I’m on my way to Portland today – going to teach at Chip MacGregor’s Master Seminar on How to Write Best-selling Fiction. So, I’m sitting on a plane. Next to people. They may talk to me. The thing is…sometimes they tell me more than I need to know. Have you ever been on a plane where the seatmate begins to talk to you…and suddenly they are going into their life history, and their recent divorce, and their children’s problems, and the house she’s trying to sell and how she’s on her way to visit their mother who has shingles and…. So, already, I know way too much about her. This is why you want to reveal your character slowly, layer by layer. You don’t […]
Read the RestArchive | Editing Basics RSS feed for this section
Why can’t you love me, baby?
Last month we spent a lot of time on our hero and heroine – and why they fall in love. This month, as we ponder what goes into writing a romance, we’re going to talk about why they can’t fall in love. First, let’s talk about romance for a second…falling in love is amazing. Regardless of your age, when you find that one you love, it stirs an breathlessness, an awakening in us that our beloved would…well, love us. Because, frankly, now one but you know why he or she shouldn’t. Right? You think: if he or she only knew the truth, they go running. But, eventually they do find out the truth… And they stay. And that’s what makes true love even more breathtaking. Add to that […]
Read the RestWhy do fools fall in love?
Hello from Atlanta! I can’t believe it’s been a week since I blogged last – so sorry. I was in Melbourne, FLA for the first annual Deep Thinker’s Retreat. What fun, with a great group of aspiring author. I just fell in love with this group of ladies! Why? Oh, I’ll tell you – First, I live in the woods, and when I say woods, I mean tucked into a little hamlet in the snowy tip of northern Minnesota, where ice and snow clasp us in solitude for the better part of four months. Worse, I am an extrovert, so….well you get the picture. I shed my layers going south, met my friend, stood on the beach and shouted out a hallelujah! The retreat Filled that Empty Place….you could say […]
Read the RestShe’s so Beautiful to me!
So – you’ve created a heroine with confidence, despite her flaws and fears, one who has a goal that will drive her through the story. But you need one last element of a Heroic Heroine – and that is… Beauty Your heroine needs a special kind of beauty, both inner and outer that only the hero can see/love. Something special, only hers. Maybe it’s her eyes, but also the way that she can look right through him and see what he needs. Or maybe it’s her patience. Maybe it’s her strength to see the good, or believe in the good. Beauty – what is it? An informal Warren family poll taken a couple years ago elicited very different responses: 16 year old boy: Someone who is smart. 13 year old […]
Read the Rest
