Book Review: The Viscount Who Loved Me

Two weeks ago Julia Quinn’s The Duke and I hit the the USA Today bestseller list…13 years after it’s release.  To celebrate the occasion I’m reviewing my favorite book in the series, The Viscount Who Loved Me.

Published twelve years ago, The Viscount Who Loved Me is a bit of an oldie, but definitely a goodie.  It’s the second in Ms. Quinn’s Bridgerton series (the first is The Duke and I), featuring Anthony Bridgerton, the eldest of eight siblings and the title viscount.  His
partner in romance is Kate Sheffield, the older of two daughters in a family not exactly overburdened by wealth.  To save money, both sisters make their debut at the same time, and twenty-one-year-old Kate is constantly compared to the golden, petite beauty that is her sister.  In a lot of other authors’ hands, this would have caused friction to one degree or another between the siblings, but Ms. Quinn elected to let that plot device pass on by, and the two have a genuine affection for each other.

Musical Inspiration and Appreciation with Josh Groban

When it comes to music, my tastes are pretty eclectic. I listen to a little bit of everything-pop, opera, classical, country, rock, musicals, etc. The only musical genres that I tend to avoid is rap and heavy metal-just not my cup of tea. But one of my favorite musical artists is Josh Groban.

I still remember when I first discovered Josh. It was when his first album had come out, and my sister let me listen to some of his songs on her CD. I was blown away but how rich, powerful, and resonant his voice is. The lyrics to his songs are poignant and the melodies are gorgeous Here is one of my favorite songs from his debut album, To Where You Are.

The Tearoom Welcomes CC MacKenzie!

We’ve got a real treat in store for us today. CC MacKenzie is back! Though I promise she’s not here under duress. No. No, me hearties. Sailing across the pond and capturing heroines only happens in my books. I promise CC hasn’t ventured from England to the tearoom in shackles. See for yourself, loves.

CC MacKenzie is the author of the best selling contemporary romance The Ludlow Hall series, which includes Reckless Nights In Rome, A Stormy Spring and Run Rosie Run. She also writes a sexy paranormal series, The Vampyre Legal Chronicles, since she loves those bloodsuckers too.

So join me in raising the signal flag. Welcome to the tearoom, CC!

Wendy Vella and Her Reluctant Countess

Today we welcome Wendy Vella to the tearoom all the way from New Zealand. Wendy’s debut novel, The Reluctant Countess, was released on January 14^th. Wendy, welcome to the Tearoom! Tell us about yourself.

I was born in the North Island of New Zealand and have been married to a wonderful man for 29 years and we have two children who have, to the surprise of their parents, morphed from angst ridden teenagers into stunning adults.

I am a hopeless romantic who cannot watch a movie unless it has a happy ending. I’m not overly fussy where food is concerned and pretty much love everything as long as there’s lots of it. However after an illness I was tested and found to be a Celiac, which means I can’t eat donuts and chocolate brownie which I’m still struggling to recover from. My favorite meal is a bbq after a long summer’s day, especially if I can enjoy it with friends and family.

I am a cyclist, avid watcher of rugby and love a good joke. My favorite time of year is Christmas when my husband says I morph into a crazed Christmas Fairy with maniacal tendencies.

Elevator Pitch Madlibs

Our local chapter of Romance Writers of America hosted an event this January that they call “Pitchapalooza.” It’s a brilliant session that tons of members attend. lasting about an hour and a half long, Pitchapalooza is a practice session that members members use to practice pitching their story ideas. Members wanting to participate sign up to either pitch their ideas or help out by pretending to be agents or editors. It’s really sort of a giant roleplaying session when it comes right down to it, but it’s one that helps authors out immensely (whether they’re published or not) because it gives them a safe environment to practice their pitches. They’re among friends, and they get fabulous feedback immediately.

Now, I wrote about elevator pitches back in September, not long after Teatime first launched. The response was great and I got some fantastic comments and compliments. A private comment from a friend stuck with me, however. He said, “You know, Jennelle, all that writing is great. But a lot of people are looking for faster. Isn’t there something simpler?” I started thinking about it and honestly I was stuck. I’m more the kind of person who writes obsessively and too much and then prunes hard until I get the thing I’m writing into shape. What my friend was asking for was a more streamlined way of writing a pitch, more on the order of fill in the blanks, that they could massage up instead of pruning down like I’m used to.

