Writers in the Storm

Welcome to another installment of Sensational Summer Fridays, here at WITS with Linda O. Johnston!

I write both mysteries and romances.  My mysteries contain romantic elements, and my romances contain suspense or mystery.

Why?  Because I love them both!

But there are, of course, other elements in mysteries besides relationships, or they wouldn’t be mysteries.  What are they?  And how do I address them?

I’ll be talking here primarily about cozy mysteries, since that’s what I’m writing, but a lot of the same elements appear in traditional suspense stories, too.

First, you need a protagonist--someone the reader will like and, hopefully identify with.  Because cozy mysteries often have themes, the protagonist is always involved with that series theme.  For example, in my Pet Rescue Mysteries, my protagonist is Lauren Vancouver, who runs a private no-kill pet shelter.   My theme is pet rescue.  In my Kendra
Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series, Kendra is a pet-sitter, so the theme again involves pets.  Cozies are about amateur sleuths, so the protagonist just happens into a lot of murders that she has to solve--and, yes, most cozy protagonists are female.  In other kinds of mysteries or suspense, the protagonists can be professional law enforcement types, including cops or even private detectives.  Whoever the protagonist is, there needs to be at
least something likeable about them or readers won’t want to read about them.  Kendra’s a bit quirky, and Lauren is one dedicated animal rescuer who doesn’t let anything stand in her way.

Choosing Your Protagonist

How do you decide on the right protagonist for your story--or series of stories?

A lot of that depends on you, and the kind of book you want to write.  As I mentioned, if you want to write cozies, choosing a woman who has a career, hobby or other interests that could attract a lot of readers makes sense.  I’ve been blogging weekly on KillerHobbies.com for quite a while, and my sister bloggers there write about protagonists who are experts at
scrapbooking, quilting, rubber stamping and crocheting--and of course they’re amateur sleuths, too.  And one of my blog sisters is about to start a new series with Jane Eyre as her protagonist!

Of course, Killer Hobbies supports the premise that people who engage in hobbies can be amateur sleuths.  But my protagonists have jobs and interests that involve pets--and pets aren’t hobbies, they’re family!

How did I decide on my protagonists?  They just came to me.  Or maybe my Cavalier King Charles Spaniels Lexie and Mystie planted the ideas in my head.  Both Kendra and Lauren were natural choices for me,
of course, since I’m a real pet lover.

When you’re thinking about your theme or background, consider your own likes and hobbies.  Just remember that you’d better enjoy your choice, since, when you sell your series, you may be living with it for quite a while.  My Kendra series ran for nine books.  So far, there are three books in my Pet Rescue series.  BEAGLEMANIA was published in March, THE MORE THE TERRIER will be out in October, and HOUNDS ABOUND will be a 2012 release--April, I think.  No problem with my maintaining my enjoyment of
writing these stories.  They all contain animals!

Do you like to cook?  There are quite a few mystery series about cooks, chefs, and different kinds of food stores, restaurants, and coffee shops.

Or do you like to engage in any of the hobbies I’ve mentioned--or
other hobbies involving crafts or anything else?  You can jump right in and create your own series based on what you enjoy--and what you decide your protagonist does with her life.

Is it a problem that there are already series that use that
theme?  No--it just shows that the subject is popular.  Of course you
need to come up with your own twist on it.  Maybe make your protagonist a
psychic, too, or add a ghost, since they’re popular, too!

But what if you prefer not having the Jessica Fletcher syndrome in
your story (from the old TV show Murder She Wrote)--where an amateur sleuth
keeps tripping over bodies no matter how small the town is in which she lives
or how few people she knows?  Maybe cozies aren’t for you, so consider a
protagonist who’s already in, or about to enter, law enforcement or a related
career where she may actually look for dead bodies or other mysteries.
She can be a cop or sheriff or government agent, but can possibly get
away with skirting the law more if she’s a private investigator.

And of course, since I’m a lawyer by background, I can always recommend
that you make your protagonist an attorney.  Love those legal thrillers!

Making your protagonist have some kind of background where it’s
natural for her to know and enforce the law--or be aware when she’s doing something that’s not quite legal--is always a great way to go.   It’s
your decision.

Whichever way you decide--cozy or pro--you’ll need, in your first
story, to set that protagonist down into the middle of a terrible situation where she has to solve that murder.  Fast.  And correctly, despite all the
possible suspects.  And if it’s a cozy, she may be the main suspect.

