Updating!

I've had a couple of requests to pick up the blogging again...so here I am. I'm leaving some of the old posts that have links or good info and I'm weeding out the ones that are irrelevant. I'll pick up from there. If you have anything specific you would like to discuss, please add a comment or send me a message.

For those who do not know, I've gone back to work full time so I'm not writing near as much as I would like to. Time is always in short supply and energy even shorter supply. We are still homeschooling the youngest three children and that is going well. The oldest is through with school and trying to figure out what he wants to be when he grows up.

Thank you for all your prayers and support over the last year. This has been the most difficult year in all of our married years, I do believe.

So gather 'round, settle in, and let's talk writing!

Formula Fiction

As I've studied writing, I've come across the term 'Formula Fiction' many times. I decided to find out just what formula everyone is using to write their best selling books. But, alas, there is no magic formula after all. So that you don't get your hopes up only to have them deflate like a day old balloon, I will share my great knowledge and understanding of 'formula fiction' with you. (I'm being facetious.)

Wikipedia describes formula fiction as "literature in which the storylines and plots have been reused to the extent that the narratives are predictable. It is similar to genre fiction, which identifies a number of specific settings that are frequently reused. The label of formula fiction is used in literary criticism as a mild pejorative to imply lack of originality."

This definition left me wondering what the difference between genre fiction and formula fiction was exactly. I found this statement on ArticleWorld: Genre versus formula
"While formula fiction is often found in genre writing, they are not the same thing. A genre operates with a set of conventions that readers are familiar with and do not need explained – say, the aristoratic English detective or the divorced, lonely, alcoholic cop, the murder of a seemingly harmless person or the inexplicable theft of a trinket, and the overheard conversation, the eagle eye, and the mislaid mail – and work a compelling but not entirely predictable story around them. Well-regarded genre fiction has an emotional depth or finesse in literary technique that formula fiction lacks. Characters are round, plots unique, and language near literary, or at least not riddled with clichés."

A commenter on Science Fiction and Fantasy Novelists made this statement: "I think it’s more a matter of just satisfying expectations. A mystery is presented, it had better be resolved. And that governs everything from what’s behind the door being opened in the first paragraph of a story to the fate of the world in an alien invasion. Every time a question pops up, whether it is a question involving plot, character, or setting, it must be satisfied by the end of the story or there’s no satisfaction. A reader expects a resolution, and will wait for it happily (if not impatiently) once the mystery is presented. At its most basic, I think a “formula” is just a successful balancing act that creates the most satisfying wait between the presentation of a question/problem and it’s solution."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

As an unpublished author I have piles of how-to books. None of them give a specific 'formula' for writing but all of them give advice on what the reader is expecting when he or she picks up a book. If you're writing a mystery there must be an aha moment when the bad guy is revealed. If you're writing a romance there must be a happily ever after. Whatever genre you're writing for, the readers are looking for a specific outcome. And as writers we are writing for the reader. It's the journey that must be different or unique. The characters must have something about them that the readers connect with. The plot must hold their attention. The dialogue must be realistic. But in the end the story must come to the conclusion that the reader desires.

I do sometimes wish I could find a fill-in-the-blank 'formula' and give them to some of the best-selling authors. I think it would be interesting to see how similar or different the stories end up being. But, as I said earlier, I haven't found a specific formula fill-in-the-blank thing. (If you have one feel free to send it my way.) The closest thing I've found is Lester Dent's Master Fiction Plot, though it is for a 6000 word story, not a novel, and is not a fill-in-the-blank.

Desire

I've read an interesting article on Brandilyn Collins' Blog: Forensics & Faith: Sagging Middles & Desire

Intensity

I'm back to work on the book I started during my novel writing month. I've figured out that I need to tweak the plot a bit to make the conflict a bit more...conflicting? What I found was that in trying to be very careful not to make the story too complex, for fear that I would not finish the story, I made it too shallow. So now I'm going back in and adding subplots and amping up the conflict a bit.

It is definitely going to be a Suspensful Romance. The main story line centers on the solution to the danger surrounding the main character instead of the romance. The romance is there but is not the main story line.

