On Writing: The Essence and Passion of a Story

Last year Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats tweeted 22 rules of storytelling. Now that I’m knee-deep into a first draft again (writing the sequel to my m/m/m menage MORE), I keep going back to some of those tips she mentioned when it comes to the basics of storytelling.

Two of my favorites are:
 

“Why must you tell THIS story? What's the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That's the heart of it.” -- Emma Coats

“What's the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.” -- Emma Coats

 

I think these go hand in hand when writing a first draft. I have to know the basics of what I’m trying to say and I have to be driven to share that story. I believe if the author lacks a passion for writing any particular story, the readers can tell.

When first starting a novel-length book, if I don’t have a firm grasp on the core concept of the story as well as the passion to tell that story, I stumble my way through the first draft, going back over the plot outline and who the characters are at their core until I land on the truth of what I’m trying to say.

Some questions I ask myself:

- Who are these men? What do they believe about love? What goals do they have in life? What are their biggest dreams? What are their biggest fears? All of these can help drive the plot.

- What are the basics of the plot in one sentence? One paragraph?

- What is the ending of the story? What happens just before the ending? How are the characters emotionally impacted by the conclusion of the plot?

- What in my own life (what experiences, dreams, hopes, imaginations) is influencing me to write this story?

- What is it about my own beliefs and passions about living life that stirs me to write this story about these characters?

For me the journey of discovering all this is what makes storytelling such a powerful, enjoyable experience. It may stretch out the process of writing that initial draft, but I think my stories would not be the same (and neither would I) without it.

You can read the full list of Coats’s tweets here:
The 22 rules of storytelling, according to Pixar
 


Award-winning author Sloan Parker writes passionate, dramatic stories about two men (or more) falling in love. Sloan enjoys writing in the fictional world because in fiction you can be anything, do anything...even fall in love for the first time over and over again. She lives in Ohio with her partner and their neurotic cats where her greatest moments in life are spent with her family, her friends, and her characters. You can learn more about Sloan and her writing at www.sloanparker.com.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

I've been thinking lately about how weird the whole creative process is, how simple and yet how complicated. I mean, in a way what could be easier than telling stories to the other children? We all do this growing up, right? Some of it's gossip, some of it's urban legend, some of it's even true, but we all learn to communicate early on and a part of that communication is storytelling. I don't know what would be the stuff of fiction if not the lives of adolescents.

As it turns out, writing is hard work in a way storytelling is not. Writing being in some ways separate from storytelling.

Anyway, I've been thinking about my writing process as I begin yet another project. Every single time I start a new story, no matter how big or small a project, there's always an initial moment of something like panic. Something of...Wait, wait. How do I do this again? Is this how it works?

I can't imagine that's just me.

Talent. Nature versus nurture? I always find that debate an interesting one.

It's the kind of thing that starts to freak you out if you think about it too much. Like driving a stick shift. If you start thinking about what you're doing, you inevitably pop the clutch. And yet storytelling is not a magical gift that some of us have and some of us don't. It's like any art. You train and train and hone your craft. Nobody is born pen in hand.

That said, I guess just as some people are born with perfect pitch, some people have a knack for wordsmithing. But without training and discipline, is raw talent of any practical use?

Anyway, one thing that intrigues me is how, no matter how skilled you are at your craft, every book cannot be a smash hit. Every book is not necessarily better or more popular than the book before, even if you are consistently improving as a writer. I suppose that has to do with some of the intangibles that go into storytelling. Despite the fact that all our stories have beginnings, middles, ends, character and plot arcs and dialog and sexy parts...all the basics...there is no tried and true formula for writing a successful book.

In fact, you could have ten writers working on the same basic idea and you'd have ten different stories and opinion would vary widely as to which was the best. What are the magic ingredients? And why do they show up in some books and not others -- even when all those books are written by the same author?

What I mean is, even if you love everything Author X does, you're still going to have favorites among those titles. Every book is not going to elicit the exact same response from you when you see the different titles. Some will be your most favorite, some will be your least -- and that is true even if Author X is an autobuy author and you "love" everything Author X does.

And if you happen to be Author X, you're as puzzled as anyone. I think we've all been there. You're working on something, the idea was solid, the work is good, and yet you hit a certain point and you realize this isn't going to be one of your favorite stories. Or the opposite happens. Something clicks and you recognize that this is going to be one of your best. And yet the process by which that happens is generally no different. Is it just a happy set of coincidences? Does it have something to do with the way the stars align?

I don't know. I know it's always a little disappointing when a story doesn't quite ignite. And it's always a little thrill when it does. That's where the magic comes in, I guess. 