Enter Ms. Shelley Bell, our local RWA chapter president, prepping everyone for January’s Pitchapalooza. She was kind enough to share with us some of the things she took away from Carrie Lofty’s “Anatomy of a Pitch Workshop,” from literary agent Rachelle Gardner, and from author Gayle Wilson. Shelly started with the things that were important to include in your pitch:

• Your name.
• Your manuscript title.
• The genre of your work.
• Information about your heroine.
• Information about your hero.
• Information about their romance.
• Information about the conflict they face.

That’s not too bad, is it? Seven things seem pretty darned manageable to me. Now before I get a bunch of people wondering about their little niche of the romance world, yes, this list assumes that you’re writing a Male-Female romance, but it still works for other relationship types too, so don’t think they’re excluded. Switch out the hero and add another heroine if you write that kind of romance. Or add another hero if ménage writing is your genre. Once you know this list of must-haves, you can start developing your pitch.

Remember these?

I’ve done the hard work for you. Each of these pictures below can be printed out and you can fill in the blanks just like you did as a kid when you were playing Madlibs during those long car rides with your family.

Start Your Story Pitch with an Introduction…

Although you need to tell your listener about the meat of your story, you need to set the stage with simple information about who you are and what you’re writing. Starting with your name is the easiest way to begin but you’d be surprised how many people leave it out completely, either through nervousness or rushing. The person your listening to also needs to know the working title of your manuscript (they have to at least have something to call it) and the genre you’re placing it in. Try something like this:

Shelly gave us this example from Carrie Lofty’s Flawless:

Shelly specifically pointed out the adjectives “lush” and “adventurous” to us, saying that these kinds of words “give the agent or editor a feeling for the style of writing” you’re presenting to them. You want to help them understand your book. Adjectives give them something to expect to see in the writing. Note too that the pitch just gives a working title. Make it a good title, yes, but know that it will more than likely change before you publish it.

…and Then Just Fill in the Blanks

Now once you’ve got the introduction down, you can start adding more to the pitch, but you need to play around with it a little and try the version that works best for you. Shelly offered up three different types:

• a basic pitch,
• a “high concept” pitch, and
• a “When…Can…” pitch.

Try writing a basic pitch.

A basic pitch simply gets down to the business of goals, motivations, and conflicts for the protagonists in your story and Shelly offered up this pitch as a starting point:

Shelly recommended Debra Dixon’s book Goal, Motivation, and Conflict for anyone looking for more information about this type of pitch. Despite being written in 1996, Ms. Dixon’s book is still one of the most highly recommended on the subject. It’s devilishly hard to find used, so I recommend checking out your local library, your RWA chapter library if you have one, or the author’s website. New copies of the book direct from the author are still cheaper than most of the used ones you’ll find online and the expense is worth it.

Try writing a “high concept” pitch.

Your “high concept” pitch compares your book to one or two famous books or movies that already exist. This does two things. First, it helps garner interest and hooks the agent or editor into the idea. Second, it helps them figure out how to help you sell your book because they can use it to compare to other manuscripts. Try this one:

Or this instead:

She offered us “Marry Poppins meets The Terminator” as an example. One of my favorite guilty pleasures is Steven Segal. His movie Under Siege is on constant rotation as background noise while I’m folding laundry or cleaning around the house. When that movie was first pitched, it was billed as “Die Hard, but on a battle ship with nuclear weapons.” My husband offered up the original pitch from Alien, which was “Jaws. In space.”

There’s a certain amount of danger in this type of pitch. Not all books are really suited to it. Shelly specifically said it’s powerful “If you can come up with a high concept pitch that’s catchy and honestly reflects what happens in your story.” But she cautioned anyone against using a comparison that sounds forced. There’s also the danger of categorizing your manuscript incorrectly before your listener has read it. What if they didn’t like the movies or books you’re comparing your work to? Well, sometimes that’s not so bad. A good editor or agent will be able to look past their dislike and grasp where you’re placing that book.