Here is a link to a post on Forward Motion Writer's Community dealing with plot that I've found useful. If your not a member, it's free and there is a ton of information over there. (No, I don't get paid for endorsement.)

I would also like to share with you an excerpt of the book Stein on Writing by Sol Stein. In chapter 6, on page 85, Mr. Stein says this, "If you have some concern about the intensity of your plot, ask yourself, Does the conflict you've invented involve the best possible thing that could happen to your protagonist? Is what happens a surprise to anyone? Could you make it surprising by setting up an action and then showing the opposite of what your reader is likely to expect?"

Do you want to know where the story is going, or be so riveted through the twists and turns that when you've finished you feel that little thrill of accomplishment along with the characters of the story? I dislike predictable stories. My daughter and I compare notes on books we've both read. We see who figured out what first. Very rarely do we get to the end of a book and not know what's coming. Those few times that we are surprised are great. That's the experience that I want my readers to have.

Idea File

In the last post I mentioned an idea file. You do have one don't you? Full of little slips of paper, napkins, paper bags, and photos of your hands? You know, where you needed to write something down and couldn't find anything to write on, so you used your hand, and since you couldn't cut your hand off and file it (how would you type the next Great American Novel with one hand?) you grabbed your cell phone or digital camera and took a picture? Oh, maybe I'm the only one.

An idea file could be anything. It could literally be a file, or files, in a filing cabinet, a box of index cards, spiral notebooks, whatever works for you. Any time you have this great or crazy or weird idea, you write it down and file it away. Then, when you need inspiration, or when your stuck, you pull our your idea file and seek inspiration. Maybe you use what's there or maybe what's there sparks another idea, and off you go.

Every writer needs an idea file or inspiration file. Those little nuggets usually add up to something very promising. What or where is your idea file?

If you have suggestions for future topics or questions you'd like to ask, use the comment button below.

Ideas

Over the past several weeks I've been thinking, or composting as one writer states it, ideas for new novels. Do I start with an idea? Or a character? Maybe just a picture of a certain place in my mind?

For me it could be any of the above. The idea for the novel I started during the Novel Writing Month was sparked by a scene: A woman working at a bookstore finds a book about stalking on the floor of the store. When she bends to pick it up, she notices what appears to be a piece of paper protruding from the pages. As she takes the object in her hands she realizes it's a photo, and to her shock, it is a photo of her, taken through the window of the shop. This begs questions. Who took the photo? Why? Who is this woman? What does she do about it?

Another way stories have been inspired for me is through the visualization of a character. An old woman who always sits on the same bench in the park. Her hair is white, her eyes a faded blue. Why is she sitting there? Did she promise someone she would wait there? Is she looking for someone in the faces of the people passing by? Is she a scout for a band of theives?

Then there is the starting point of just having a picture of a place in my mind's eye. Maybe it's the sunset over a vineyard. Who's eyes are seeing this view and how did they get there?

If your idea sparks enough questions, you can then sort those questions and answers into a plot. If you begin asking questions but they peter out quickly then ask yourself if there is something you could change or tweak to make it better. If not, don't toss the idea out. Put it aside in your idea file and it may fit somewhere else later on.

You do have an idea file don't you? More on that tomorrow.

Pacing

While working on my novel, I am getting a really good lesson in pacing. Pacing is the flow of the book. Some books move along at a snails pace, some move like locomotives. What makes a book feel one way or the other? Pacing.

"The aim of good pacing is to make the entire story an emotional experience for readers."

Have you ever read a book that seemed to go nowhere fast? You like the characters, the story is ok, but you find yourself skimming over sections to try to get to a 'good' part.

Have you ever read a book that's like a free fall? You can't catch your breath. You want to keep reading but you are on sensory overload.

The pace of a story is important. You are leading your reader through events in a specific order and fashion. You are in control of how they will experience each event. The words you choose, dialogue, setting, these are all important, but if the pace of the story is 'off' you will leave your reader less than satisfied.

To read more from the article quoted above you can visit Pacing Your Novel by Roz Denny Fox.