Writers in the Storm

By Laura Drake

About ten years ago, I had back surgery. After I healed, I went back to Domestic Goddess duties, but found I couldn’t vacuum anymore.

Something about the pushing and pulling killed my back. So I informed Alpha Dog (did I mention he’s also Texan?) that this duty would have to fall to him.

He didn’t disagree, but less than a week later, we had a delivery from the UPS guy. A top-of-the-line robotic vacuum. Alpha Dog demonstrated it like a kid with the hottest new Christmas toy. I dubbed her, “Rosie,” after the robot in The Jetsons (Yeah, I’m old.)

I was lying in bed this week, laid up by foot surgery, listening to Rosie do her thing. We could all learn some important things about writing from her!

Top 3 Lessons I Learned from My Robotic Vacuum:

1. Make a Plan.

Rosie actually has a computer chip that allows her to map out the room as she goes. Every time, around, she gets smarter, and more efficient, adjusting the plan for the next time.

We all have a writing process, even if you’re on your first book, and still discovering what it is. Don’t be afraid to adjust the plan, or change it if you find a better way. Keep your eyes open. Even if this is your thirty-second book, try new things. You may find one little tip that will help with the thirty-third.

2. Mistakes aren’t failure; they’re an opportunity to learn.

When Rosie bumps into a corner, or some piece of furniture that wasn’t there last time, she stops, backs up, turns a few degrees and tries again. If she hits it again, she turns a bit more. Eventually she gets out of the corner, or around the obstruction, and that area is clean. She’s done her job.

She doesn’t sulk, she doesn’t whine, she doesn’t give up. She keeps trying until she succeeds.

3. Don’t stop til the job is done, or your dust bin is full.

When she finishes vacuuming, she turns off her sucking mechanism (I don’t know, what do you call it?) sings a chirpy 7-note song, and returns to her station to recharge. I love that little song. It sounds like how I feel when I type “The End.”

To succeed, first you have to finish.

I learned all that from a dumb little machine and the floors are clean, too!

Should I chalk this up to really good pain meds, or have you also had epiphanies while (passively) cleaning? Have you ever learned anything from an appliance?

Laura

By Shannon Donnelly

When I first started writing, I found out you needed a synopsis to submit to agents. Okay, I thought, I can do that. Well, I did, but not so well—twenty pages later I had a synopsis that rambled, wandered, and just did not do the job. Thankfully, someone pointed this out to me.

These days, I actually like writing the synopsis—yes, that’s right, I like it. Well, okay, maybe, not like, but I find it’s an invaluable tool.

Why?

• A good synopsis shows you where your plot holes are before your book falls into them.
• A good synopsis points out weak conflict and places where character motivation is thin.
• A good synopsis can save you lots of rewriting and thrown out chapters.

Usually, I like to get about 50 to 100 pages done, and then hit the synopsis to make sure I have all the story beats and conflict in place. It’s my road map. I may wander from it, but it helps keep me from getting bogged down.

I’m teaching my “Sexy Synopsis” workshop again this March for Low Country RWA, but in the meantime, here’s the checklist I created to keep me on track with getting a synopsis to be like a little black dress—stylish but covering all the important bits.

Feel free to adapt this to your own list—this came from years of taking apart every synopsis I could read to find out what worked and what worked best for me.

Synopsis Checklist

1. Does it cover the hero and heroine's relevant character traits and goals in a fresh way?

2. Does it tell the scenes with the most conflicts--internal and external--for the hero and the heroine, with an emphasis on the main character's conflict?

3. Does it offer specific dramatic scenes for the main turning points, detailing what happens, where it happens, escalating the risk to the main character's goal, and offering harder and harder choices for the main character in each of these scenes?

4. Does it have scenes that show a developing relationship, including attraction and hero and heroine compatibility, with mention of the feelings of the characters, and also telling what is keeping a relationship from working between these two?

5. Does the story include scenes with sexual developments between the characters and how those scenes impact character conflicts, compatibities and emotions?

6. Does it tell all characters' motivations--including for any villain or antagonist?

7. Are the characters fresh?  Are they developed by looking past cliché to what is core and specific to the characters?

8. Do the characters make choices that come from within that specific person, rather than from the writer manipulating the story?  Can you say, "Yes, if I were this person, I would make this choice."

9. Does it raise questions to keep interest going--and then provide answers to all questions raised?

10. Does it include a scene that is the climax or black moment, and make clear the resolution of the story with an ending that wraps up all story elements?

11. Does it include a strong theme that is woven into the scenes and character choices?  And which is revealed strongest in the climax of the book and the character's ultimate choice?

12. Is the voice active, with all extra words cut, and with the best possible word choices with the clearest, most concise writing possible in a tone that matches the tone of the book?

How do YOU feel about synopsis writing? Do you love it, hate it, or are you somewhere in between?

**********************

Shannon Donnelly’s writing has won numerous awards, including a RITA nomination for Best Regency, the Grand Prize in the "Minute Maid Sensational Romance Writer" contest, judged by Nora Roberts, RWA's Golden Heart, and others. Her writing has repeatedly earned 4½ Star Top Pick reviews from Romantic Times magazine, as well as praise from Booklist and other reviewers, who note: "simply superb"..."wonderfully uplifting"....and "beautifully written."

