When you have the wrong idea about story ideas by Alice Orr @AliceOrrBooks #AmWriting #AmEditing #MFRWauthor

Tell strong stories. That's what every writer longs to do.

What are strong stories anyway? To conquer an audience and make it your own you must tell a story that moves them. A story that moves them emotionally. Emotional Power is the impact your story must have.

Tell Strong Stories – How to Create the Most Important Person in Your Plot

The key to an emotionally moving storytelling is Character.

The success of your story hangs on the strength of the main character you create and the way you employ that character as a storyteller. Your main character must move your story forward emotionally.

Why is your main character so important?

Because your protagonist's story is what connects you with the reader. You draw the reader in and make her care. That's how you hook a reader. Mastering the art of the story hook is essential to writing a successful novel. You set that hook by creating a story in which the reader cannot help but become emotionally involved.

Which means that the reader must care about what happens to your character.

The reader must begin to behave as if the Protagonist of your story were a real-life person they know personally. Your character's defeats are the reader's defeats. Your character's triumphs are the reader's triumphs. When you make your readers feel this connection you have them hooked. And they will stay hooked from beginning to end.

For example, I was hooked by both Rick and Ilsa in the film Casablanca (the example I've been loving to use in these columns) and wanted both of them to triumph. The conclusion turned out to be more complicated than that. Which hooked me deeper still. Those screenwriters knew how to Tell Strong Stories.

Here's how to begin creating characters as real as Rick and Ilsa.

#1. First the character must hook you. You as author must be as emotionally involved with your character as you want the reader to be.

#2. Which requires that you as author must know your character intimately. You must know your characters – especially your main character heroine or hero – from the Inside Out. Which means you must understand as deeply as you possibly can what it's like to be your protagonist.

Why do you need to know so much about your protagonist?

In practical terms you must know enough to keep your readers reading. You need to know a lot about a character to make her sufficiently complex to carry the weight of your story from the beginning to the end of a book.

You must know enough about this character to bring him to life on the page and make the reader care about him. For example, Charles Dickens brought Ebenezer Scrooge to life on the page in A Christmas Carol, and made us care what happened to him as well. Dickens knew Scrooge from the Inside Out.

Here's an exercise for getting to know your character from the Inside Out.

Project yourself into your main character. Become your main character in your imagination. Then ask yourself the following five questions about that character.

#1. What does my main character want in this story?

Is this desire significant enough to make a reader also want this thing for my character? Is this desire significant enough to make a reader want it for my character all the way through the length of an entire book? Or at some point does this desire pale into "Who cares?" territory for the reader?

#2. How much does my main character want this thing?

Is this the most crucial need my character has ever experienced? Have I effectively communicated my character's sense of urgency? How in specific scenes, action and dialogue can I turn up the story heat on the intensity of my main character's desire?

#3. Why does my main character want this thing?

Are her reasons – her motivations – admirable? Are these motivations logical in this story situation? Are her motivations believable to the extent that a reader will accept them as legitimate enough to motivate an intelligent, independent, principled protagonist throughout the entire length of my story? Will a reader not only believe these motives but also adopt them on behalf of my character and root for her to achieve her desires?

#4. What does my main character not want?

Is my character running away from something? If so what is it and why is he on the run from it? Is my character avoiding something? If so what is he avoiding and why? What is my character afraid of? Why is my character afraid of this thing?

[Here's a secret to upping your story's ante in terms of drama, intensity and power.

Make sure every character fears something. Especially your main character. For example, what does Scarlett O'Hara fear in Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind?]

#5. What's at stake for my main character in this story situation?

What will happen if she fails to achieve what she wants or needs? Are those consequences dreadful enough to make a reader dread them as well? Who in my story besides my main character could also be adversely affected? How in specific scenes, action and dialogue can I intensify these stakes by making the potential consequences more devastating, pervasive and far-reaching?

Brainstorm every possible response to each of these questions.

Always push yourself beyond the first, most obvious possibility toward less expected, more original ones. The farther reaches of our imaginations are the place from which we Tell Strong Stories.

Alice Orr – adapted from my blog at http://www.aliceorrbooks.com.

ALICE ORR is the author of 16 novels, 3 novellas, a memoir and No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells. A former book editor and literary agent, Alice now lives her dream as a full-time writer. Her latest novel is A Time of Fear and Loving: Riverton Road Romantic Suspense - Book 5. Alice has two grown children and two perfect grandchildren and resides with her husband Jonathan in New York City.
Author Website: www.aliceorrbooks.com
Author Blog: www.aliceorrbooks.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aliceorrwriter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aliceorrbooks
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Orr/e/B000APC22E

Building a Hero with Stature and What Not to Do by Alice Orr #MFRWauthor #amwriting

Thriller author and former editor Alice Orr shares tips for writing heroes.

Building a Hero with Stature – What Not to Do

If your storytelling goal is wide audience appeal, build an admirable hero. A hero the reader will look up to, and remember that when I use the term hero, I'm referring to main characters of all genders.

I base my admirable hero assertion on two things. First, the bestseller lists. Most fiction titles you find there tell stories of admirable protagonists confronting great obstacles in admirable ways. Second, my experience as editor and literary agent, which too often illustrated what an admirable hero is not. Here are some examples, with names changed for discretion's sake.

Caroline is the hero of a Regency romance set in early nineteenth century England. We're told she's a woman of spotless character, which would be an appropriate portrayal. Most readers of this genre prefer their heroines intelligent, wise and, above all, dignified. An author seeking wide reader appeal would be wise herself to honor these preferences.

Unfortunately, Caroline is not the highly principled woman we are told she is. Instead, she shows herself to be of low moral character. Specifically, she joins a traveling theatrical company where her performance specialty is as a procurer or, in more forthright terms, a pimp. 

To make matters worse, Caroline lacks acceptable motivation for her choices. She's an unhappily married woman to be sure, but she is also from the landed gentry with ample financial means. She doesn't need to disgrace herself and her family to escape her husband, nor allow herself to be degraded as she does in this author's story.

