this condition with very little effort. I’ve maintained my weight within a 10 to 15 pound range since high school but I’m getting older and I can see that range stretching before my eyes. Fear, vanity, and the desire to live a long and healthy life motivate me to try to eat, if not better, less.

Since motivation is such an integral part of everything we do, you’d think finding the motivation behind our character’s actions would be simple. Ha! Not so much. It’s hard. Really hard. At least for me. And I think it’s because my story is very character driven. I can’t claim my heroine is running from a serial killer and that’s why she’s driving like a crazy person. I can’t claim my hero is working for the British government to prevent a seemingly imminent war and that’s why he’s kidnapping French spies.

The best I can do is the fact my heroine wants a family but her fear of getting hurt is stronger than her desire not to be alone so she treats the hero like crap out of sheer self-preservation. That’s motivation but it’s much more complicated and sounds much less exciting.

In my quest for character motivation, I have purchased Goal, Motivation, & Conflict by Debra Dixon. I highly recommend this book and if you’d like to attend a workshop with Ms. Dixon in person, see me on the top deck. I can tell you how to make that happen.

So, Ms. Dixon recommends first time authors give their character one simple, strong and focused motivation. Yeah, I see my problem now. Back to lack of focus. She also recommends putting urgency behind the motivation. Whatever it is the character wants, make it urgent. I am so in trouble.

The trick is to keep asking “Why?” Why does he kiss her if he can’t stand her? Why does she let him when she thinks he’s an overbearing moron? Why does he give her nice things but refuse to let her go? Why does she go down the basement to investigate that crashing sound when she knows there’s a killer after her? Really, I’m dying to know the answer to that last one.

Do you know exactly why your characters do all the silly, remarkable and dangerous things they do? Do you make sure you know the motivation behind every scene as you write it? Or do you just write and never even think about it? Have any tricks for finding it that you could share with the rest of us?

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