Her newest book, Riding in on a Burning Tire, the second book in the Mackenzie Solomon, Demon/Warders Urban Fantasy series is just out from Cool Gus Publishing. Her work has been on the top seller list of Amazon.com and includes Paths of Desire, a Historical Regency romance. Her Regency romances can be found as ebooks on all formats, and with Cool Gus Publishing, and include a series of four novellas.

Shannon is the author of several young adult horror stories, and computer games. She lives in New Mexico with two horses, two donkeys, two dogs, and only one love of her life.

Shannon can be found online at:
Her website: http://shannondonnelly.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SDwriter
Twitter: @sdwriter

By Sharla Rae

Some writers brainstorm on their own, some do it with another writer or a group of writers. My personal favorite is 'what-ifing' with my critique group. Along the way I learned a few things. I think the biggest lesson was that if I walked away disappointed, it was probably my own fault.

There are websites that go into scientific details, spouting lots of brainstorming terms you'll soon forget. I'm not going there. I'm speaking from plain old practical experience and what's worked for me. I hope it works for you too.

Pinpointing exactly what you want to brainstorm is the first step.

Sound easy? Sometimes it is. But sometimes, puzzling out exactly what's missing in a story needs a brainstorm session of its own. If time is short and you need to pinpoint the problem yourself before taking it to your posse, here's a few blogs that might help.

• 4 Steps For Organizing Plot Ideas For A Novel by Judy Hedlund
• For discussion points: When Middles Sag by Elizabeth Craig
• Kara Lennox’s Plot Fixer Series:

Part 1 – Your Premise Isn’t Compelling
Part 2 – How To Fix a Weak Opening
Part 3 – A Lack of Goals
Part 4 – Is Your Conflict Strong Enough?
Part 5 – Raising The Stakes
Part 6 – 5 Tips To Help Improve Your Story’s Pacing
Part 7 – Pick Up the Pace
Part 8 -  Is Your Plot Predictable
Part 9 – Plots That Rely on Coincidence and Contrivance

There are as many possible topics to brainstorm as there are stories. Below are a few common topics that are frequently discussed.

• Brainstorm a plot for a particular character personality you want to write and the reverse, finding the right characters for a story plot that’s begging you to write it.
• Brainstorm how to choreograph a scene - action, fighting, even a love scene
• Brainstorm how to write yourself “out” of a corner.
• Brainstorm a character’s psyche, that is how a particular personality should handle a situation.
• Brainstorm where the story begins – 1^st chapters are the hardest chapters in the entire book.
• Brainstorm the turning point in the plot, how to get there and what comes next.

Showing up with a problem is not enough. Being prepared avoids wasting your time and someone else's on explanations or background information. It's also the best way to get more our of your 'what-ifing.' 

Before the Brainstorming Session:

1)  Explain the specific subject you want to brainstorm.

2)  Prepare an outline of facts you already know about the story. Keep it as short as possible but provide all the information needed to help you brainstorm. The blogs listed above might help organize your thoughts.

3)  List ideas that won’t work so your partners don’t waste time considering those scenarios. Of course, realize that they just might tell you how to make one of those scenarios work.

4)  E-mail the outline a couple days before the group meets so they have time mull over some ideas.  (This saves a lot of time at the meeting) If it’s not possible to e-mail the outline ahead of time, at least be prepared with handouts.

During the Brainstorming Session:

1)  Make sure everyone is clear about “what” you expect to accomplish. Invite questions. Don’t be surprised if you don’t have all the answers to those questions. Sometimes the questions engender an 'ah-hah' moment that is key to a fruitful session.

2)  Be open to all suggestions. In a good brainstorming group, one idea will trigger another and then another. Don’t automatically discount anything. Some of the craziest suggestions inspire the best results.

3)  Take notes. You might think that you couldn’t possibly forget the best of ideas, but it’s the little details that really count. I repeat, take notes.

4)  If you are brainstorming another writer’s work, study the outline ahead of time, be prepared with questions and if you have time, jot down ideas. Above all, remember that in the end this is the author’s book, not yours – no matter how brilliant your own ideas might be.

5)  Have fun. Most of the brainstorming sessions I’ve attended include lots of laughter and we're all excited when a scenario comes together in a great scene or story plot.

Not everyone has a critique group or even wants one. That doesn’t mean you can’t start a brainstorming or plotting group. 

The benefit of meeting with the same people each time is familiarity.  Once the group has a feel for your writing style and the type of stories you like to write, they're  better equipped to offer appropriate solutions to your story problem. Some might argue that new faces will offer new perspectives. That could be true but remember this new group will still need the background info.

Be as picky about choosing a brainstorming group as you would be choosing a critique group. For some ideas you might like to read my blog: Critique Groups: How To Find Your Dream Team.  Joining a group that includes even one ego-maniac who believes his or her ideas are the end all - be all will put a damper on the entire group's productively.

Can you brainstorm with non-writer friends and family? Some writers tell me their spouses are great at brainstorming and in my own experience, friends will jump at the chance to brainstorm ideas. The problem? Most don’t understand story craft and sometimes that’s problematic. So the answer to this question is … whatever works for you.

Websites on brainstorming: Some of these take a scientific approach but it's fun to explore all methods. You'll also find ways to brainstorm by yourself.

Brainstorming at Mind Tools
7 Unique Brainstorming Techniques
Brainstorming at the Writing Center
5 Brainstorming Strategies for Writers

How do you brainstorm? What works best in your experience?