A Regency era main character may find herself in dire straits. She may act to overcome her trials in many ways, but not at the expense of dignity and self-respect. Otherwise, she becomes too tawdry to qualify as a hero of this genre, and maybe as an admirable hero of any genre, at least for a non-established author. Bestsellers can afford to take chances, sometimes.

As for Sebastian, I wonder if even his author liked him very much. Sebastian is cold, distant and uncaring. His lack of compassion must be counteracted by noble qualities to make him an admirable hero. He could be written as remote on the surface with endearing depths beneath, but, in this portrayal, under his craggy surface beats a heart of unappealing stone.

Kendra has heroic qualities but is never called upon to use them. Her story is meant to be suspenseful. She should be in danger, real danger that, to maximize appeal, threatens her life. She is strong, resourceful and brave. We're eager to see those qualities tested by extreme circumstance. When no truly thrilling challenges arise, our reader expectations are dashed.

Kendra's author could have made stronger storytelling choices. A perilous situation, which Kendra only narrowly escapes. Better still, another character, vulnerable, like a child, faces serious threat, and Kendra risks her life to defy that threat. These scenarios would reveal her heroism in action and intensify the suspense. Instead, Kendra is a heroine waiting to happen, and the author squanders the dramatic potential of her story.

Shattered reader expectations, heartless main characters, dramatic potential squandered. Avoid these like the storytelling plagues they are, unless you're a bestselling author with maybe some room for risk. Build instead a hero with stature we can admire.

For more insights into writing and publishing – Visit my blog at www.aliceorrbooks.com.

About Alice Orr

Alice Orr is the author of 16 novels, 3 novellas, a memoir and No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells. A former book editor and literary agent, Alice now lives her dream as a full-time writer. Her latest novel is A Time of Fear and Loving: Riverton Road Romantic Suspense - Book 5. Alice has two grown children and two perfect grandchildren and resides with her husband Jonathan in New York City. 

Author Website www.aliceorrbooks.com
Author Blog www.aliceorrbooks.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aliceorrwriter
Twitter https://twitter.com/aliceorrbooks
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Orr/e/B000APC22E

 

Aerobics for a Writer's Imagination Muscles by Alice Orr @aliceorrbooks #MFRWauthor #AmWriting

Time to buff up your Writer Imagination Muscles

An editor and author provides advice on th eessential storytelling question.

Would you feel better or worse if I told you I get rejections? In my pre-indie days, I

traditionally published several romantic suspense novels and a nonfiction book. One night back then, I had a dream so vivid I woke up trembling, short of breath and convinced the goddess had sent me a bestseller for sure.

I'd actually experienced An Idea That Wasn't A Story. Too bad I didn't recognize this. To my credit, I honed that nightmare scene till the impact was razor sharp. Too bad I didn't have much to go with it. I figured my boffo opener would carry the rest. My agent disagreed, and pointed out that, after the boffo had passed, pacing lost steam, story urgency waned, my heroine lacked a compelling voice. I'd built up expectations with my opener, then squandered them.

I'd leapfrogged over the essential storytelling question. "What am I going to write about?" as filmmaker David Lynch, author and director of some of the most imaginative screen scenarios ever, says. "Ideas dictate everything. You have to be true to that or you're dead."

Yet, there's always pressure to write what will sell. I'd been piling that pressure on myself when I conceived my boffo opening with no follow-through. I was writing pyrotechnics I thought might turn my agent on, instead of seeking the true conflicted heart of my story and letting my imagination lead me onward from that place.

I call it the Idea from Heaven. The idea that makes the heart of a story pound. I could have taken my nightmare inspiration, then coaxed depth and richness from it to create an Idea from Heaven. I forgot I possessed the power to accomplish that. What, specifically, should I have remembered to do?

Imagine that the imagination is a muscle. To make and keep the imaginative muscle equal to the rigors of storytelling, we must give it a daily workout. If I'd gone from terrifying dream to imagination exercise mat, instead of straight into writing, the results would have been very different. Here's the five-step exercise I should have done. You should do it too.

Step 1. Find your most fertile imagination time. For me, that's morning, immediately after waking, close to the state that produced my terrifying dream. Pen and pad are ready. I believe imagination, and writing voice, are best accessed in longhand. BTW I used to think night was my most imaginative time, but found that being tired encouraged me to natter on way too much.

Step 2. Find the idea recording method that works best for you. Notebook, cards, a voice recording device, which works well for many verbal people. Try different possibilities.

Step 3. Pose yourself a question. "Where does the story go from here?" Or, "What does my main character do next?" Fashion your most pressing question, take your time, but don't obsess over it. Trust your writerly instinct to know what your story needs. Use a current writing project as subject ground. If you don't have a current writing project, get one.

Step 4. Come up with answers to the question you've posed. Never settle for the first idea that comes. Keep thinking. Push yourself to the more original response, the less expected reaction. Burrow deeper into the situation and the characters. Encourage your mind to run wild.

Step 5. Record each idea as it comes. Limit the exercise to 10 or 15 minutes. Don't censor your responses in any way, like "That's too outlandish," or "This won't work." Record everything, without critique or evaluation. Time limit ends. Put down your pen or turn off the recorder.

The Crucial Cool Down. Sit for a moment and take note of how you feel. Maybe stimulated, full of mental energy, ready to spin off still more ideas in a cannonade of creativity. The imagination muscle has had a good workout for sure. Do this every day. You'll find yourself being more creative than ever before, and enjoying it too.

I robbed myself of that enjoyment when I neglected to take time for this exercise as preparation for developing my story idea. My flabby imagination muscle failed me because I failed it. Learn from my negative example. Take power over your own creative laziness, and give your story idea the strength it needs to succeed.

For more insights into writing and publishing – Visit my blog at www.aliceorrbooks.com.

About Alice Orr

Alice Orr is author of 16 novels, 3 novellas, a memoir and No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells. Hero in the Mirror: How to Write Your Best Story of You is in progress. A former book editor and literary agent, Alice now writes full-time. Her latest novel is A Time of Fear and Loving – Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series Book 5. Find all of Alice Orr's books on Amazon. Alice has two grown children and two perfect grandchildren and lives with her beloved husband Jonathan in New York City.

