Writers in the Storm

On Monday we'll have the other half of the Plot-driven vs. Character-driven throwdown with Fae Rowen considering character-driven writing.  Fae will also announce the winner of a six-pack of her hand-crafted cards at the top of Monday's post.

Today, we're happy to welcome you to another installment of Sensational Summer Fridays, here at WITS with Louisa Bacio.  Enjoy!

By Louisa Bacio

Thanks so much for having me on Writers in the Storm. I regularly read the blog, so I was extra excited when Laura invited me to be a guest.

Do you have a favorite or favourite phrase that you tend to use often? Do you like to be the center, or centre, of attention? As an editor and copy editor of English in the United States, part of my job is to uphold our language and its spelling.

But, what’s one to do when even “English” users can’t agree upon the spelling of a word?

Recently I’ve been working with Nina Croft with her breathtaking vampire novel “Bittersweet Blood” (isn’t that title alone just gorgeous?)  Since Croft is based in Spain, and the novel takes place in London, for the most part, the manuscript was filled with … British-speak.

Part of the editing process was to change the spelling to be “American-English,” which means dropping the u in words such as “colour” and flipping the r with words such as “centre.’’

Ironically enough, soon after I sent suggested edits over to Nina, I received copy edits back from Lucy Felthouse, who’s the editor of the anthology “Seducing the Myth,” which places an erotic twist on mythology. My piece “Lilith: In Her Garden” was lucky enough to be included among the two dozen selections. Anyway, Lucy’s based in the UK and guess what she did to my manuscript?

Yep, made it into English-English.

All my lovely zs in words were taken out, such as in realising rather than our more familiar realizing.

It was a touch of my own medicine.

Finally, I undertook editing the history of a well-known university based in the United States. When I sat down with the writer/editor and a representative from the publishing company, can you guess where the publisher was based? Yep: England. Two hours later, we had hammered out some style guidelines. And, I can promise you, there won’t be one flipped 31 August 2011 in the book.

So when it comes down to it: Whose English is the correct English? It probably depends upon who is being asked.  Do you have a "pet peeve" or expression that sparks the King's English vs. American English flames?

Seducing the Myth

Seducing the Myth: Myths and Legends with an Erotic Twist is a collection of 24 tantalising tales that lead you on a decadent journey through mythologies the world over. As well as stories from the popular Greek and Roman periods, this anthology will also delight you with Arabian, Arthurian, Hindu, Jewish, Norse, Slavic, Sumerian and Welsh myths and legends. Add in a delicious sprinkling of fairies, mermaids and ancient fertility rituals and you have a recipe for a wickedly erotic read!
In addition to Bacio’s re-telling of Lilith’s exit from the Garden of Eden, “Lilith: In Her Garden,” the anthology includes “Djinn and Tonic” by Lexie Bay; “Logan’s Treasure” by Lisa Fox; “Down By The Pool” by Lucy Felthouse; and “Saving Orpheus” by Indigo Skye.

About Louisa

For more thrills, check out Bacio’s f/f contemporary erotic Sex University: All-Girls Academy, which features another threesome scene. Her story “Two’s Company” can be found in I Kissed a Girl: A Virgin Lesbian Anthology. For a short erotic paranormal tryst, “The Wait” can be found in Rekindled Fire: An Anthology of Reunited Lovers.

In addition to writing and editing, Bacio teaches college courses in English, journalism, film studies and popular culture. Bacio also serves on the board for the Orange County Romance Writers of America.

Ciao!

Louisa Bacio

Drop in for a visit:
http://louisabacio.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/louisabacio
http://www.twitter.com/louisabacio

Before I jump into today's post, I just want to remind you to stop back on Friday for our next Fabulous Friday guest blogger, multi-published author, Louisa Bacio!

Part 1 of a series

This part brought to you by Laura Drake. Check back Monday when Fae Rowen presents the opposite viewpoint.

People have a hard time even agreeing on the definitions of plot-driven vs. character-driven. I’ve had an hour long argument with an English professor friend about whether the term “literary fiction” even exists.   I don’t want to go there again. Let’s just agree there are many shades of grey, and use Justice Potter Stewart’s porn definition,“I know it when I see it.”

The easiest way to illustrate the difference between a plot driven and character driven book is by example:

Plot-driven Stories:

Die Hard
Patriot Games
Angels & Demons
The Bourne Identity

Plot is featured prominently. The characters are, at the extreme end, only generic – there to carry out the plot.

Character-driven Stories:

Jane Eyre
The Catcher in the Rye
Native Son
Pride and Prejudice

Characters are more important than what happens. The extreme end of the spectrum prompted the term, “Navel Gazing.”

Which is better?  We all know it’s not really a war – the best books are a perfect blend of both.  Good examples that come to my mind are:

• Gone with the Wind
• Hunger Games
• Avatar
• Atlas Shrugged

Two of my favorite authors come to mind as well -- Pat Conroy and Jodi Piccoult.

When you began writing, do you recall making a conscious choice between the two?  I sure didn’t. Like your voice, your choice is influenced by your personality, your tastes and your experiences.