Hey, you can do that if you do a suspense story with a law enforcement protagonist, too.  Why not?

I want to finish talking about protagonists with one final thought.  Make your character someone memorable!  She doesn’t have to be nice all the time, or perfect, but she needs to be a person readers can identify with--and will want to read about again and again.  Easy?
Not always.  But one way to do it is to think about your own favorite characters in others’ books and why you like them, then give similar traits to your protagonist.

More to Come

Okay, enough about protagonists for now.  Here are some more elements of mysteries.  I’m just touching on them here and will focus more on each of them in future posts.

First, there has to be... a mystery!  In cozies, they’re always murders.  The protagonist has to have a reason to get involved with solving them--such as being a major suspect.  In my Kendra stories, Kendra was always upset because she realized she had become a murder magnet. Lauren is becoming one, too, but she’s dragging her feet and resisting... to no
avail. She was a major suspect in BEAGLEMANIA, and her former mentor is the
main suspect in the upcoming THE MORE THE TERRIER.

Coming up with a mystery involves plotting, and I’ll be discussing how I plot one day soon.

And of course, in a mystery, you need a villain.  In cozies, that villain could be a very likeable character--preferably one the reader doesn’t suspect until the very end.  Same goes in other kinds of mysteries.  In suspense novels, the reader may know who the bad guy is even if the protagonist doesn’t, which can ramp up the suspense and danger,
depending on how the story is written.

So... in cozies, the protagonist solves the mystery and catches the villain.  Sounds easy!  But there must be clues and red herrings and more.  I’ll address some of those, too, in future blog posts.

What is your favorite kind of mystery or suspense story?
Why?

Linda O. Johnston is the author of 27 published novels, with more
to come.  She currently writes the Pet Rescue Mysteries for Berkley Prime
Crime, a spinoff series from her Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mysteries, also
for Berkley .   The second Pet Rescue Mystery, THE MORE THE TERRIER,
will be an October release.   She additionally writes paranormal
romance for Harlequin Nocturne--the Alpha Force miniseries about a covert
military unit of shapeshifters. The latest one, GUARDIAN WOLF, is an August
release.

by Jenny Hansen

Happy Wednesday, y’all! I’m looking forward to hearing Linda O. Johnston, one of our new bloggers, talk about “What Makes a Great Mystery” for this week’s Sensational
Summer Friday.

Today we’re going to talk about Dirty Fighting. What is it, and why do you want to do it?

To start at the beginning, last weekend my honey was cleaning the office and he came across a piece of paper that made us laugh our faces off.  This four page document he found – called, “Dirty Fighting Techniques” – helped save our relationship back in 2006.

Note:  Dirty Fighting isn’t about some how-to guide on Jujitsu or Street Fighting. Nope, it’s actually a list of twenty-two items given to us by our counselor to teach us the difference between the Dirty Fighting Techniques practiced by most people and the clean-as-a-whistle fighting he wanted us to strive for.

We’ve got to understand the goal before we can turn it upside down on its head, right? What isclean fighting?

Clean Fighting:

• Take responsibility for your own stuff. Also known as “cleaning up your own side of the street.” I know it sucks when you're mad and you clean up your side while the other person leaves their big cow patties steaming, but lead by example on this one. It helps when someone steps up to be the bigger person.
• Leave the other person an “out with dignity.” This is most often achieved by understanding that there might be facts you don’t know.
• “I” statements are always going to work better when you’re pissed off than “you” statements. And don’t be trying to cheat with crap like, “I understand that you’re a selfish bastard.”
• Talk about the behavior in those “I” statements, not any personality disorders you think they should address.
• Stick to the point. Resist throwing in the kitchen sink of laments spanning back over months of why they’re a (fill in the blank).
• Deliberately pushing buttons is REALLY dirty. The weak underbelly is to be avoided, even if you’re thinking your partner is lower than a yellow-bellied toad for siding with your mother-in-law over you.

Here is a clean fight summed up in 4 easy steps:

1. How you feel (use an “I” statement for this)
2. The behavior that prompted that feeling
3. Why it’s important/the background (i.e. what button did they push)
4. What would you want them to do differently next time

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Go try it. It’s really hard to do when you’re mad. Most people who are angry fight dirty. Clean fighting takes some rigorous training.