Author Website www.aliceorrbooks.com

Author Blog www.aliceorrbooks.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aliceorrwriter

Twitter https://twitter.com/aliceorrbooks

Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Orr/e/B000APC22E

All's Well that Ends Well: Endings that Satisfy by Alice Orr @aliceorrbooks #AmWriting #MFRWauthor

How to Write the Ending that Satisfies

How do I make my story ending sell my book? Good question, just not the right question. Why not? Because the ending of your story doesn't sell this book as much as it sells your next one.

Have you ever finished a book and wanted to throw it across the room, or maybe actually did throw it across the room? Very often the book's ending made you do that, and also made certain you wouldn't buy that author's next book.

Your goal as a storyteller is to avoid being thrown across the room, to avoid losing a reader for your next book and the ones after it. To reach that goal, you must create a story ending that does not frustrate. You must create an ending that satisfies.

The end game of your story is a danger zone, partly because you are likely to be tired of these people and their situation by now. In fact, if you are a committed storyteller, your head and heart may already be deep into your next book. Because of that, you must be careful not to write the ending in this rhythm. Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, The End. That ending does not satisfy. That ending lacks the essential Big Bang.

In earlier articles, I used the film classic Casablanca to illustrate the Dramatic Opening and the Middle that Moves. Casablanca is an example of the Ending that Satisfies, too. Rick and Ilsa's story is especially rich in this respect because it has two narrative threads, an action suspense thread and an emotional suspense thread, and both are tied up with a Big Bang at the end.

The action climax is an actual, audible bang when arch villain German Major Strasser is shot dead. The emotional climax is more drawn out, and that slightly slowed down pace is part of what gives it impact. Rick, played by Humphrey Bogart, tells Ilsa, played by Ingrid Bergman, why she must take the plane to Lisbon and safety, not with him, but with her husband, Nazi hunter Victor Laszlo.

The plane engine rumbles to life in the background. A single tear trembles on Ilsa's perfect cheek. And Bogie says some of the most memorable lines of his career.

Rick: Inside of us, we both know you belong with Victor. You're part of his work, the thing that keeps him going. If that plane leaves the ground and you're not with him, you'll regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.

Ilsa: But what about us?

Rick: We'll always have Paris.

Rick walks off then with Vichy Captain Louis Renault, who has finally discovered his inner good guy. But the Big Bang really happens in that moment with Ilsa, when brooding cynic Rick finds his own true heroic nature and sacrifices his heart for the good of the world and his soul.

We could hardly be more satisfied, and it all looks smooth and easy. But don't be fooled. To carry off an ending that works this well, there has to be a plan. To create a Big Bang Ending for your story, you must also have a plan. You must plan your climactic scene in detail. Don't write a word until that plan is perfect. Here are some specific suggestions for planning your Big Bang Ending.

Plan:

·         ...mostly action and dialogue, very little narrative.

·         ...keep all of this action on stage, in the immediate present.

·         ...dialogue that is spare, to the point and memorable.

·         ...on intensifying the pace, faster than what has gone before.

·         ...lots of physical movement in the scene.

·         ...lots of intense sensation – sight, sound, smell, texture and more.

·         ...plunge your protagonist into peril.

·         ...one more obstacle to arise for your protagonist. Make it formidable.

·         ...a confrontation between your protagonist and antagonist.

·         ...on milking that confrontation, while keeping up the intense pace.

·         ...for your protagonist to cause action, not merely be overtaken by it.

·         ...communicate your protagonist's feelings, with impact, to the reader.

·         ...on incorporating fear, even terror, among those emotions.

·         ...the presence of real danger to your protagonist in this scene.

·         ...an outcome in the balance.

·         ...that outcome as crucial to your protagonist.

·         ...for your protagonist to be nearly vanquished in this scene.

·         ...for your protagonist to be racing against time.

·         ...for your protagonist to triumph in the last possible moment.

·         ...for your protagonist to triumph by the narrowest of margins.

·         ...for this triumph to be uplifting and inspiring.

The purpose of a Big Bang Ending is to reverberate after the last page is turned, to lodge in the psyche of the reader and be remembered, all the way to the bookstore, or the Buy Now button, and the purchase of your next title. Stage your final scene the way a choreographer stages a dance. The result will be a powerful Dramatic Ending at full circle from your Dramatic Opening, and equally or even more thrilling.

Now you must recognize that your story is over. You and your protagonist have exploded out of the explosive situation you exploded into on page one. You must resist the temptation to hang around a while longer. You have taken your reader on an unforgettable ride. Leave before she has a chance to catch her breath. Leave before he has had enough. Leave them wanting more. No Epilogues, Please.

When you have accomplished all of that – Here's looking at you, kid.

ALICE ORR is the author of 16 novels, 3 novellas, a memoir and No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells. A former book editor and literary agent, Alice now lives her dream as a full-time writer. Her latest novel is A Time of Fear and Loving: Riverton Road Romantic Suspense - Book 5. Alice has two grown children and two perfect grandchildren and resides with her husband Jonathan in New York City.
Alice Orr – www.aliceorrbooks.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aliceorrbooks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aliceorrwriter
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Orr/e/B000APC22E

Building a Hero with Stature and What Not to Do by Alice Orr @AliceOrrBooks #MFRWauthor #amwriting

Building a Hero with Stature – What Not to Do

If your storytelling goal is wide audience appeal, build an admirable hero. A hero the reader will look up to, and remember that when I use the term hero, I'm referring to main characters of all genders.

I base my admirable hero assertion on two things. First, the bestseller lists. Most fiction titles you find there tell stories of admirable protagonists confronting great obstacles in admirable ways. Second, my experience as editor and literary agent, which too often illustrated what an admirable hero is not. Here are some examples, with names changed for discretion's sake.

