Writers in the Storm

Angela Ackerman

NaNoWriMo season is almost here, a time when Plotters and Pantsers set aside their differences to chase a common goal: pounding out a 50K novel in 30 days. If this is your first time, fear not. It can be done!

And while pantsers everywhere may start screaming (Can you hear the lambs, Clarisse?) the fact is, a bit of preplanning is often wise. How much planning is up to you of course, but there are some story and character basics that can really make life easier as you shape your novel. For example, as the star of the show, the more you know about your protagonist beforehand, the better. After all, what he wants or needs will dictate his actions throughout the entire story. Likewise, knowing why he does what he does is pretty critical too, can we agree? (For more on brainstorming on backstory, just zip over to this earlier post.)

With more developmental structuring in mind, here’s a fast and dirty rundown of some important “set pieces” you may want to explore & plan BEFORE the big day.

I think we all can agree that for a novel to be compelling, an overall storyline should take place. The hero needs to work toward achieving something, and that “thing” is something readers should view as worthy of interest. Two set pieces help us nudge the outer story in motion.

Outer Motivation is the GOAL. Win the girl’s love. Find the killer. Stop the bomb from going off. Pretty clear-cut stuff. What the heck is your hero trying to achieve by novel’s end?

Outer Conflict is the force or forces trying to PREVENT your hero from reaching his goal. The ex lover who is also vying for the girl’s heart. The slick rival detective trying to put your hero out of business. The villain bomber on a mission.

This classic story frame of Goal and Opposition shapes most novels, TV shows and movies. Make your hero’s goal a worthy one, and provide opposition that makes his journey extremely difficult. The stronger your adversary, the harder the protagonist must strive to overcome him, which makes for compelling reading.

Most stories also have an inner journey as well.

Inner Motivation is the WHY behind the GOAL. Why does he want to win the girl’s love? Why does he feel compelled to find the killer? Why must he stop the bomb? The WHY (his reason for acting) is tied to a specific *NEED he alone has. He needs to find love to feel complete. He must find the killer to prove he isn’t a washed up detective. He has to stop the bomb so he can save the lives of his children. Perhaps something is missing from his life. Or perhaps he had everything to make him happy until he lost something along the way (or had it taken from him) and now he must get it back to feel complete. His NEED to fill this void in his life is what compels him to act.

*Wonder what your hero needs most? Check out Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs for inspiration: Physical Needs; Safety & Security; Love and Belonging; Esteem; Self Actualization.

Inner Conflict is the WAR WITHIN a character, and the battlefield is CHANGE. After all, change is scary--stepping into the unknown can mean getting hurt, screwing up or failing. Leaving one’s comfort zone makes your hero feel vulnerable, so part of him wants to avoid it at all costs. Staying the same is much safer and easier in his mind. The problem is, change is necessary for your hero to gain the insight he needs (growth) to understand what he must do to achieve his goal.

In this internal war (Character Arc), the sides of the battle are clear.

The hero’s Fear(of being emotionally wounded again, of failing, etc.), his Mistaken Beliefs “The Lie” (irrational beliefs like I am not worthy of love, it’s my fault my son died, I should have seen she was planning to commit suicide, etc.), and Flaws (the hero’s negative qualities that keep people at a distance so they can’t hurt him) face off against his Need to grow, to become something better, and feel fulfilled.

When stories have this inner journey, the character must 1) face his fears, 2) realize an internal truth (that he is worthy, or that the easy choice is not the best one, that he does deserve happiness, etc.) and 3) shed his fatal flaw (which holds him back in some way). This allows for growth (insight into what really matters, a change in attitude, etc.) which pushes him to better utilize his strengths (positive attributes) and build up his skills in a way that will lead to success. NOTE: if the hero cannot overcome his fear and see the truth, or subdue his fatal flaw, the story then becomes a Tragedy.

Dual conflicting desires can also cause great upheaval (wanting a sexy promotion that means constant travel vs. the desire to put down roots and have a family, for example). In this instance, the hero must circle back to his missing need, and discover what it is that will lead to true fulfillment.

Do you believe in structuring set pieces? If so, do you frame your story’s outer arc first, or the inner one? Let me know in the comments!

Angela Ackerman is a writing coach and co-author of three bestselling resources, The Emotion Thesaurus: a Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, The Positive Trait Thesaurus: a Writer’s Guide to Character Attributes and The Negative Trait Thesaurus: a Writer’s Guide to Character Flaws. A proud indie author, her books are sourced by US universities and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors and psychologists around the world. Angela can be found at the popular site, Writers Helping Writers, which specializes in building innovative tools for writers that cannot be found elsewhere.

