Writers in the Storm

by Tari Lynn Jewett

We’re coming up on Valentine’s Day, which seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it holiday. I’m on the love it side, but I write romance, and more specifically romantic comedy, so loving Valentines is almost a job requirement. #PleaseSayYes, the first book in my romcom series #HermosaForTheHolidays is a Valentine’s story. But so far, all of my stories are romantic comedy, and have taught me a little about myself and my writing style.

My Ten Writing Lessons

The last time I was at Writers in the Storm, I wrote 10 Things About Being a Hybrid Author. I thought I’d stick with my blog theme and discuss ten things I’ve learned writing romcoms.

1. Writing non-fiction has its own rules.

I started out as a columnist and freelance writer for magazines and newspapers and writing nonfiction has its own rules. One of them is that you write short. When your word count goal is 800 – 2,000 words, you learn very quickly to ‘cut the fluff’.

I know many fiction writers have to cut words from their stories, but because of my freelance background, I always have to add. And I’ve found that what I’m adding is generally emotional description. I know how the characters feel. I’ve been living the story with them as I write it. Now I have to make sure the reader feels what the character feels.

2. Real life is funnier than we realize.

Many of the scenes readers tell me “made them laugh” come from real life. Sometimes I think that’s what makes them funny. Those scenes are relatable because they’re real. And every now and then we need to laugh at ourselves.

Of course, there are twists to the scenes, that make them fit with the characters’ lives, but real life is often the best place for inspiration. So, when you read my stories, I’d love to know if you can figure out which scenes are from real life.

3. RomComs are a Feel-Good Genre

I love watching romcoms, and I love reading romcoms…they make me feel good. When I need a book to escape from the chaos of real life, I’ll curl up with a cup of cocoa, a plate of cookies, and a good romcom. And when I’m writing a romcom, I get the same thing.

I’m rooting for my characters. I laugh at the funny things that happen in life, and I’m hoping that’s what I give the reader. Something to feel good, something to make them smile.

4. Wine, chocolate and girlfriends are important.

This is true in real life, and in romcoms. Dialogue is often the best way to keep things moving. And the best dialogue in a romcom, besides conversations with the hero is with girlfriends.

Just like in real life, these girlfriends talk about the guy. How cute he is, how smart he is…and always how much trouble he is. These conversations, in addition to the humorous situations in addition to a nice glass of wine, keep the tempo moving.

5. Romcoms are also a way to create the romantic fantasy that we’d like to have ourselves.

There are so many tropes to romance, and tropes are popular because they’re the fantasies we’ve created for love. Do you want a romance with a Rockstar? A Billionaire? Would you love to be snowed in with your secret crush?

I tend to write romances with everyday guys: bistro owners, police officers, firemen, construction workers. And part of that is because I married my own romance hero – my construction worker, Hunky Hubby. If you’re writing romcoms, or really any romance, writing your own fantasy can be the key to your readers’ fantasies.

6. Setting is important in any story.

So of course, it’s important in a romcom. Is your story set in a small town, in a school, in a hospital or at a comic convention? Wherever it’s set, use the elements of that setting to develop the romance and the humor in your story. This would of course be true if you’re writing a thriller or a twisted fairy tale.

In #PleaseSayYes, and throughout the #Hermosa series, which is set in Hermosa Beach, California, rooftop patios bring romance, offer a place of solitude, and some humor to the story. In the 3^rd book in the series #FireworksInTheFog…well, I think the title is self-explanatory.

In romcoms as in real estate, it’s about location, location, location.

7. Some words about Subject Matter.

While writing #SilverBracelets, I found my story wandering into a darker area, cancer, and death. And while I thought the story was good, I realized I’d wandered out of romcom territory. So I rethought the story.

This is not to say that the darker side of life can’t be included in a romcom, but that it can be a lot of work to keep that story light and funny. So, stay aware of the main goal of the story, and how those scenes help to develop your theme.

8. The Grand Gesture is important.

We all love grand gestures. It’s the reason we still talk about the boom box scene in Say Anything, and when Julia Roberts stands in front of Hugh Grant and gives her “Just a girl standing in front of a boy speech.” (Yes the woman CAN make the grand gesture.) And when the beast gives Belle his entire library in Beauty and the Beast…now that’s the way to win the heart of a book girl like me.

Did I mention that Hunky Hubby built me a library in our new home?

9. Food and Fashion are great tools.

I’ve found that food and fashion can be a great way to create mood, bring people together, add romance, and sometimes a good laugh. As a former food columnist, I’ve written a lot about food, so it’s not surprising that food plays an important part in my stories.