Caroline is the hero of a Regency romance set in early nineteenth century England. We're told she's a woman of spotless character, which would be an appropriate portrayal. Most readers of this genre prefer their heroines intelligent, wise and, above all, dignified. An author seeking wide reader appeal would be wise herself to honor these preferences.

Unfortunately, Caroline is not the highly principled woman we are told she is. Instead, she shows herself to be of low moral character. Specifically, she joins a traveling theatrical company where her performance specialty is as a procurer or, in more forthright terms, a pimp. 

To make matters worse, Caroline lacks acceptable motivation for her choices. She's an unhappily married woman to be sure, but she is also from the landed gentry with ample financial means. She doesn't need to disgrace herself and her family to escape her husband, nor allow herself to be degraded as she does in this author's story.

A Regency era main character may find herself in dire straits. She may act to overcome her trials in many ways, but not at the expense of dignity and self-respect. Otherwise, she becomes too tawdry to qualify as a hero of this genre, and maybe as an admirable hero of any genre, at least for a non-established author. Bestsellers can afford to take chances, sometimes.

As for Sebastian, I wonder if even his author liked him very much. Sebastian is cold, distant and uncaring. His lack of compassion must be counteracted by noble qualities to make him an admirable hero. He could be written as remote on the surface with endearing depths beneath, but, in this portrayal, under his craggy surface beats a heart of unappealing stone.

Kendra has heroic qualities but is never called upon to use them. Her story is meant to be suspenseful. She should be in danger, real danger that, to maximize appeal, threatens her life. She is strong, resourceful and brave. We're eager to see those qualities tested by extreme circumstance. When no truly thrilling challenges arise, our reader expectations are dashed.

Kendra's author could have made stronger storytelling choices. A perilous situation, which Kendra only narrowly escapes. Better still, another character, vulnerable, like a child, faces serious threat, and Kendra risks her life to defy that threat. These scenarios would reveal her heroism in action and intensify the suspense. Instead, Kendra is a heroine waiting to happen, and the author squanders the dramatic potential of her story.

Shattered reader expectations, heartless main characters, dramatic potential squandered. Avoid these like the storytelling plagues they are, unless you're a bestselling author with maybe some room for risk. Build instead a hero with stature we can admire.

For more insights into writing and publishing – Visit my blog at www.aliceorrbooks.com.

About Alice Orr

Alice Orr is the author of 16 novels, 3 novellas, a memoir and No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells. A former book editor and literary agent, Alice now lives her dream as a full-time writer. Her latest novel is A Time of Fear and Loving: Riverton Road Romantic Suspense - Book 5. Alice has two grown children and two perfect grandchildren and resides with her husband Jonathan in New York City.
Author Website www.aliceorrbooks.com
Author Blog www.aliceorrbooks.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aliceorrwriter
Twitter https://twitter.com/aliceorrbooks
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Orr/e/B000APC22E

Character Triage: Kick Out Your Characters by Alice Orr @AliceOrrBooks #MFRWauthor #amwriting

Join former literary agent and editor Alice Orr, author of No More Rejections, as she offers advice for character triage, kicking out characters who do not work in your story.

Character Triage

Who's In? Who's Out? Every character you start out with in your story may not carry enough storytelling weight to be allowed to stick around. Some will most likely have to go. Which characters do and do not belong in your story? How do you decide? First, let's make a couple of general lists. Then we'll move on to my personal specifics.

Character Triage –Characters Who Should Stay in Your Story

They sparkle with contradiction and controversy.

They enhance the main characters in the story, make them more intriguing.

They aggravate the main characters in the story, make them more conflicted.

They have often dark secrets the main characters would like to know, or should know, but don't.

They have hidden dreams the main characters would like to know, or should know, but don't.

In other words, they generate plot by adding more complications to the story.

Character Triage – Who's Out? Characters Who Should Leave Your Story

They don't make anything happen.

They get along with everyone, neither creating nor enhancing conflict.

We aren't interested in knowing more about them.

They are not connected with either the main characters or their stories.

In other words, they don't generate plot by adding more complications to the story.

Here are some specific character types I especially want to boot out the door.

#1 Exit Candidate: The Lackluster Character

Especially when you are creating the main characters of a series who must be extra unique and compelling. In fact, any continuing character must stand out in order to hold a reader's interest through several stories. Be careful not to focus on thrilling plot at the expense of thrilling characters. This can be fatal to storytelling success.

The Character Who Cloys

Especially as your romance heroine. She's cute enough to kill, and the alleged hero scampers along in her wake for far too long. At first, she may be lovable for the reader as well. Then, we become exasperated with her and, eventually, out and out irritated. She's a distraction from the story and undermines your hero's portrayal too.

The Character Who Fails at His Story Mission

Especially as your mystery-suspense hero. He's the detective who doesn't detect. A murder is committed, and he should be intent on finding the murderer but does too little to further that quest. He avoids real investigative questioning. He lets others to do the legwork. He slows the pace instead of enlivening it. He must thrust himself into danger and battle his way out again.

The Interchangeables

Especially as your secondary characters. For example, three sisters or friends or whoever that would be better as two. The extra sidekick clutters the story. She isn't distinctive enough and her lack of substance drains story vitality. She should be folded into one of the other characters to streamline plot and pacing or rewritten to reveal her individuality.

Character Triage: This is Only the Beginning

I've shared my personal sampling of characters who need to go if you want to write a strong story, and of course you do. Now, you must make your own list, from your own work, but don't be discouraged when you do. There are ways to save these characters from the no-hope heap. Every character, like every human being, has a story. Your job as storyteller is to dig deep, discover that story and give your creation life on the page. In other words, perform character triage. When you do that, all your characters will not just belong in your story, they will be embedded in your reader's heart.