Now let me ask you something. Do you really think your characters will have had any
of this sort of training? It’s pretty unlikely unless you’re writing about a psychologist. It’s much more likely that your character will be flawed like the rest of us.

What Makes Great Fiction?

• Great books are filled with conflict.
• And great characters (who learn important lessons).
• Great fiction rips emotion out of us readers.
• Oftentimes a great book will make you see yourself inside those pages.

Understanding the difference between clean and dirty fighting will give you a TON of mileage in your own stories. If you need plausible arguments and dialog, Dirty Fighting Techniques will help you achieve this. These techniques can be applied with a friend, family member or a significant other…it doesn’t really matter.

Every entry I'm sharing is guaranteed to make the other person see red. If you’re writing fiction, that anger and tension is a REALLY good thing. If I give you all twenty-two at once, it will be like taking a drink of water from a fire hydrant so we’re going to start with the five that will work best in fiction.

FIVE?? That’s all the Dirty Fighting I get off that list, you might ask… Yep. Five is all you get…until the next time we discuss the topic. I’m gonna make this a multi-part post so you
have time to really roll around in the Dirty Fighting Swamp. Go ahead, get dirty. Be the bog.

As I said earlier, great books are filled with conflict. And great characters who learn important lessons. Plus, dialog is the number one way to do several fun things like move your story quickly and legally bring in backstory.

Note: For a rundown of the perils of Back Story, read Kristen Lamb’s Monday post.

OK, now that you're into the Dirty Fighting spirit, let's discuss your dialogue. A few wonderful posts come immediately to mind:

• How To Write Dialogue: 6 Ways To Use it Effectively
• Dialogue Tags: How To Kill Off Some Of The Little Buggers by Sharla Rae
• He Said, She Said: Dialogue by Roni Loren

However, one of the problems I have with reading about dialog is that every character is unique and, even though the examples are usually awesome, my characters would never say those things. How do you think of creative things to say that would apply ONLY to our character?

One answer is to make him or her fight.

Since gratuitous fighting in a story is like gratuitous sex (kinda boring if there’s no real connection or reason for it), the author needs to find a great reason for the fight. How you use the fight is up to you but I think the easiest way to pave the road to this rad fight is to discover what your characters really want. Then dig down for what they really, really want.

DON’T give it to them. Or at least, don’t give it too soon.

Then flake away more layers to uncover what your character really fears. Then what they really, really fear. DO give that to them!

This is where things get interesting. You not only have characters who are upset, you've also found a myriad of ways to slide everybody deeper into your story. To do this, ask your character questions.

Perhaps you'll use the 9 questions I discussed a few weeks back in my post on Character
Engagement or new ones that are all your own. Below are some of mine to help you get started.

1. What matters most to this character? (What is he or she most afraid to lose?)
2. Who matters most? (This is usually the person they are most afraid to lose.)
3. How did the character's parents fight?
4. How did the character’s parents interact with him or her?
5. What does this character wish he or she had gotten in childhood?
6. What does my character want to be when they grow up?

All of these questions can provide you with cues about where your character is “broken” and give you ideas about fixing the broken part (i.e. Fix = Lesson).

Now it's time to unleash that fight!

BRING. IT. ON!!

Below are my top five Dirty Fighting Techniques for adding tension and plotting options to your story. I'll save the rest for a later post so you can really play with the first five. (Your sarcasm muscle – which is always used in a Dirty Dogfight – should get a quick flex before you begin.)

#1 - Triangulating: Don’t leave the issue between you and your conflict partner (could be a family member, friend or love interest), pull everybody in. Quote well-known authorities who agree with you and list every family member whom you know has taken your side (and lie about the ones you haven’t spoken to yet).

Uses: Triangulating is incredibly useful in fiction because you can expand the discussion to more characters and stir up some real drama. Let’s not keep this issue between just us, one character says to the other. Oh no, lets involve everybody.

If you have extreme Dirty Fighting Talent, you can stir the pot and then step back and play a new game called, “Let’s watch the other two people fight.” That's good times.

#2 - Escalating: Quickly move from the main issue of the argument to questioning your partner's basic personality, and then move on to wondering whether the relationship is even worth it. Blame your partner for having a flawed personality so that a happy relationship will be impossible.

Uses: Excellent tool for keeping two love interests apart. BUT, the fight better be about something that really, really matters or you risk falling into the Bog of Coincidence and most stories don’t have enough muscle to climb out of that place.