My romcom, Love and Mud Puddles is all about the food. Well, cookies to be more specific. And even includes one of my favorite recipes. Baking cookies, or the inability to bake cookies, creates some what I hope are hilarious moments in the story…several from real life. It also is the catalyst behind the romance.

In my #HermosaForTheHolidays series, there’s plenty of food, but one of the characters owns a beach boutique, and I have a lot of fun with fashion. These are just elements of description that can be used to make the reader picture the story, smell and taste the story…and sometimes laugh at the story.

10. The HEA.

No self-respecting romcom would be complete without the “Happily Ever After,” or at least a satisfying “Happily for Now.” After all, this is a story meant to make you smile, warm your heart, and leave you feeling good. My stories tend to end with a kiss. Often the couple’s first kiss but, as long as the ending is romantic and makes me smile, I’m left satisfied (and hopefully so are my readers)!

So, what are your favorite romantic comedies? Books or movies? What would be your perfect Grand Gesture? And most importantly, do you have a date for Valentine's Day? (That date can be with a book or movie…and there’s always: wine, chocolate and girlfriends.) Please do share in the comments!

About Tari

Tari Lynn Jewett lives in Arizona just off Route 66 with her husband of thirty-five years (aka Hunky Hubby). They have three amazing sons, and two beautiful grandsons. For over twenty years, Tari wrote freelance for magazines and newspapers, television commercials, radio spots, numerous press releases, and many, MANY PTA newsletters. As much as she loved writing those things, she always wanted to write fiction…and now she is.

Tari writes light, fun romcoms, but she is also working on a historical women’s fiction series set in the Los Angeles area, spanning from the late 1920’s to the ‘50’s. These are darker, edgier full-length novels. 

A voracious reader, Tari’s favorite treat is to turn off her phone and computer and curl up with an un-put-downable book. 

She also believes in happily-ever-afters,

…because she’s living hers.

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by Janice Hardy

Subplots can add depth and resonance to a story, but sometimes, they just knock the whole novel off track.

I’m currently revising two novels. My agent asked me to cut out a fairly large subplot from each of them, which changes a lot of little things in the novel, as well as some major things. Her advice was absolutely spot on, so I don’t begrudge the work, but seeing as I did this twice in a row, it’s made me reevaluate how I’ll plan my own subplots going forward. (And made me go back and read all the posts I’d written on subplots, ’cause clearly, I forgot my own advice *grin*).

When Subplots Don't Work

Subplots have a way of taking over novels. Unnecessary ones steal all the action, distract the protagonist, or in the worst cases, shine brighter than the actual plot. Helpful subplots enhance the story, support the theme, and brighten what’s already there. A truly bad subplot will try to smother the novel in its sleep with a pillow.

The annoying part is…

We can’t always tell which subplot we’re dealing with when they first come to us—is it helpful, unnecessary, or will it murder our story?

Some of the best-looking subplots I’ve ever had were the literary equivalent of will-o-the-wisps—shiny ideas enticing me to follow their light and see where they went. It wasn’t until I was deep in the swamp that I realized I’d been led astray. However, there have been just as many times that bright light led me to a brilliant subplot that brought my entire novel to a new level.

Evaluating Your Subplot

Before you add that subplot to your story, consider if it will help it or hurt it.

1. Will this subplot make the story better or just longer?

A distracting subplot adds more of what you’ve already written, just with different details. It doesn’t add anything new, even if the subplot itself is technically good. All it does is delay the time your protagonist takes to complete her goal. Maybe it’s yet another chase scene, or another example of the protagonist making bad decisions based on emotions, or another person who abandons her when things get tough.

All things readers have already seen.

A good subplot changes your protagonist’s goal, life, or experience in a way that matters to the overall story.

Ask yourself: By the end of this subplot, will readers understand something they didn’t before?

If the subplot doesn’t bring anything new to the story or character, odds are it will abandon you in the woods after weeks of work and make you cut everything associated with it.

2. Does your subplot raise the stakes?

If you’re taking a side trip in the story, that trip should create higher stakes or more tension for your characters. Pinpoint exactly what you gain by this diversion. Maybe it reveals a bigger threat on the horizon, or they formed a bond with someone they don’t want to lose, or they discover a secret that changes how they feel about what they’re trying to do.

Whatever it is, by the end of this subplot, things should be worse for the protagonist than they were before, either internally or externally.

Ask yourself: How will this subplot make things harder for my protagonist?

Be wary if the subplot only shows yet another way the protagonist's life is threatened, or has the same stakes you've already established.

3. Does it require more attention and page space than the main plot?

We often question a subplot because it feels like it’s hijacking the story, or it’s demanding to become the story. If you feel you’ve spent too much time on it, estimate how much more page time you’ll need to wrap it up. If you know it’s going to take another nine chapters of your 27-chapter novel, and drag you further away from your core conflict, that’s a big red flag this might not be the best subplot.