Try writing a “When…Can…” pitch. 

When-Can pitches are two sentences long. Start the first sentence with the word “When,”and then go on to describe the situation, the characters, and the objective in that single sentence. Start the second sentence with the word “Can,” and ask a question that describes the opponent or obstacles the hero and heroine must face. And depending on where it fits better, bet sure to include the potential disaster that would occur if they failed. Again, Shelly offered up the following from Carrie Lofty’s Flawless:

Make these pitches as crazy as you can. Go completely overboard with your descriptions. Try as many oddball ones as you can and see what sticks. The whole point is to stand out from the crowd enough to get someone interested in your work, right? Once you get a unique pitch, you can dial it down or tone it back as necessary (or not at all!) to suit your audience. But draft pitches? My vote is that you cut loose and have some fun while you’re doing it.

~~~

What’s the best pitch you ever heard and why was it so great?

Laura Howard in the Tearoom

We are so happy to welcome Laura Howard to the tearoom. Laura’s paranormal fantasy romance is The Forgotten Ones, available May 15, 2013. It fits the New Adult age group. To start us off, Laura answered our five favorite questions.

1. What was the first romance novel you ever read?

Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas

2. Your house is on fire–which five romance novels do you grab on your way out?

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

Thoughtless by SC Stephens

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

3. What is your secret passion?

Bad Boys

4. Why do you write romance?

Because of the fantasy of that all-consuming love that only exists for a select few in real life. My husband and I are partners who love each other, but real life can be a little less than dreamy. It’s nice to live through the sweet with moments through stories that rarely happen after 14 years of living with someone.

5. Is there anything in your book that comes from personal experience?

My heroine is a codependent introvert like me. That’s where our similarities end, though.

6. What is your favorite kind of tea and how do you drink it?

I like orange pekoe with milk and sugar.

Title: The Forgotten Ones

Author: Laura Howard

Genre: NA Paranormal Fantasy Romance

Expected release date: May 15, 2013

Age Group: New Adult

Cover Designer: Stephanie Mooney 

 

 

Book Description:

Allison O’Malley just graduated from college. Her life’s plan is to get a job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She doesn’t have room for friends or even Ethan, who clearly wants more.

When Allison’s long-lost father shows up, he claims he can bring her mother back from the dark place her mind has sent her. He reveals legends of a race of people long forgotten, the Tuatha de Danaan, along with the truth about why he abandoned her mother.

 

Laura Howard | Facebook | Twitter

 

Share on Facebook and/or Twitter and you could win a $50 Amazon (or B&N) Gift card!

 

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Fave Five: Historical Heroes

I have recently discovered the TV show Whitechapel, a blend of historical and modern crime. How I’ve missed this show for the past couple of years I don’t know, because I love it!
Yes, I majored in history in college, and yes, I like detective shows. Those are the qualities that drew me to it in the first place, but
I continue to watch for Detective Inspector Joseph Chandler, the lead character. He’s handsome, of course, but he’s also a little alone in the world, a little different from his colleagues, and a little bit wounded.

One of my favorite kinds of hero.

Here are some others, numbered only because I’m a math teacher and I like lists 🙂

1. I swoon for heroes who are willing to work for the affection of the heroine. Barbara Samuel’s Tynan Spenser does just that in The Black Angel. His betrothed is a stranger to him, and a necessary one—her father can help him win the seat in Parliament he covets. But that doesn’t mean they can’t share affection, and he sets out to win hers with a kiss each day. He carefully picks his moments (and body parts), and I love his creativity and the thought that goes into his courtship. What woman wouldn’t?

2. I adore heroes who are/were soldiers. Whatever reason a man decides to join the Army (to serve his country, to feed his family, because he was the second son of a nobleman), I am drawn to a hero who accepts the responsibility of command (however large or small), who does what he thinks is right. These are men who endure hardships both of body and mind, and who suffer damage to both in the process. The Regency period is rife with these heroes (lucky for me!), returning from the Peninsular Wars or the wars in America. My favorite? Grace Burrowes’s Devlin St. Just from The Soldier.

