In previous posts, I’ve talked about a necessary ingredient in your novel (indeed, in all fiction): conflict. So what should the conflict be? Sometimes it’s obvious, for example your novel on star-crossed lovers. Other times it may not be.

When you think about your next novel, you start with a hazy picture in your mind. In fact, the conflict may be the first thing you see: a couple loses their only child because of a doctor’s (perceived) incompetence. With that you can construct characters. Clearly you need a man and a woman. And maybe a boy or girl. Oh, the doctor. Maybe a lawyer or two. Throw in a judge. Starting with the conflict opens up whole new vistas.

Ah, but perhaps you’re writing your next romance novel. The characters are standard: a (few) women and an irresistible man (or two). But hasn’t every possible romance novel been written? Hmph. You’re stumped for an appropriate conflict. After all, the whole point of a novel is to Read more…

Writing: Characterization, Writing: Dialog, Writing: Plotting, Writing: Style

When I write a scene, I’m writing down what I’ve already imagined. In fact, I live my novels! I’ve thought through the scene as though I were there as one of the participants. I see it, feel it, smell it, taste it, and hear it. Then my job is to get enough of that down on paper so the reader can follow my train of thought.

Many scenes in my novels are set locally. Locally means Ouray County in the Colorado Rockies. And, yes, I take a bunch of photographs. In fact, I’ll stand on the spot and take enough pictures that I have an entire 360-degree view! With digital cameras, there’s no limit. In fact, a scene in the second Flying Broomstick book is set in Mesa Verde National Park, not terribly far from here. So, I hopped on my motorcycle and made the trip. On the way I made note of the terrain over which my characters would fly, picking up such details as numerous trees killed by beetle infestation, the recovery of some land from a fire, the tunnel, etc. I took dozens of photos. But remember: use these photos as reminders, not as a complete record of your visit.

Now here’s the rub. Photos only record Read more…

Writing: Plotting, Writing: Style

Don and Sally met, fell in love at first sight, married, and lived happily ever after. Their children were tall, smart, bronzed, and talented. They all married happily. And their children….

How boring. So what?

It’s human nature that we don’t learn from good times. We learn from the bad. If you have bad times as a youth, you’re irresponsible. If you have bad times as an adult, you are “down on your luck.”

Today the Montrose County School Board announced that on average, the pupils in their charge are average. The dropout rate was exactly as expected. The Wilson brat, Johnny, whom nobody has ever liked and who has been arrested 15 times for everything from drug dealing to car theft, turned himself around in his senior year with straight A’s, 95-th percentile on his SAT, voted the “Friendliest Senior,” and is headed to Harvard on a full scholarship.

Now how much of that last paragraph do you really want to hear about? You want to hear about the exceptions to the norm. The norm is the old, boring norm and is the same every day. No news there. But what about that Wilson kid? Johnny??? Everyone knew he was a loser. How did he Read more…

Writing: Plotting

What to write about? How to approach it? Do I have to think of the entire plot in advance? What’s the right amount of plot versus the right amount of character development? Do I even need a plot?

Of course you need a plot! The plot is the storyline that holds your novel together. Without it, your novel is just so many journal entries (and even those have a real-life plot behind them).

Here’s how I do it. Your mileage may vary. Let’s take the first book in the Broom series as an example. I was sitting in a long (three day), boring Read more…

Writing: Plotting