Spring is the time “when a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of love,” but in autumn, writers dream of contract offers. With the summer contract season over, and many authors “on submission” with agents and publishers alike, the delights—and dangers—of publishing contracts gain an important focus at this time of year.

One of the most important, and often most confusing, segments of the publishing contract is the “Grant of Rights.” This section, which often encompasses more than a single paragraph in the contract itself, designates exactly which rights the author is licensing (or “granting”) to the publisher in the contract.

Contract language varies widely from publisher to publisher, and even from deal to deal, but let’s take a look at some of the common characteristics authors should look for (and some to avoid) in grants of rights:

1.  Primary Rights: Print, ebook.

The standard “grant of rights” in a publishing contract normally includes both print and ebook rights. Most contracts also include a laundry list of other rights, but those are generally negotiable (to one degree or another). At its core, the publishing contract normally focuses on print, ebook, and some important related rights.

If your publisher is a digital only publisher (or imprint), the publisher may or may not want print rights also. Otherwise, all publishers will generally ask for print and ebook rights, and in most cases those rights are not negotiable. Ebooks are commonplace, and it’s rare for a publisher not to want the rights to publish your book in print and electronic forms and formats.

“Print and ebook” normally also includes serial rights (the right to publish your work in serial format rather than in a single volume—though publishers don’t generally do this unless they discuss it with the author in advance) and non-dramatic reading rights (which often translates to “audiobook rights” … see more about that in a minute).

These rights also normally include the right to produce or license royalty-free “accessible editions” for the handicapped. While this is a good idea in terms of providing access to charities and handicapped persons, most publishers will add language requiring them to split any profits they do receive on such licenses (or from handicapped-accessible editions of the work) with the author … but you need to know to ask for it.

2.  “Enhanced Ebooks” and audiobooks.

“Enhanced ebooks” are ebooks which include other forms of media—for example, video clips, interactive maps, soundtracks and audio extras. They’re not too common now but may become more popular in years to come, and many publishers have started including language governing them now.

Audiobooks, in various formats, are more familiar to authors and readers, and most publishers’ standard contract forms do ask for audio rights. Many publishers will also leave these rights with the author if you ask.

3.  Subsidiary Rights: Film, TV, merchandise, apps and gaming.

Subsidiary rights are one of the most contested clauses in publishing contracts, and publishers’ responses to an author’s request to withhold them varies widely. Most large publishers recognize the author’s right to hold back these important rights, and will eliminate them from the contract upon request. Other publishers want to share in film, TV, and merchandising rights, and to have the right to license those rights on the author’s behalf.

Ultimately, the decision whether or not to license these rights is a business decision the author must make, but I advise clients to keep these rights and not to hand them over to a publisher who may or may not sell them, and may end up with a windfall if the book becomes popular enough to inspire a film or television series.

4.  Territorial rights: worldwide, North American, U.S. – the sky’s the limit.

Most publishers want (and need) worldwide ebook rights, and it makes sense to allow worldwide distribution in ebook format. Print books are another matter entirely, however, and authors should take care to ensure they grant the publisher only those rights the publisher has the capacity to fulfill in a meaningful manner. In particular, small publishers without good distribution may not have the capacity to sell or distribute books abroad. Evaluate territorial rights with care to ensure the clause you grant is reasonable under the circumstances.

5.  Languages: English only vs. translations.

Most standard publishing contracts contain “translation rights,” meaning the right to translate or license translation of the author’s work into any (and every) language. As with territorial rights, authors should make sure the publisher has the ability to exercise these rights, and a history of licensing good translations, before signing over valuable rights.

Some publishers have active translation and foreign rights departments, while others simply want to possess the rights in case of a windfall. Talk with your publisher during the negotiation process and see whether licensing translations makes sense in your particular situation. If the publisher won’t negotiate for outright elimination of translation rights from the contract, ask about reversion after a stated period of time if the publisher hasn’t utilized the translation rights within a certain period: for example, the ability to terminate and reclaim your translation rights after 36 months if the publisher hasn’t licensed or arranged for translation of the work before that time.

6.  Reservation of rights – a normal, but important, protection.

Make sure your contract has a line—somewhere—which states that “Author reserves all rights not [expressly] granted to Publisher in this Agreement.” That’s called a “reservation of rights,” and it does exactly what it seems to: it makes it clear to a court that you’ve given over only the rights the contract says that it includes.

This isn’t a comprehensive explanation, but it gives a “first impression” of the things an author should look for in a publishing contract’s grant of rights. Next month, we’ll return to the grant of rights for a look at some common rights-related pitfalls authors should avoid.