3. I relish heroes who are repentant. That’s right, repentant. They’ve committed a wrong in the past, and mature enough somewhere along the way to regret their actions. Case in point: Courtney Milan’s Evan Carlton from Unlocked. He teased and tormented a girl who was different to win popularity among the other young men and women of the ton. Classic bully, right? Absolutely. Then he leaves London, sees the world, and discovers there is more to life than the opinions of society…realizing what a Class A jackass he’s been. But he doesn’t stop there—he attempts to right his wrong, or at least repair some of the damage he caused. It takes a real man to fess up and apologize, and I applaud Evan for recognizing how badly he screwed up, and forging ahead to fix it.

4. I am utterly devoted to heroes who are the underdog. Maybe I’ve watched too many Disney movies (Cool Runnings is still one of my favorites), or maybe I’ve been the underdog once too often myself. Whatever the cause, I love a man who shouldn’t win the heroine’s love but does anyway. And the award for the most creative plot goes to Reginald Mason in Mary Balogh’s A Matter of Class. I won’t ruin the book for you if you haven’t read it, but it was masterful. And risky. Where most men would have given up the situation as hopeless, Reggie (and his accomplice) used society’s own rules to win a woman far above his station. Take that, Beau Monde!

5. I sigh over the nobleman who presents an aloof, cold exterior to society, but melts (however reluctantly) for the heroine. Mary Balogh’s Wulfric Bedwyn, Duke of Bewcastle epitomizes this category. He inherited his title and vast responsibilities (including the welfare of his brothers and sisters) at the tender age of seventeen. If you’ve read the Slightly series, you know about the glimpses of His Grace in each book. You’ve seen him employ his quizzing glass to
chilly perfection on the impertinent, watched him coerce his siblings into doing what he thinks is best. And in the last book, Wulf’s own story, you saw him melt little by little in the presence of Christine. He’s still the daunting duke on the outside, but his inner self gets to shine. He gets to be caring, sweet, and even a little silly. How can you resist a man like that?

So those are my favorites. What are yours? Are there different types of heroes in contemporary vs. historical romances? Or paranormals?

Children In Romances-These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

First, apologies for the gratuitous Sound of Music reference in the title, but as you will see, it is relevant to the subject of today’s post, so I hope I’ll be forgiven.

All of us read romance for one main reason-the love story between the hero and heroine, and their journey to their happy ever after. But along the way, there are other characters who play important supporting roles. Oftentimes there’s the best friend who provides support and encouragement, the crazy evil ex who does his or her damnest to ruin things for our intrepid couple, and the loud raucous loving family and exteded family members, a la My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Today, I want to talk about another common secondary character-the precocious loveable child. I often enjoy romances that include children as secondary characters, and today I’m going to share some of my favorites.

SETH QUINN (CHESAPEAKE BAY SERIES) and SIMON McCourt (KEY TRILOGY) by NORA ROBERTS

One of the reasons Nora is one of my favorite authors is because of how well she writes and depicts children. The Chesapeake Bay series centers around Cameron, Ethan, Phillip, and Seth Quinn and kicks off in Sea Swept with the death of Cam, Ethan and Phillip’s adopted father Ray Quinn. But as they gather around Ray’s bedside, they discover ten year old Seth, who was the latest of the “lost boys” Ray had taken in and rescued along with his now deceased wife Stella. The three men honor Ray’s wish to care for and raise Seth first out of duty and obligation to Ray, but eventually for Seth’s own sake. The journey of how the four of them, and the extraordinary women whom they fall in love with, come together as a family and stand behind Seth is lovely, moving, and part of the reason the series continues to be a top favorite for me to this day.

And I’m not the only one. The original series ended with Inner Harbor, Phillip and Sybil’s story. But the fans had fallen in love with Seth and were clamoring for Seth’s story and his HEA. So Nora broke her rule that once a series ended it was over, and wrote Chesapeake Blue. We fans were lucky enough to visit with Cam, Anna, Ethan, Grace, Phillip, Sybil again, and discover more about Seth and the woman, Drusilla Whitcomb Banks, lucky enough to capture his heart.