Changing My Mind About Synopses

Like the picture? Okay, now that i have your attention, let's talk about synopses.  LOL. I know, no one wants to think, much less talk about these necessary evils. We only write them because sometimes we can't submit a book without them, we hope no one really reads them, and, most of the time, we write them after the book is finished. At least that has been true for me. But it changed this past week. Two reasons. First, i want to take advantage of an exciting submission opportunity that requires a proposal (a partial, pitch, and synopsis), and, for the first time in my short writing career, the book in question is only a little over a third done, so i have to write the synopsis first. The other reason it all changed is because, when facing a writing challenge, i take a workshop! This past week i went to my favorite workshop source, Savvy Authors, and took a short and informative class from Cindy Carroll. Called, appropriately, Synopsis A Necessary Evil, i suggest you check it out. Cindy told us a lot of basics -- present tense, third person, written in the same "voice" as the book, and above all, it should always , always, are you listening Tara, be written BEFORE the book.

Are you reacting like i did? Wait, i'm mostly a pantser. I have a general story idea when i begin a book, but nothing so formal as an outline. All the good stuff comes in the writing when the characters start talking and telling me the exciting things about the story. Oh, really? His boss is Chinese? No kidding? His mother refuses to admit he's gay and keeps trying to marry him to a woman? I didn't know that.  LOL. Now, Cindy gave us a lot of great ways to create a synopsis -- the heroes journey, Save the Cat -- but i couldn't quite see myself following any of them. Maybe you feel the same way, pantser that you are. Okay, so if you're a pantser, how do you write a synopsis of your story that just happens? The answer is, at least for me, you PANTS it.

That's what i learned by doing (and what veteran writers already know).I had to do it, so I sat down at the computer and, just as if i was writing the book, started writing the story. I thought of it as my "Out of Africa" experience. Do you remember, Karen tells stories to amuse her friends. They suggest a first line premise -- there was a man named Wong Foo and a woman called Shirley --and she takes up the story. That's the way i felt writing the synopsis. New plot points, complications, twists and turns, poured out of my fingers. The style was more upbeat, more exciting than any synopsis i had ever taken from a finished book. And i will now admit the worst of all possible truths that many of you already know and can't believe i don't. It was almost as much fun as writing the book. Why? Because i hadn't already written the book! The unexpected fun of creation got transferred to the synopsis. We still have to see how much having this synopsis helps me write the book. Chances are, i'll barely look at it, since the structure of the story will already have seeped into my unconscious. I'll just write like i always do.

If you're rolling your eyes at me right now and saying "Tara, how much of a newbie are you?", the answer is "pretty new, thanks". But the fun of writing fiction for me is that i learn something new literally every day. That's what i learned this week.

What is your secret to making a synopsis sing? Come on, share. I need the input! LOL  :  )

Where or When? Let's Talk About Setting

As a reader, I love a really well-drawn setting with lots of nitty-gritty details, a setting that is just as key an element of a story as the characters. So I decided to talk a little about setting today.

First, a cautionary tale: I read a novel once that took place partly in my hometown in suburban New Jersey. I was probably sixteen when I read it, and I remember at first feeling proud and excited to see the name of my town—which pretty much nobody has heard of—so prominently displayed in a book. But then it became clear that the author had never actually been there, because the town in the novel bore little resemblance to the actual town where I lived. Had he just thrown a dart at a map?

Writing setting can be tricky. Do you choose a fictional place, which requires making up a lot of detail, or do you choose somewhere real and risk getting a few details wrong?

I've lived in New York City for almost a decade, which maybe doesn't make me an expert, but has given me enough frame of reference to set a story here and get most of the details right. It means that I'm also easily distracted when others get the details wrong, especially in movies. (There's a certain superhero movie, for example, that includes a dramatic scene on an elevated subway train that… goes through midtown. Although NYC has a few elevated subway tracks, you won't find any below 125th Street in Manhattan.)

I normally write stories that take place in real locations, and I like writing about New York in particular, but for The Boy Next Door, I chose to set the novel in the fictional town of Greenbriar, Connecticut. This gives me free reign to make things up—streets, parks, even the bar that's the main hangout of most of the residents of the town. I wanted the town to seem like a real place, though, and it's based somewhat on the little town I grew up in, both in terms of geography and the types of people who inhabit the town. I also grounded it in Western Connecticut geography. I have family there and spent summers there as a teenager, so it's an area I know pretty well. The characters namecheck a few real places—the Danbury Mall, the Brookfield Y—so the reader has a sense of about where this fictional town is located.

Writing about real places takes some research, but even if you can't get to the place, the internet has a wealth of information. (Google Street View is an amazing tool, for example.) Making up a town makes the research easier, but requires a lot of imagination. I personally like to draw maps and little sketches.

What do you think? How do you feel about setting? If you're a writer, what little tricks do you use to help get the details right? If you're a reader, what kinds of settings do you like (made up, real, historical, fantastical, etc.)?

Kate McMurray
www.katemcmurray.com
@katemcmwriter

The Big Picture: Some Things Do Get Easier

With the start of 2011 came the revising phase of the two erotic romances I’ve been working on for the past few months. One is a suspense featuring Walter Simon from MORE; the other is a friends-to-lovers story, and both include a passionate romance that steams up the e-reader (or so I hope).

Since revising is where most of my energy is focused lately, that’s what today’s post is all about.

I’ll be editing these manuscripts for a while before I dig into a new project, but that doesn’t bother me. I enjoy going over and over a story, adding in the little details that build stronger characters and increase the emotions and sexual tension.