For more insights into writing and publishing,visit my blog at www.aliceorrbooks.com

About Alice Orr

Alice Orr is author of 16 novels, 3 novellas, a memoir and No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells. Hero in the Mirror: How to Write Your Best Story of You is in progress. A former book editor and literary agent, Alice now writes full-time. Her latest novel is A Time of Fear and Loving – Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series Book 5. Find all of Alice Orr's books on Amazon. Alice has two grown children and two perfect grandchildren and lives with her beloved husband Jonathan in New York City.
Author Website www.aliceorrbooks.com
Author Blog www.aliceorrbooks.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aliceorrwriter
Twitter https://twitter.com/aliceorrbooks
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Orr/e/B000APC22E

Alice Orr: Nobody Wants a Sagging Middle: How to Avoid Writing a Muddled Story @AliceOrrBooks #MFRWauthor #amwriting

The struggle in your story is the drama of your story. That struggle must begin at your Dramatic Opening and continue forward without letup. The course of the struggle is the course of your plot. The more intense the struggle, the more intense the plot. That is the secret to writing a page-turner story. Escalate the power, the intensity and the drama of your main character's struggle, and you are in the winner's circle. What could screw that up for you? The middle, where you are likely, with unfortunate regularity, to find a muddle. Why? Because the middle is where the story line is likely to sag.

Nobody Wants a Sagging Middle: How to Avoid Writing a Muddled Story

When your story loses momentum in the middle you must make these crucial assumptions. You need to know more about your characters. And, therefore, you need to ask yourself three crucial questions.

• What hidden relationships could there be between my characters?
• What further conflict lies beneath the surface of their relationships?
• What further secrets do they have, and why have they kept them from me?

In my contribution to the MFRW magazine's February issue, "Well Begun is Well Done," an article on the Dramatic Opening, I used the classic film Casablanca as a story example. Let's continue with that example here of how to create the story middle that avoids a muddle.

At the Dramatic Opening of Casablanca we found Rick, played by Humphrey Bogart, bitter and disillusioned, but we are well into the story before we learn the source of his bitterness. At the opening, there are hints at the problems in Rick's history, but we still don't understand what's up with him. Then beautiful Ilsa arrives, played by Ingrid Bergman, and Rick reacts. We might say he overreacts because we still don't know what's really going on between them. Ilsa is with her husband Victor when we first encounter her, so we don't get an explanation until she returns later to the closed café where Rick is alone. Now we find out about Paris and the past love affair between Rick and Ilsa that sent him soaring then smashed him back to earth.

At this point, we are truly hooked because what began as a suspense plot, has turned into a love story as well. We are hooked in the heart by the love story even more deeply than our adrenaline was pumped by the danger of the suspense story. We are also at the middle of the story, and there's not a sign of a sag anywhere. Why? Because we have learned more about the characters. Because the story situation has begun to satisfy those three crucial questions I mentioned, with a hidden relationship, a deep conflict and a significant secret that had been kept from us concerning the main character. Your story situation can do the same.

To add even more anti-muddle momentum to your story middle, all you have to do is make two more crucial assumptions. First, the hot water you have dumped your characters into needs to get hotter, much hotter. And, second, for that to happen, you must ask yourself three more crucial questions.

• What additional misfortunes can happen to my characters?
• What powerful dangers surround my characters?
• What can happen that will jolt my main character?

In Casablanca, we find the motherlode of misfortune and danger, World War II and Nazis. We also have a powerful villain in the German Major Strasser. Nothing accelerates story tension better than a truly evil bad guy. There are high stakes too. Ilsa's husband Victor must be smuggled to neutral territory or he will be captured and tortured and his patriotic anti-Nazi work will end. Meanwhile, the jolt to main character Rick comes in the form of Letters of Transit. They are what Alfred Hitchcock called the Macguffin. The Macguffin is the thing everybody in the story wants, either for good or evil reasons, depending on who they are. Rick has these letters. They will decide Victor's fate. They will also decide the fate of Rick and Ilsa's rekindled passion. Da Da Da Dum!

Drama. High stakes. An uncertain outcome.

The middle of Casablanca provides all of this and more, and you can re-imagine your story middle to do the same. Simply re-imagine your characters. Dig beneath the surface of the way you see them now by answering the first three crucial questions. Dig beneath the surface of the way you now see your story by answering the second three questions. Do all of that, and you will excavate your own motherlode of page-turner storytelling. It is there already, beneath the surface you have already written. When you unearth that treasure, you will have banished your sagging middle forever.

Where to buy A Time of Fear and Loving

Publisher. Alice Orr Books
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Time-Fear-Loving-Riverton-Road-ebook/dp/B075FHBNK2

About Alice Orr

Alice Orr is the author of 16 novels, 3 novellas, a memoir and No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells. A former book editor and literary agent, Alice now lives her dream as a full-time writer. Her latest novel is A Time of Fear and Loving: Riverton Road Romantic Suspense - Book 5. Alice has two grown children and two perfect grandchildren and resides with her husband Jonathan in New York City.
Author Website: www.aliceorrbooks.com
Author Blog: www.aliceorrbooks.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aliceorrwriter
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/aliceorrbooks
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Orr/e/B000APC22E

5 Aspects for Creating Strong Character Arcs -- Kayelle Allen @KayelleAllen #amwriting #MFRWauthor

I try to create complex heroes, and one thing that helps is creating strong character arcs. For deeper understanding, I recommend reading Character Arcs by KM Weiland. That book gave me great insights into my characters. This post uses he/she. Feel free to apply your preferred gender pronouns.

Creating a Strong Character Arc

The main character must face conflict, deal with emotions, and experience change. All those things arise out of the following five aspects.

What does your hero want?

If your hero lives a great life, with all he or she wants and no real needs, then there is no conflict. You must have conflict in order to move the story forward. Your hero should want something badly enough to change in order to get it. That want will be a major driver of your story.

What are your hero's personal preconceptions?

When your hero looks in the mirror, who is looking back? Chances are, he/she is already a hero to someone. But how does he feel about himself? When he looks in the mirror, does he see his failures? Or perhaps he sees himself as a hero when others see him in an entirely different light.

What does your hero do wrong?

Sure, no one's perfect, but the personal flaws facing your hero must provide a reason for your character to change and must be a lynchpin in driving that change. Example: a young woman with reasons in her past that make her distrust people in general, and men in particular meets a man who makes her long to trust. But because of her flaws, her misconceptions and inhibitions, she can't. She must overcome those flaws in order to find love -- to reach her goal.