When we first meet Zoe McCourt and Bradley Charles Vane IV at the beginning of the Key Trilogy, they did not get off on the right foot. Brad was immediately smitten, but Zoe definitely was not as enamored. Something about Bradley just put her back up, despite a sizzling kiss, and sparks flying everytime they saw each other. But the relationship between Brad and her son Simon was another story. The two of them got along like gangbusters right off the bat, after bonding over video games. In fact it gets to the point where Zoe sometimes feels a little jealous and excluded, lol. They way Nora used the bond between Brad and Simon, and Simon’s obvious affection for Brad, as a vehicle to soften Zoe and chip away at the walls and preconceptions she had in regards to Brad was extremely well done. If you ask me, a man who will help with bathtime and put your child to bed while listening to him read Captain Underpants is a keeper! Nora perfectly captures what I loved best about Simon and Brad with the this passage from Zoe and Brad’s book, Key of Valor.

“Then there was the kid. Simon had been the big bonus prize in this particular box of Cracker Jacks. Fun, bright, interesting, the boy was a complete pleasure. Even if he hadn’t been attracted to the mother, Brad would have spent time with the son.”

Says it all, right?! Not to mention the scene when Simon confronts Brad about his relationship and intentions towards Zoe and talks about “the sex” was hilarious and touching, and completely melted my heart.

A DUKE OF HER OWN by ELOISA JAMES
Eloisa James also writes great children characters, especially in her Desperate Duchesses series. The Duke of Villiers has six illegitimate children, and in order to help them gain ton acceptance, he must marry the daughter of a duke. The two candidates are Lisette, daughter of the Duke of Gilnor and Eleanor, daughter of the Duke of Montague. I won’t spoil the ending for those who haven’t read A Duke of Her Own and reveal who Villiers ends up with. You’ll just have to read the book and find out yourself!

But I will confess that I was rooting for one character, but ended up rooting for the other, who did end up being Villiers’ heroine. Why? Because of the children. The way Villiers’ heroine interacted and dealt with the children spoke volumes about her and her character. From the beginning, she showed genuine interest in them and their welfare. She was willing to do the hard work, while the other seemed interested in the easy and fun aspects of the job. Eloisa does an excellent job of using Villiers children and this particular heroine to make a statement about parenting and parental love. Parenting is not just about the easy fun pretty romantic moments like when you play with them and put them to bed while rocking them to sleep. It’s about being there day in and day out, discipling, teaching, providing, caring, being there for the not-so-pretty moments, and putting in the work 24/7/365. Villiers’ heroine rolls up her sleeves and gets down to the nitty-gritty with Villiers’ children, which her “competition” does not do. That’s what being a parent is, according to Eloisa. It’s damn hard work, but incredibly rewarding and joyful work too. I find this to be a very powerful and profound statement and message.

CARRINGTON JONES-SUGAR DADDY by LISA KLEYPASOne reason I love secondary characters who are children is because the way the hero or heroine interacts with the child can speak volumes about their character. In Lisa Kleypas’s Sugar Daddy, Liberty Jones has been raising her young sister Carrington ever since their mother died. The hero, Gage, comes off completely harsh and unlikeable at first because of the way he behaves towards Liberty. But we gradually see the hero underneath and his true character come through. One of the ways Lisa did that was through his interactions with Carrington. The scene where Gage steps in and helps Carrington with her science project was endearing, let us see the real Gage and to start rooting for him. He never dismissed Carrington, or treated her as pesky add-on baggage he would have to deal with if he wanted Liberty. He genuinely comes to love and care for Carrington. Carrington, for her part, adores Gage, and just like the situation with Zoe and Brad, his actions towards Carrington allowed Liberty to see Gage in a new light and soften towards him. To me, a true test of someone’s character is how they treat a child, or someone percieved subordinate or more vulnerable to them. For my money, Gage passed with flying colors.

LADY CHARLOTTE BRANDON (WRITING GIRLS SERIES) by MAYA RODALE