One of my writing goals for this year is to write faster, which means producing fewer drafts for each project. I thought I did pretty well on these latest “first drafts” until I started reviewing one of the manuscripts. There are more plot and pacing revisions needed than I had expected.

It’s not a bad thing, though. With one day of frustration and three productive days of making revision notes, I’ve figured out some of the issues. I feel good about that. There are many times I’m too close to my work and can’t see the big picture. I’m hoping this means I’m getting better at objectively examining my writing.

Working out these issues has taught me a few things:

1) It gets easier to cut scenes.
Not sure if it’s because I’m cutting scenes early in my self-editing process or because after working with Loose Id on two books, I’m able to see issues more clearly and accept that the story will be stronger if I make the cuts. Whatever the reason, I’ve spent the last two days cutting and combining scenes, and I can see the improvements at a higher level.

2) Listen to my internal reader.
When writing a scene, I shouldn’t focus solely on whether the scene is right for the story (is it moving the plot along, is it building characterization, etc.) but also ask myself if it’s a scene readers will find interesting. The most important scene for the story’s plot may very well be the most boring, non-essential scene for a romance reader.

3) Listen to my gut.
If my gut tells me to veer off the planned outline, I should do it! Many writers who plot out their books beforehand will admit this is an important point to accept when it comes to effective plotting, and I was reminded of that this week. Sometimes even the best laid plans need to be revised once they are put into action.

4) Magical things happen after that first draft.
As I took note of the necessary revisions and locations for adding details, I could see the story strengthening and was reminded that layering in emotions and characterizations is what makes a story unique. This is the part where I love being a writer.

So yeah, it might take some time to get these books ready to submit to my editor, but I feel like I’m on the right path and that’s a great place to be.

Sloan Parker
www.sloanparker.com

My POV on POV

When I first submitted my manuscript for Genetic Attraction to Loose Id, I got a revise and resubmit letter that suggested that I needed to work on point-of-view.  Now, I’m new to fiction writing (although I’ve been a non-fiction writer for a lifetime), but I thought I knew about POV. I looked at my manuscript closely. I wasn’t head-hopping (jumping from one character’s point-of-view to another’s  a number of times in a scene). I always clearly indicated switches in POV.  What was the matter? I expressed my frustration to my editor who tried to help, but I just wasn’t getting it.

After weeks of bad trial and error, my editor sent me a document from a workshop that talked about deep point-of-view. (DPOV). I read it and the lights came on. It was the “wa-wa” experience (remember in the Miracle Worker when Helen finally connects the feel of water on her hand to the symbol for water Annie was making?) Suddenly, I understood the difference between skating lightly on a character’s viewpoint, and being locked into his or her thoughts and feelings, and that understanding literally transformed my writing on the spot. I got the difference between:

Omniscient POV- -It was a dark and stormy night.

Shallow POV --John saw it was a dark and stormy night.

Deep POV – John pushed against the door, fighting the intense wind that tried to slam it on him. He held up his hand in front of his face, but his eyes just couldn’t adjust to the darkness. Crap, he didn’t know it could get this dark. He hated the blackness. He couldn’t stand the sense of isolation. 

I understood that point-of-view wasn’t a thing that made writing good, it was in many ways, everything. It is the key to the reader’s emotional involvement and satisfaction. A reader doesn’t know necessarily why they feel unconnected with a book or scene in a novel, but, chances are, it’s because the writer has missed deep POV. Some pretty famous authors who are notorious for head-hopping likely get away with it because, while they are in a character’s head, they are in DPOV.

Since that first moment of understanding, I’ve gone on to workshops and readings in an effort to make my point-of-view expression deeper and more natural. While I went through my first two books line by line to edit the POV, I find that today I more automatically write in DPOV, and when I don’t, I catch myself more quickly.  I’m still a newbie and have much to learn, but I’ll be forever grateful to my editors for that guidance. Now, if they could just improve my commas! 

That very novel, Genetic Attraction, is available TODAY from Loose Id. When i saw it on the home page a few minutes ago, i cried. It was a journey of learning during which i changed my POV. 

See it here at Loose Id:  http://www.loose-id.com/Genetic-Attraction.aspx

Here's the delicious blurb:

At a conservative Long Island University, renowned researcher, Dr. Emmaline Silvay, has two great loves – her life-saving work, and her younger research partner, Jake Martin. The romantic love is impossible. She’s his boss and he lives with his girlfriend. The the “girlfriend” is actually a boyfriend, the beautiful and infamous supermodel, Roan Black.

Resigned to a platonic relationship, Em accepts a weekend invitation to their home, but the men have a menage on their minds. She can’t resist, doesn’t even want to. But their intentions go far beyond passion. They want her to “be a part of them”. Their three-way love defies propriety and the standards of the University that funds their work. The supermodel’s fame makes secrecy impossible. Their ménage threatens to crumble all she’s worked for. What will give way to make room for genetic attraction?

Want to say hi:  tara@taralain.com
http://www.taralain.com
http://taralain.blogspot.com
http://beautifulboysbooks.blogspot.com