Ask yourself: What about this subplot is drawing me away from the main storyline?

If you’re spending that much time on it, there must be something there you either find compelling, or that you instinctively know the story needs. However, it could also be your subconscious trying to ask you…

3A. Is that subplot the story you really want to tell?

Hey, it happens to us all. We dig into a premise, and as we write, other ideas pour in and we discover something amazing that demands our full attention. Sometimes, we need to write the wrong words to find the right ones.

Ask yourself: Is the subplot the better story?  

For really demanding subplots–it might be worth an objective look to see if the reason it’s getting so much of your attention is because you like it more than your main plot.

4. Does it connect to the theme and/or character arc?

Subplots can tie a story together because they can slip into any aspect of it and make that aspect relevant. This is particularly true with your theme. If your theme is “discovering self-reliance” and your protagonist’s character arc is that she needs to stand up to her mother, you might have a subplot where she has to stand up for herself in a smaller, less threatening way so she can learn how and see she’s capable of doing it.

Ask yourself: Does this subplot show my theme, or help my protagonist learn a valuable lesson?

A novel isn’t just about how the plot unfolds (and this is coming from a hard-core plotter). Subplots are the threads that tie the story to the plot and give it greater meaning.

5. If you cut the subplot, would it change how your protagonist resolved the problem in the end?

Look at the core conflict. This is what your book is ultimately about—the big bad driving your story. This is the problem that readers want to see resolved to their satisfaction. Even if that problem is an internal character arc, the plot is still how the protagonist learns to deal with and fix that internal problem.

Now look at your subplots. There's a good chance these are solid in their own right, even if they don’t fit the bigger picture (which is why they’re so hard to spot and cut). They might even follow interesting characters and create tension and do all the things they're supposed to do.

Ask yourself: Does that subplot relate to/advance/enhance/reveal more about the core conflict in some way that affects the outcome of the story?

An unnecessary subplot won't affect the resolution, because it won't tie into the core conflict. If the protagonist never learned about that subplot, or met the character who has the subplot problem, things would have turned out basically the same.

Final Thought

Going off into the woods can lead us to a wonderful place we’d never have found otherwise, but sometimes, it just leaves us to die alone in the dark.

As long as we pay attention to the path we’re on and where we’re going, we’ll be better equipped to identify the subplots that will make our stories stronger.

Now it's your turn... Has a subplot ever led you astray? Please share your experience with us down in the comments!

About Janice

Janice Hardy is the award-winning author and founder of the popular writing site Fiction University, where she helps writers improve their craft and navigate the crazy world of publishing. Not only does she write about writing, she teaches workshops across the country, and her blog has been recognized as a Top Writing Blog by Writer’s Digest. She also spins tales of adventure for both teens and adults, and firmly believes that doing terrible things to her characters makes them more interesting (in a good way). She loves talking with writers and readers, and encourages questions of all types—even the weird ones.

Find out more about writing at www.Fiction-University.com, or visit her author’s site at www.JaniceHardy.com. Subscribe to her newsletter to stay updated on future books, workshops, and events and receive her ebook, 25 Ways to Strengthen Your Writing Right Now, free.

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by Sarah "Sally" Hamer

What do virtues and vices have to do with plot? Actually, I think they have everything to do with it. At least, if you believe that character arc and plot are similar.

Just like humans, characters have character traits.

We’re smart or sexy or strong. Or we are stubborn and snide. Any of these work, both in positive or negative ways, with thousands more traits to choose from. And, in most books and movies, the protagonist starts with a trait that gets them nowhere, and grows into a better person because of it.

It’s really pretty simple when you think about it. Characters start the story with a problem.

A classic example

Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz is trying to figure out how to keep Toto from being put down because he snapped at the neighbor lady. Dorothy doesn’t have a lot of options at this point. She’s young and inexperienced (eleven or twelve in the actual book) and scared of life. She tries to run away, but that didn’t work. So, the ‘small’ problem of trying to keep Toto alive is taken out of her hands with the big tornado that sends her to Oz. Now, she’s given a much ‘bigger’ problem to deal with.

She has to learn lessons – lessons about how she is also smart, compassionate, and brave – before she realizes that, she does have control over her destiny. Yes, I know the movie takes the problem from ‘keeping Toto alive’ to ‘there’s no place like home’, but ultimately, Dorothy goes from an unhappy and relatively helpless teenager to a strong, compassionate young woman.

She learned. It took a journey – an actual physical one in this particular story – for her to get there, but she learned.

Why is this story memorable?

We talk about about Dorothy's journey over a hundred years later (the books are that old), because it’s so beautifully done.