While children characters can be great for what they add to the hero and heroine and their journey, there are some that leap off the page and take on a life of their own. One such character is Lady Charlotte Brandon from Maya Rodale’s Writing Girls series. Lady Charlotte is the youngest sister of the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon, the hero of A Groom of One’s Own. From the beginning, Charlotte intrigued and delighted me, and she is someone I’d love to have as a friend in real life. The first words I said to Maya after I finished Groom was “I LOVE Charlotte!” Not anything about Brandon and Sophie, the actal hero and heroine of the book. I think that speaks volumes, lol. Charlotte is a well intentioned troublemaker with a heart of gold who concocts schemes, doesn’t suffer fools, can faint at will, and creates imaginary friends. She was a total scene-stealer and I fell in love with her immediately. The dinner scene in Groom where she runs circles around and makes a fool of a snooty name-dropping society matron perfectly encapsulates who Charlotte is and why I and so many other readers, love her so. I was thrilled when Maya gave Charlotte her own happy ending in Three Schemes and a Scandal, and created a hero who would be an equal match to the force of nature that is Lady Charlotte Brandon.

Tell me dear Teatime guests-Do you like children as secondary characters in romances? Why or why not? Who are your favorite and most memorable children’s characters?

Everything Old is New Again!

The New Year is here and with it comes contemplation and introspection about 2012. Did I meet my goals from last year? Was there something I wanted to achieve that I haven’t been able to yet? How can I take what I’ve learned and apply it so that 2013 is the most productive year of my life?I’m sure I’m not alone in trying to make sure 2013 is the BEST year yet. Though I don’t do resolutions, because they’re so easily broken, I prefer to set goals. But setting goals can be an overwhelming task, can’t it? Will we be setting ourselves up for failure?

As I scour my calendar and plan for a productive year ahead, I know some people will be more successful than I am. Haven’t you ever wondered how someone who works 40 hours a week still has time to write 3 books a year, market those books, raise a family, and volunteer in their local community? I know I do. Whew! I’d love whatever that superwoman is drinking. (Is it rum? Jack always has better luck when he’s drinking rum.)

Rum or no rum, the truth is very clear. We all have 365 days at our disposal. We all have 12 months, 30-31 days each month (except for February), and 24 hours in a day. How are we using those months, days, hours, and minutes? Are we using our time wisely? Are we wasting time? Do we use each day to our fullest advantage? Understanding ourselves and how we monitor time can make all the difference between success and failure at whatever we attempt to achieve.

I recently purchased a calendar from Staples. It’s the 2013 Action Day Planner, Designed for Action by Thorsteinn Gardarsson. This type of calendar was a boon for me a few years ago, but I didn’t use it to its fullest advantage. Now that I have deadlines to manage, release dates, marketing and promotion to organize, books to plot and write, blogs dates to remember, I need to ensure that I make use of my time this year. Enter my need for a purposeful calendar…

What makes the Action Day Planner so valuable? A full calendar profile is typeset at the beginning of the spiral bound desktop book. I can look at four months together and get a broader scope of the year and how I can best utilize my time. Each calendar week is set on a two-page spread. Within these two pages are sections for Tasks to Execute, Listing projects and who they’re delegated to with due dates, Goals, Results, and Action steps, as well as listings for each day by hour. Even greater! The beginning of the calendar book helps each owner understand The Power of Attitude, Goals and Actions.

“Most of us go to our graves with our music still inside us, unemployed.” Oliver Wendell Holmes

Imagine, if you will, the potential in days, months, years. How do you see yourself in one year, five years, ten years? Calculating time in large lumps can be mind-blowing. But, if we monitor time day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year, it appears more manageable, doesn’t it?

In order to achieve a goal, you MUST have a positive attitude. The Action Day Planner breaks attitude down for you into doable chunks. Do you see the glass half-full or half-empty?

“Your attitude about who you are and what you have is a very little thing that makes a very big difference.” Theodore Roosevelt

After the parable of an African farmer who sells his farm in search of riches, only to have the next owner discover the largest diamond mine in the world on that very same farm, Gardarsson goes on to say, “We have to look within, our greatest fortune lies within ourselves. We have to discover our mines and polish the diamonds we possess. Our diamond mines represent the attitude we have toward ourselves and our work and communications.”

If you are setting goals this year and need a calendar to monitor those goals and deadlines you set for yourself, I highly recommend the 2013 Action Day Planner, me hearties.

“It’s never too late to be what you want to be.” George Elliot

“Man is a goal-seeking animal. His life only has meaning if he is reaching out and striving for his goals.” Aristotle 

Are you striving to achieve more in 2013? Gardarsson says, “A thousand-mile walk always begins with the first step.”