What abilities does your hero possess?

The hero in any story will need to accomplish certain tasks. It might be anything from scaling a wall to performing before a crowd, but he needs to complete them in order to overcome the conflict and reach his goal. When the story opens, he can't do them, but by the end, he can. Not only has he changed the story, the story has changed him.

What scares your hero?

I have an immortal king in multiple stories. Pietas can come back from almost any death. He's nearly 2000 years old and is as big and brave as they come. But because he's isolated himself by virtue of his position as well as personal choice, he's never needed friends and never wanted one. The problem is, he's made one who's the target of assassins--and mortal. Now that he's had a friend, how can he face eternity alone? For the first time in his long, barren existence, Pietas fears the very isolation he has spent his life cultivating, and he will do absolutely anything to prevent it.
The point of scaring your hero is that if your hero is afraid, it means the stakes are high enough to make him change. If you create a hero who undergoes change, you create a complex character.

Ask yourself if you have developed a hero who has tangible wants and needs, preconceptions that don't necessarily match his reality, faults that make him relatable, and the ability to adapt and learn new skills. Don't forget to give him one or more fears that he must overcome or remove. A layered approach to creating your hero will hook your readers and bring them back for more.
 

---
Bringer of Chaos: Origin of Pietas
An immortal king must doom his people to exile or place his faith in that which he most hates: a human.
Bringer of Chaos: Forged in Fire
An exiled, immortal king, a ginormous panther "kitty" and the most dysfunctional family since forever.

Kayelle Allen writes Sci Fi with misbehaving robots, mythic heroes, role playing immortal gamers, and warriors who purr. She's also a US Navy veteran and has been married so long she's tenured.
https://kayelleallen.com

6 Ways to Write More and Stress Less - Kayelle Allen @kayelleallen #MFRWauthor #Amwriting

When the world is screaming for your attention, it's hard to write more. A few years ago, I had a bout of chest pain that landed me in the hospital for a week and forced me to re-examine some priorities. It wasn't a heart attack. It was stress.

The event provided a life lesson: focusing on the important (versus the mundane). Hard to do. I struggle with it often.

Here are six things I've learned that eliminate stress and let me write more. I hope they help.

Write more by saying no to what is not important

How hard is this? Very, if you can not figure out what's important. As a writer, time to write is the top priority. Are you a writer if you don't write? I'm thinking not. Bears some thinking about, doesn't it? When you write, write. When you do other things, do them with all your strength, but don't try to do both at the same time. It will add stress and you won't do either one as well as you could if you focused.

Stress less by asking for help

You can't do everything. Your friends, coworkers, kids, and editor know this. Goodness knows your spouse knows this. Why don't you know it? Could it be a little bit of a stubborn streak? The superman/woman complex? Break down your tasks and see what parts of each you can delegate.

Write more by hiring help

Yes, you can do things for yourself and you do them. Especially if you're an indie author. But here's a thought. You can hire someone to help you with Facebook, deal with your website, set up a profile on social media, etc. But guess what? No one else can write your book. Hire help where you can so you free up time to write. Fiverr is a great place to look.

Stress less by facing the hard things

Do something difficult first thing every day. If you face a hard thing first, the rest of the day will be downhill.

Write more by going outside

Sounds counterintuitive, but it's true. Spend time outside. Sure, you need the BICHOK rule to write (butt in chair, hands on keyboard), but sunshine does wonders for your body and soul. It's a natural source of vitamin D, which is good for bones. Your body can't make it without help. And oh my... there is nothing like the feel of grass under your feet when you've been cooped up in the house. Is it snowing? Step out, breathe some icy air, and duck back inside. But change your environment and you'll stress less and write a whole lot more.

Stress less by not letting dust bother you

Do you need a house that's a hospital or a house that's hospitable? Families (and single people, and couples) need a house that's enjoyed and filled with laughter and love. So what if there's dust? Break out the dustcloth half as much, write twice as much, and see which makes you feel better. Stack the dishes neatly in the sink and let them wait. I promise they will still be there when you get back from writing for an hour. No dishes I ever owned have washed themselves. Chances are, yours won't either. Housework can be done by anyone.

Remember, only you can write your book.

Here's to a stress free life with plenty of joy and laughter. Oh... and more time writing.

---

Kayelle Allen writes Sci Fi with misbehaving robots, mythic heroes, role playing immortal gamers, and warriors who purr. She's also a US Navy veteran and has been married so long she's tenured.
Author of At the Mercy of Her Pleasure, a sweet and rollicking science fiction romance. 

https://kayelleallen.com 

A Dozen Tips for the Art and Science of Editing, by Kayelle Allen @kayelleallen #AmEditing #MFRWauthor

Editing is an art, and some have a better knack than others. However, editing is also a science. There are rules in grammar regarding form and content. That means every author can take steps to strengthen the ability.

Here are a dozen things I keep in mind when I'm editing my final draft. After all, I'm writing for a very picky immortal king. I have to be careful. I mean, look at this guy. Would you want to make him look bad? Ok, here we go.