It’s also known as a character arc. The plot shows her growth, from afraid and helpless to brave and able to make decisions on her own. Without a plot that moved Dorothy through that character arc, there would be no story.

When Character Arc is a Struggle

Why is character arc (and plot) sometimes such a struggle? My theory: it’s because we really don’t know enough about our characters. Often characters come to us – like thieves in the night, they slide into our consciousness, fully formed. But are they really complete? Or do we just know enough to get the story started?

If we don’t really understand WHO our characters are, how can we know WHAT they feel, WHAT they will do, and HOW they will eventually learn enough to make the changes they must?

In other words, where’s the character arc?

Here’s Wikipedia’s definition:

As opposed to the plotline of a story, a character arc, or transformation, or inner journey is a description of what happens to the inside of a character over the course of the story. He begins as one sort of person in the beginning; things happen to and around him, gradually moving him in an "arc" that ends when the story is over.

Clear as mud? Right?

Character arc is simple, if you focus on growth.

We almost always start with character.

Why? Because character is your story. Oh, I realize that each of you could probably name me at least ten books/movies that are plot-driven in less than five minutes. But many, many, many – MOST – good stories start with character.

Let me define my version of character-driven stories:

1. There is a protagonist with a character arc. The character changes something about himself or herself during the story.
2. The story is mostly about that protagonist, although there can be any number of antagonists.
3. There can be more than one protagonist but the main one will have the ‘largest’ character arc.

When "plot" is stronger than "character"

It’s possible to have a story where plot is ‘stronger’ than the character or the character doesn’t change. All of the older James Bond movies are a good example where a character has very little growth – we ALWAYS know that Bond is going to stop the bad guy and get the girl.

The franchise has begun to let Bond have an arc since Daniel Craig took over and probably will continue if they don’t lose their core audience. Since Daniel Craig, Bond CHANGES. And we get to see it.

In fact, certain genres don’t really need a character arc. Usually, these are more action/adventure, thriller-style genres, often preferred by men. Women are more likely to want a character to learn a lesson and grow throughout a story.

Back to Dorothy and her Character Arc

Going back to Dorothy, because this part of the story is solid and easily understandable. She wanted to find a happy place, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” where bluebirds fly and the wicked witch next door doesn’t want to kill her dog. Dorothy runs away to protect Toto but just gets herself in more problems.

She starts out as a sensitive, passive, insecure child who allows others to push her around. We see her make decisions based on what other people tell her to do:

• “Follow the yellow brick road."
• “Talk to the Wizard in the Emerald City – the Wizard knows everything.”
• “Bring me the witch’s broom.”

During the story, we watch her mature and grow. She begins to make her own decisions and, when the Wizard refuses to help her after she brings thewitch's broom back, she stands up to him and demands that he keep his promise.

This is my favorite part of the movie – instead of being a supplicant like she was the first time, now she marches in, burnt broom held like a drum majorette’s baton and fellow warriors lined up behind her, and demands that he keep his promises. Great scene! Great growth! Great character arc!

 Later, she has to make a choice – will she go back to Kansas without Toto when the hot air balloon takes off, or will she jump out and (once more) protect Toto? As a reward for her courage and new-found understanding of what’s important to her, she gets to go home with Toto.

Way to go, Dorothy!

Final Thoughts

I used The Wizard of Oz because the character arc in this story is very clear. Our heroine starts out as a wimpy, unhappy child. Her journey to a mystical and dangerous world gives her multiple opportunities to grow up and prove that she is both worthy and capable. We believe in her by the time she clicks her heels together.

Now it's your turn.

• What are your characters’ traits?
• Do they grow throughout the story?

Remember, a character can even “ungrow,” in that a character’s arc does NOT have to be positive, even though a lot of readers prefer that. Even Darth Vader’s arc is in a positive direction. But some bad guys just get worse, so “de-volving” works too.

How do you use character traits to create a character? Do you have an example to share, from your own characters or from another book or movie that you love? Please share it down in the comments!

About Sarah

Sarah (Sally) Hamer, B.S., MLA, is a lover of books, a teacher of writers, and a believer in a good story. Most of all, she is eternally fascinated by people and how they 'tick'. She’s passionate about helping people tell their own stories and has won awards at both local and national levels, including two Golden Heart finals.

A teacher of memoir, beginning and advanced creative fiction writing, and screenwriting at Louisiana State University in Shreveport for over twenty years, she also teaches online for Margie Lawson at www.margielawson.com and for the No Stress Writing Academy at https://www.worldanvil.com/w/classes-deleyna/a/no-stress-writing-academy.  Sally is a free-lance editor and book coach, with many of her students and clients becoming successful, award-winning authors.

You can find her at info@mindpotential.org

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