My oldest daughter just had her first baby, my third grandson. It occurred to me that his life is unwritten. How he’s raised will determine how he makes use of his time, how successful he’ll be, how fascinated by the world and grounded in faith he’ll become. We can achieve our goals, my friends. Like a newborn baby, we can make this year our pirate ship by taking each minute, each hour, each day by the helm.

I’m going to do it! You can do it! We all CAN do it!!!

What do you hope to achieve in 2013? Have you defined your goals?

Story Structure with Michael Hauge

Given that this is the new year and we have set goals or resolutions for our writing careers, I thought I would resurrect a blog I did after the 2011 RWA Nationals in New York. Nationals was amazing. I learned a great deal, met some really great people and had quite a few fan girl moments including talking with Stephanie Laurens and Gaelen Foley on the plot structures of Hawaii 5-0, but that’s another blog.

Michael Hauge presented two hours on story structure. I just sat and wrote everything he said as quickly as I could. Later I purchased both his books: Writing Screenplays that Sell and Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds.  You can find more information on his website: www.storymastery.com.

Story Structure and some definitions

Story Structure is all about emotion and how you elicit emotion in the reader.  All stories are built on three basic components: character, desire, and conflict. Structure is a sequence of events. These events need to be in the right order to get the most emotional impact.

In Hollywood, the main focus is hero, outer motivation or outer conflict. Hero: protagonist or main character is driving the story. Outer Motivation is the desire the hero is pursuing. This is visible. What does your hero want? Visualize it. It needs to be something that describes the visible elements of your plot. You need visible finish lines.

The basic outer motivation of Hollywood and most romance novels is to win. They want to win something (someone’s heart…etc.) The hero must win the love of another character by the end of the story. Finish line is HEA. Your protagonist may be reluctant, but that allows the reader to root for him more.

For whatever your hero is pursuing, you should create visible conflict and complications to keep the hero from achieving the goal. We need to see what stands in the way. A hero can be pursuing two goals — visible goals equally important and one is the love story. This creates the Hero’s Outer Journey – Visible. Applies to books as it does to the screenplays. This journey defines the plot.

Inner Journey is invisible; it’s feelings.  If the outer journey is accomplishment, the inner journey is one of transformation.  It is the journey of internal change and transformation — transformation from living in fear to living courageously.

A writer that focuses on inner journey rather than outer journey tends to have a plot that is a lot of doing nothing. The inner journey will be stronger if it comes from a compelling outer journey. There are six stages and five key turning points that make up the structure for this type of journey. These always occur in the same place in the story.

Steps of the Outer Journey

Setup. Objectives: introduce the hero (or heroes) separately if two protagonists; create empathy with the character and pull in the reader. Key ways are: create sympathy; put them in immediate danger or jeopardy; make them likable and kind.

Show the character in everyday life. There is a push to get the story going and have the hero and heroine meet.  Hague doesn’t always agree with this. The setup needs to be in sequence or chronological order. Do this then decide where to open the story.  It must show everyday life so the reader understands where the hero starts and how he has to change. This also helps decide where to open the story.

Turning Point #1: Opportunity.  Something happens that has never happened before. It creates a desire however the desire created by the opportunity is a preliminary goal to move to Stage 2. It isn’t the overall story goal but it moves the story forward.  It is very typical for the hero to change location with the opportunity.

Stage Two: Primary Objective — figure out events going on and what the rules are for the next situation.

Turning Point #2: Change of Plans.  New desire that is the outer motivation for outer goal. Should not pursue their goal until turning point #2.  No matter how quickly editors want the romance to start, build up to the second turning point.

Stage 3: Progress.  Whatever the outer motivation, they must have a plan for accomplishing the goal. Doesn’t mean there aren’t obstacles. Emotion builds out of conflict, not desire. The emotion is what conflict separates the two people.  In stage 3, there must be obstacles in the characters way.