Escalating also allows for plausible use of Back Story. When you’re moving from the main
issue to what the REAL issue is (often happens at the black moment / end of Act 2),  escalating the argument will make someone lose control enough that they blurt out something juicy. Way to go, Author!

#3 – Leaving: No problem is so big or important that it can’t be ignored or abandoned all together. Walk out of the room, leave the house, or just refuse to talk. Sometimes just threatening to leave can accomplish the same thing without all the inconvenience of following through.

Uses: My favorite use of this is employing it when the two characters really need each
other. It completely ups the betrayal factor: I can’t depend on you, I don’t trust you,  You’ve let me down.

You noticed how dirty those last three statements were, right? Not a clean fight to be found anywhere with "leaving," which is fantastic for your story! The farther your   character falls, the harder the journey is on the way back up, right?

#4 - Timing: Look for a time when your partner is least able to respond or least expects an argument.

Uses: Think about this from a story point of view. A really great time to pick a fight is just before the main character embarks on a journey, has a new murder to solve, is called on to
save the world. Anything with high stakes works great. Be sure the character ambushing them is a likeable one so the reader REALLY gets drawn into the conflict.

#5 - Rejecting Compromise: Never back down. Stick with the philosophy that only one of you can win.

Uses: This is a kickass Dirty Fighting trick to use on the main character. If there is only  one winner, there is automatic conflict involved for the person who "loses." The
solutions are endless.

What do you think? What are some other ways you could use a good fight to help your
character grow or advance your story? Do you use any of the five techniques in your own life...come on, you can tell us! Let's hear your fabulous Dirty (Fighting) Thoughts!

Jenny

Coming Monday, a chance to win a six-pack of handmade greeting cards from Fae Rowen when she posts Making Cards-and Writing-Part 2: The Process of Creating Art. You can read Part 1 at Crafting Handmade Cards.

By Laura Drake

After fourteen years of trying, I signed with an agent this month!  That’s a lot of years to keep at something. But during down times along the way I've thought back to the first spark of the story, to get the inspiration to keep going.

Before I learned to ride my own, I rode pillion on my husband’s motorcycle. A lot. A hundred thousand miles worth.  That’s a lot of hours, and it was before motorcycle intercoms were invented. It can get boring. I learned to prop a paperback on hubby’s back and read on the long straightaways.  But you can’t read all day and after awhile, my brain would empty of the day-to-day thoughts and cast about for something new to think about.

Due to the speed on a motorcycle, your memories come in snippets – you catch a snapshot and it’s gone: a small town celebrating the Fourth of July with a parade, the queen in silk on a hay wagon. A piebald pony, standing in knee deep grass in Utah, ominous thunderclouds in the background.  A herd of antelope in Wyoming, racing our motorcycle.

Then one day, riding into the small town of Kernville, California, a dog ran in front of our bike. After a butt clenching scare, he trotted back the way he came, and we rode on. But I started thinking. What if someone came along and hit the dog?  What if a girl riding a motorcycle came along . . .

The idea grew. It wouldn’t go away. I began writing ideas in a notebook in our tent at night.  When we got home, I sat at my computer, blank file open in front of me. I wrote a bit, but mostly I fidgeted.  I knew this wasn’t a short story – that might not have freaked me out. This was a novel.

But wait, who was I to write a novel?  I’ve been an avid reader all my life; I knew good writing.

I dithered for a few years, at an impasse. Half of my mind wouldn’t let go of the story, the other half wouldn’t let me write it. Then one day, an amazing thing happened. I realized I had a ‘delete’ key on my keyboard. I could write the novel, and no one would ever have to see it!

That was three novels ago. I won’t go into the rest of the story here. You’ve heard it from a hundred writers; the ups, the downs, the twists and turns in the road.

Since then, I’ve learned to ride my own motorcycle. I found that I love the windy roads best – you never know what you’ll find around the next bend. It could be a snippet of vision that makes your soul rise – it could be something that tightens your sphincter. I love every bit of it.

I’ve told my friends, if someday, I encounter the end around one of those bends, don’t be sad.  I went smiling -- doing what I love.

For the same reason, I’ll never quit writing. I can’t fail, because it isn’t about getting published; it’s about doing what I love.

Where are you on the winding road? Is publication your destination, or something else? Any mishaps or memories you’d like to share?