12 Editing Suggestions

1. Edit for passive construction. Omit words like am, was, were, be, being, been.
2. Use an active verb rather than a conditional one. Example:
   He would do anything his lord asked, without quarrel or quibbling.
   He did anything his lord asked, without quarrel or quibbling.
3. Substitute concrete terms for abstract ones. Thought vs. mused, guess vs. hypothesis.
4. Omit vague and abstract terms such as would, could, some, anything, about, only, better, less, etc.
5. Look for long phrases and shorten them.
6. Watch out for sentences that begin with conjunctions. (as, because, but, and).
7. Count the number of times you use the words has, had, and have. Change the tenses of verbs around to eliminate their need.
8. Make a list of your personal no-no words. These are words you use as crutch words to move you from one point to another as you write, but edit later. Go over your list before you submit it to your editor, critique group, or beta readers. What kinds of words? I've provided a link to a pdf I created for my critique group that contains 128. http://kayelleallen.com/media/WordstoWatchWhenEditing.pdf Feel free to pass it along to friends.
9. Ask yourself what is the worst thing that can happen to a character, and then focus on words that fit that description.
10. Grab a good tool. Try the Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide To Character Expression by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. This book provides phrases, terms, and other descriptors you can use to convey character emotions. No author should be without this tool. When you grab your own copy, start making a list of phrases you use as well. Each of us has something good to offer. Make the most of your own ability and record these phrases in a workbook, notepad, or document on your computer for later reference.
11. Any rule can ignored. If you are writing a complex, well-spoken character, you may need his/her speech to contain larger words, or a timid character to use a more passive vocabulary.
12. Edit with words that fit what your readers understand. It doesn't hurt to have a character who uses words that are difficult or complex, as long as there is context so readers can figure out what's going on. It can help strengthen the complexity of the character to do so. In my Bringer of Chaos series, Pietas is immortal, far beyond "well educated" and a brilliant scientist. Six, his constant companion, is far less knowledgeable. Here's a snippet to illustrate:

"Six, look! These tracks are from ungulates." Pietas knelt and ran his fingers along the tracks. "These are popular with terraformers. They put them on every colonized world. Artiodactyla, to be precise. Bovidae. I suspect a derivative of aepyceros melampus."

"You know, Pi, when you say things like that, you think you're explaining, but you're really not."

"Animals with split hooves. Even-toed. Lightweight impalas. Antelopes."

"What, you couldn't say antelopes?"

Pietas got up, dusting off his pants. "I just did."

Edit with the end in mind

What is the mood of the story? Explore ways to make your writing match it. Use good tools, and take notes about how other authors handle scenes and situations. Find a passage of a book that you enjoy and rewrite it in your own words, trying to make it stronger. See if you can improve it. Then, take a passage of one of your previously published books, and try the same thing.

Editing is a science, but it's also an art, and art takes practice. Never stop trying.

---
 Kayelle Allen is the founder of Marketing for Romance Writers. She pens Sci Fi with misbehaving robots, mythic heroes, role playing immortal gamers, and warriors who purr. She's also a US Navy veteran and has been married so long she's tenured.

https://kayelleallen.com

Rules for Humble Writers (Yeah, Right) by Kayelle Allen @kayelleallen #Humor #MFRWauthor

Christmas is finally over and we're settling in for winter. The new year is making itself at home. So I decided to share some "rules" I've learned over the years about humble writers. With tongue planted firmly in cheek, here we go...

Rules for Humble Writers

1. Being humble is rule #1. Never tell anyone you wrote a book. It's okay to write it, but keep the news to yourself. If you wrote a good book, people will find it without you saying a word.

2. Don't post any information about your book online, especially on places such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or blogs. If in doubt, see #1.

3. If someone wants to buy a copy of the book from you, sell it for no more than what it cost you to obtain. It's not humble to expect people to pay more than you did.

4. Cover art is not necessary. A book's quality should never be judged by what is outside. "Never judge a book by its cover" is an axiom.

5. Do not set goals. A true writer only writes when inspired, therefore, goals are counterproductive.

6. Wait for inspiration. Be ready to write, but don't worry about muses or looking for inspiration outside yourself. True inspiration comes from within and should not be sought. When it's real, it will come.

7. Editing is for those who don't get it right the first time. Don't write anything down until you know it's correct. This will save you time and energy, not to mention paper, ink, and erasers.

8. If your computer is on, you should be writing. Remind yourself of this. Guilt can help you stay focused.

9. Games are counterproductive to writing. There is a school of thought that they are helpful by enabling you to relax. However, this can also lead to indulgence, and should be avoided by a hard-working writer.

10. Physical exercise requires time away from your desk. Avoid it.

11. It's all right to eat all your meals at your desk. Dinner or lunch with the family is time consuming.

12. Cleaning house is maid's work. Writers write. 

13. Believe all the writing advice you get on the web.

Gotten any really bad advice lately? Other than #12, I can't agree with anything posted here.

Happy New Year everyone. =^_^= Here's to success in 2019!
---
By the way, that gorgeous blond on the left is the hero of my Bringer of Chaos series. The model is Nik Nitsvetov. The books are awesome. You should buy them. I'm not humble at all. 

---

Kayelle Allen writes Sci Fi with misbehaving robots, mythic heroes, role playing immortal gamers, and warriors who purr. She is the author of seven books, three novellas, and multiple short stories. She's also a US Navy veteran and has been married so long she's tenured.
https://kayelleallen.com

10 Reasons Why Not to Read Romance @kayelleallen #humor #romance #MFRWauthor

After careful consideration, and much placing of tongue in cheek -- no, not French kissing, get your mind out of the gutter -- I have decided that Romance books are not good for me and have decided to give them up. (yeah, right!) Here are ten reasons why.

1. Reading Romance might lead women to believe men can be more sensitive and caring, and this unrealistic expectation could lead to unhappiness. I might think that I could find a perfect love and have a happily ever after, and that isn't realistic. Just ask a psychiatrist.
2. In fact, living happily ever after probably isn't good for the economy. You wouldn't need anti-anxiety medication or drugs for depression, and since this is a huge market in the United States, living happily ever after could actually cause a loss of jobs in the pharmaceutical industry.
3. Realism is better for the world. The sooner we face the fact that life is tough, the better we can deal with it. Best not to get your hopes up.
4. Women are in danger when reading these books. I read that "...marriage therapists caution that women can become as dangerously unbalanced by these books’ entrancing but distorted messages as men can be by the distorted messages of pornography." (Shaunti Feldhahn quoting another source)
5. If I read Romance novels I might end up being dumb. According to at least one blogger, these kinds of novels are children's stories with adult themes, and don't deserve any real attention anyway. They are not "true literature." (referenced tongue in cheek by Leia Shaw, on Susan Hanniford Crowley's blog)
6. Romance books about ménage partners, same sex partners, and other non-one woman/one man Romances might destroy the fabric of America. I mean gee, aren't those kinds of stories somehow wrong? (don't look at the books I write, by the way. Just go with it. *cough*)
7. Women have better things to do than sit around reading Romance books. There are kitchens to clean, floors to scrub, and there is laundry to be done. In fact, reading anything other than cookbooks or articles about child-rearing and being a good wife is probably just a waste of a woman's time.
8. Taking a Romance novel to the beach to read might lead me to make bad choices. (Eryn Brown, LA Times quoting Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care)
9. Hunky male models on the cover of Romance novels might make me less than satisfied with my own husband. I might be unable to differentiate between a photo of a man on the cover of a novel and a real man who's sitting beside me.
10. While we're talking about hunky male models, looking at the covers of Romance books with hot models on them might cause me to engage in lust. *crickets chirping* Okay, you got me. That one's true!