In most romance fiction, so much emphasis is placed on the inner conflict rather than the outer conflict. Doesn’t make for good movies. If you wish your novel to be easier to move to a movie, there must be an emphasis on the outer conflict. You may need a second motivation especially if they are in denial. He needs to be safe. Obstacles need to be outer obstacles. Sustain the emotion with outer conflict.

Turning Point #3: Point of No Return. This is a bigger commitment to the goal. The hero has burned his bridges and has no choice but to move forward. This is the midpoint of the romance where the hero will make some sort of declaration or take action. In many stories this is where the hero and love interest get together and make a bigger commitment. Once this commitment is made, the outside world closes in and they meet with bigger obstacles.

Stage 4: Complications and Higher stakes. More at stake — loses destiny. Things get tougher and tougher

Turning Point #4 — Major Setback. All is lost. If they are lovers, they should be separated. The hero will want to and try to go back to the way he lived before, but he can’t. he has burned his bridges. We are at the point of the story where it’s the final push. The hero must achieve the goal or die trying. The pace of the story accelerates.

Turning Point #5: Climax. This is the resolution. Do they win the love or not. At this point in the story, all is resolved, but it’s not the end of the story.

Stage 5 Final Stage: Aftermath. Picture of the new life the hero will live as a result of completing the journey. There are glimpses of the happily ever after for the couple. A sense of what life will be like in the new everyday world. In a sad ending we still need to see the new life and new everyday world.

Inner Journey

Woven in with the outer journey is the inner one. This is the emotional reason the character is going after the goal. It follows the same structure as the outer journey.

You will need to ask certain questions about the hero to help you to build the case for an inner journey.

1) What is the character’s longing or need?  Longing: deeply held desire that the hero is paying lip service to. He’s not doing anything to change this longing nor is he taking action.  Longing is something the character is too afraid to go after.

2) What is the character’s wound?  Wound — an unhealed source of pain from the past (backstory). This wound is subconscious or the character is not over it. Make sure you reveal and not tell here.

3) What is the character’s belief?  When we are wounded, we take on a belief of what we perceive to be reality.  Belief comes out of the wounding experience. They are never accurate but always logical.

4) What is your hero’s fear?  We are afraid to create the situation that causes the pain and wound. This is emotional fear.

5)What is my hero’s identity? Identity is the false self your character presents to the world to protect her from the fear that grows out of the belief that was created by the wound long ago before the story begins. Think of it as the emotional armor your hero wears to protect himself.

6) What is my hero’s essence? The essence of a character is his true self under the armor. It is the person he will become once the fear is gone.

The inner journey is the hero’s transformation from living fully in his/her identity to living fully in her essence. It’s also referred to as the character’s arc. It evolves through the life of the story.  Internal conflict will arise out of the war between a character’s identity (safe) and his essence (not safe).  It takes the same journey and stages as the outer journey.

From the beginning of the story, as he lives every day life, the character is living in his identity. He is living a safe existence. The Opportunity brings a new situation. Through the journey, the character is given glimpses of living with his essence. Identity will become the comfort zone.  As he reaches the goal, internal conflict comes out of risking the essence.  As the character travels to the resolution of the story, the character lives more and more of his essence and moves further from the comfort zone.

Transformation takes place when the character overcomes the final setbacks that are part of the black moment and finds the courage to find his happy ever after. In a tragedy, the  hero will lack the courage or finds it too late and doesn’t achieve his HEA.

In a romance the hero and heroine follow the same path — reach turning points simultaneously. This creates more conflict. Put more weight on the visible goals.  If you are giving the heroine another goal — love interest, must be intertwined with the primary goal.  This makes a stronger story. Two goals come into conflict, love interest may come into conflict with her reaching her goal.

If you have the chance to take part of one of Michael Hauge’s workshops, I highly recommend it.  I ended up with almost 20 pages of notes from just two hours.  The books were also useful and I recommend them both.