When you sit down to write a book, what comes to you first?

For me, it’s a character. The only part I get of plot in the beginning is the setting. The rest comes after I know my main character(s.) I really have to work at finding engaging, gripping things for my wonderful characters to do.

Plotting Tools

Since I need to focus on improving my weaknesses, I’ve amassed a lot of plotting tools. I'll share them with you here. For those of you who need help with character, check back on Wednesday - our own Fae Rowen is going to have tips for you.

1. You may want to try an Index Card Method.
2. I am a huge Randy Ingermanson fan. You may know him as ‘The Snowflake Guy.’ He created a plotting method that’s fascinating.
3. Blake Snyder was an amazing teacher of screenplay writing and plotting that we lost recently. His ‘Beat Sheet’ really helps me be sure all the elements are there, in the right order. If you don’t have his book, Save the Cat on your bookshelf, you should.
4. T.N. Tobias has an article on Ten Ways To Create a Plot Twist.
5. Glen Strathy has written a great article, How to Create a Plot Outline in 8 Easy Steps.
6. The amazing Donald Maas wrote an article for Writer Unboxed that may help you, entitled, The Elements of Awe.
7. Linda George has a great blog, Plotting for Writers.
8. Software abounds. Here's a review of 10 of them.  Storybook is free shareware. Randy Ingermanson has the Snowflake Pro.

I could go on and on, but I think that gives you enough to start with.

So now, your turn. Which side are you on -- plot or character?  What works for you? Do you have any suggestions of plotting methods for us?

by Fae Rowen

To our readers who comment on this blog:  You'll be entered for a chance to win six hand-crafted cards from Fae Rowen.  One entry per person, please.  We'll post the winner of the cards next Monday, August 29.  Good luck!

I realized as I wrote the first blog, Crafting Handmade Cards , about the joy in the creative design and execution (yipes!) phase of "card production," that I go about making a new card much the same way I go about starting a new writing project.  Here are the steps with the card making part first, followed by the writing part in italics:

1.  Inspiration/Theme:  I see something in nature or on a trip that makes me think, "That would make a good card."  For example, when I went to the Big Island, Hawaii, I went to the seahorse farm near the airport.  There were tanks of seahorses in various stages of growth and at the end of the tour we got to wash our hands, make one hand look like a coral reef (thumb and forefinger connected) and lower our hand into the tank.  A seahorse wrapped around my fingers and held tight.  What an experience!

I took home a seahorse rubber stamp from their gift shop.  Okay, four seahorse stamps.

On a trip to Sedona, while driving across the Arizona desert I thought, "What if you suddenly got dropped here with nothing but protein bars and water? (Yes, I was on a diet at the time.) It's a l-o-n-g drive, so I had a lot of time to flesh out the idea.  My current WIP is this story.

2.   Develop the idea, Research/Develop the idea, Research:  I played with the stamps on cards, but nothing did my experience justice.  I decided to emboss the seahorse in many different colors and cut it out then attach it to a light blue card.  Better, but not that special.

Flesh out characters, develop a plot, do any necessary research.  And write a short synopsis, which I believe is always easier to do before you write the book.  Actually my two-page synopsis is the only plotting I do, so I start writing without knowing much more than an opening scene, a theme, and how the book will end.  I know a few of the scenes in the middle, but how everything will be connected, that happens in the actual writing.

3.  Bring in new ideas/Write and Talk to your Critique Group:  I thought of those seahorses and how they wrapped their tails around kelp, how the water in their tanks sparkled.  I bought some blue netting and green "hairy" yarn.  Attaching the netting to the card was messy and I didn't like the results, so I let the project sit for awhile.  But then I bought some sparkly blue netting and pulled out my project bits and moved them around.  I punched a hole in the seahorse's tail and poked the yarn through it.  Yes.

My main character morphed daily as I wrote the first chapters and revised them.  Her age, her height, her feistiness--all differed from the first version--but better in keeping with the theme, which became much more finely honed.  The secondary characters got fleshed out as I "discovered" their backstories.  Someone dies later rather than earlier.  Another person didn't die, but moved.  I told the story to Laura, Jenny and Sharla and answered their questions.  (Their questions always help me figure out who my characters are and what they really want.) 

4.  Put it together. Again/Write. Revise: I attached the netting to the cardstock in various ways, then positioned the seahorse and yarn ends.  Once the seahorse and yarn looked right, I glued them down.  I tried different versions until I found the one I liked the best.

Write.  Do the seat time.  If a scene isn't working, write it from a different characters point of view.  Just like a card shows your theme, make sure you show, don't tell.  Keep writing. Finish the book.

5.  Production/Write and Edit:  Once I have THE card, I make several to give away.  Sometimes it's a self-limiting thing, as in the case of the seahorse cards.  I really don't like cutting out images, so I embossed a limited number of seahorses--only as many as I was willing to cut out.

Write.  Edit.  Write  Edit.  When you think you're done, edit some more. 

5.  Give away/Sell what you created.  And prepare to accept kudos gracefully.

How is your creative process alike when you write versus when you create something else? How is is different?

Here's the seahorse card.