I hope no one has taken any of this seriously. Please do not write letters, folks. This is humor, okay? Thank you. :) So... do YOU think Romance is bad for you? Please tell me about it in the comments.

---

Kayelle Allen is a a best-selling American author. Her unstoppable heroes and heroines include contemporary every day folk, role-playing immortal gamers, futuristic covert agents, and warriors who purr. When you're immortal, Romance Lives Forever.
https://kayelleallen.com
Join the Romance Lives Forever Reader Group Download four free books and get news about books coming soon. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Difference Between KDP and KDP Select by Kayelle Allen @kayelleallen #writerslife #MFRWauthor

Have you ever wondered what the difference between KDP and KDP Select is? Authors who self publish on Amazon use Kindle Direct Publishing. Once you upload, you're asked if you also want to join Kindle Select. This is an exclusive contract with Amazon and will place your book into Kindle Unlimited (KU). The contract runs 90 days from signing and auto renews unless you cancel prior to that date. It will put your book in Kindle Unlimited for readers. Members pay $9.99 a month and can read as much as they want of all books in KU system. In addition, you will get paid by the page count of pages read.

Breaking it down

Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) - all self-pub authors on Amazon

Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) + Kindle Select (also called KDP Select) - exclusive contract, no sales outside Amazon (except print), includes Kindle Unlimited

I sell my books on my own site but only the print books for the ones on Select. It's exclusively exclusive. No ebook sales anywhere else.

My recommendation is to go with "wide distribution" for your first book Sign up at these sites:

Amazon
Smashwords
CreateSpace

Here's what you'll get with each.

Amazon - total reach across all of Amazon

Smashwords - reach across all venues (you can publish from here to Amazon but why would you? You'd be cutting out your own royalty base b/c you'd share it with Smashwords.) You will get Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple iTunes (iBooks), plus many others.

CreateSpace - you'll be in print on any and all sites where you want to share it. You can go exclusive on Amazon and still sell the print on Smashwords.

If, after six months, you don't see awesome sales at non-Amazon distributors, consider going KDP Select and advertise as "free on Kindle Unlimited" (KU). You will get paid for purchases as well as pages read by those who only "borrow" the books.

What I Do

I have a number of books in that system. I make more in one month on Amazon than I do in a year on the other venues combined. It's different for every person. Be sure to advertise and include places where readers can buy your books. Don't say "I'm on Amazon" when you have an opportunity to write the actual URL to the book's page. Notice the banner above shows the icons for Amazon and CreateSpace, plus the hashtags #ScifiRom and #KindleUnlimited. These are cues to the reader what your book is about and when shared, gives them a way to know what hashtags to use on Twitter or Facebook.

Try everything with your books. They're yours. What works for others might not work for you. Whatever you decide, good luck with sales!

If you've used KDP Select, please share your opinions and tips in the comments.

---

Kayelle Allen is a best-selling American author. Her unstoppable heroes and heroines include contemporary every day folk, role-playing immortal gamers, futuristic covert agents, and warriors who purr.

Homeworld/Blog https://kayelleallen.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/kayelleallen

Join the Romance Lives Forever Reader Group Download four free books and get news about books coming soon. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Why We Read (and Write) Romance @kayelleallen #MFRWauthor #amwriting

Writing is not simply an act. It's a passion. For writers of Romance, it's even more than that. Romance an escapist story and a momentary thrill - yes. But it's also structure for plot and character development, theme, setting, and social commentary.

Here's my personal list of reasons to read (and write) Romance.

• Falling in love is a wonderful feeling, and watching someone fall in love is the next best thing.
• Seeing a hero and heroine overcome conflict and end up together at the end of a story makes me feel good.
• The world is full of sad stories and disappointments, but the happy ending of a Romance book is something I can count on.
• There is a subgenre within Romance for any kind of book I want to read, from Science Fiction to historical, paranormal to suspense, and everything in between.
• I like reading about wounded alpha heroes whose heroines help them get back on the horse and get going again.
• Tough and sassy heroines who kick ass and take names make my day, and my favorite Romances always feature them.
• What could be finer than a Romance set in the Highlands of Scotland?
• I grew up reading Science Fiction, and never understood why the book stopped just when the story got to the sexy part -- SciFi Romance is one of my favorite genres.
• Romances are often part of a bigger story -- battling a monster, saving the world, defeating prejudice, healing a family -- and they make the bigger picture worth more because they showcase true love.
• A romantic heroine who realizes her own worth, power, and strength, and who finds herself working side by side with a man she trusts are priceless.
• One of the most intriguing subgenres of Romance is called M/M, or male male, and features two heroes. I think if a little testosterone is good, a lot must be awesome.
• Is there anything sexier than a vampire who falls in love, and must overcome his clawing, innate hungers in order to woo the mortal he loves?
• The heat level of a Romance can be whatever I want it to be, because within all those varying subgenres is a level of sensuality that is right for me. They can be as sweet -- or as hot -- as I want to read. 

Why do you read and/or write Romance? Please share in the comments.

About the Author
Kayelle Allen is a best-selling American author. Her unstoppable heroes and heroines include contemporary every day folk, role-playing immortal gamers, futuristic covert agents, and warriors who purr. She is the founder of Marketing for Romance Writers.
Homeworld/Blog https://kayelleallen.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/kayelleallen
Facebook https://facebook.com/kayelleallen.author