Have you ever negotiated a grant of rights? What are your biggest rights-related concerns?

Susan Spann writes the Shinobi Mysteries, featuring ninja detective Hiro Hattori and his Portuguese Jesuit sidekick, Father Mateo. Her debut novel, CLAWS OF THE CAT (Minotaur Books, 2013), was a Library Journal Mystery Debut of the Month. The second Shinobi Mystery, BLADE OF THE SAMURAI, released on July 15, 2014. Susan is also a transactional attorney whose practice focuses on publishing law and business. When not writing or practicing law, she raises seahorses and rare corals in her marine aquarium. You can find her online at her website, http://www.SusanSpann.com, and on Twitter (@SusanSpann).

Plotting for pantsers … The plotters out there are laughing, the pantsers are gasping in horror.

Trust me … it can be done!

I’m a pantser with suspenders. No matter how many times I try to plot before starting a project, I freeze, can’t do it! My writing process is to tighten the suspenders and jump in feet first.

I’m cursed blessed with a critique partner whose first drafts are pretty darn brilliant. She’s a pantser but a pantser-with-a-plan.

I, on the other hand, have a vague “somewhere in that direction” idea and don’t let the lack of breadcrumbs on my path deter me. So by the time I squeal “ta da” (how many of you still actually type “the end” at the end?), I have a happy helping of a holy-wow-what-was-I-thinking first draft.

Why? Because I don’t have those helpful breadcrumbs to guide me. I start writing, then part way in, realize something needs to change and off I march. I don’t go back and fix anything in the first draft.

This, my writing friends, is when the suspenders come off and I veer down the plotting path. Here’s how:

1) Read the first draft.

Start with a beta read. I do all beta reads on my iPad—I’ll save the manuscript as a pdf and read in iBooks, that way I can see the page numbers and it looks and feels like a “real book.” I’m also not tempted to edit as I read.

Take notes. I always have a notepad handy when I’m doing a beta read and jot down notes. For example, on page 32 I zoned out and start wondering if I’m back to full lives in Free Fall? On page 179 the dialogue turned cheesy. On page 225, I had a sudden “whhhuuuutttt?” moment. Jot down if a certain phrase or action starts becoming obvious. Did you just stumble over a detour in the plot?

2) Read it again, and this time, pull it apart.

For the second—dissecting—read, I prefer hard copy. It provides yet another perspective and, for me at least, a more hands-on one. For this read I keep a stack of index cards and a notepad next to me.

Notepad: I write the name of each character on individual pages, the names of key locations in the story, a page for “timeline,” and any other key things that I need to keep organized. As I’m reading, I jot down key words/phrases for each. This becomes very helpful as I get deeper into the Harry Potter world staircase of my first draft—things shift; the notepad helps me stay true to the characters, locations, and timing.

Index cards: I use different colors for different plot threads. As I’m reading, I’ll pull the appropriate color card and jot down scene notes. For example: at the top of each card, I’ll write the plot thread, the chapter and the scene within the chapter, who’s in the scene, when does it take place, where is it happening, what’s happening.

During this second read is when I also refer back to any feedback I’ve received—critiques, contest feedback, even comments on previous manuscripts that may translate to the current work.

3) It’s puzzle time.

I take my fancy colored index cards and lay them out in chapter and scene order. This gives me a quick visual of what my story looks like. Armed with the notes I’ve taken and any feedback from other readers, I can see what’s missing, what scenes are redundant, which ones do nothing to move the story forward, and which ones are in the wrong spot.

Now I arrange the cards as necessary, mark ‘delete’ on some, mark ‘moved’ on others, and add new ones (note: use a different color pen and/or write “new” or whatever else works for you on these addition cards so you can easily tell what will be fresh copy versus editing existing).

At the end of the process I’ve—are you ready? Seatbelts buckled?—plotted. Seriously! Me … plotting. So there you have it—I may pants my way through a first draft but I’m a plotter with revisions.

What’s your process? Are you a pantser or a plotter? Or are you equal opportunity depending on the draft?

About Orly

After years of pushing the creativity boundary in corporate communications, Orly decided it was time for a new challenge. Three women’s fiction manuscripts later (plus a handful of picture books), it’s safe to say she’s found her creative outlet.  When she’s not talking to her imaginary friends, she’s reading or at least trying to ignore everyone around her long enough to finish “just one more paragraph.” Orly is the founding president of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association.

You can find her on Twitter at @OrlyKonigLopez or on her website, www.orlykoniglopez.com.