You are reading: Vol 3 Issue 1: January/February 2003
| In this issue: About Lord Thrale Trivia Question with Amusing Answer Carolyn's Projects Questions and Answers Tips for Writers End Notes |
New Contest! Win a Free Copy of Lord Ruin. Free Bookmarks |
Happy Valentine's Day
Lord Ruin, December 2002, Leisure Books. In honor of my author's copies arriving at long last, I'm giving away another three copies of Lord Ruin. Plus, I have bookmarks to give away.
Why is Anne called "The Divine Sinclair?"
Hah! This is a trick question. In my original manuscript (MS), Emily was "The Divine Sinclair" and Anne was just, well, plain old Anne. The person (not me) who wrote the blurb for the back cover (which I thought was very well done, by the way) mistakenly thought Anne was "The Divine Sinclair" and wrote the back cover copy accordingly. Oops! My editor at Dorchester came up with a good solution for this, which was to call Emily "The Angelic Sinclair" and add a couple of references to Anne as "The Divine Sinclair."
Interestingly enough, a similar thing happened to me with my first book, Passion's Song (St. Martin's Press). Alexander, my hero in that book, is a Marquess, but the back of the book referred to him as a devilish duke. Sheesh. Come to think of it, the cover of Stolen Love has a wonderful setting that shows Nicholas and Elizabeth in an orchid filled conservatory. The problem? Well, Nicholas is an orchid collector, but the story takes place in 1844 and they're dressed in Regency fashions!
Thrale had so far danced exactly three times. Twice with Emily and once with Lucy. This last with Anne made his fourth. He spoke hardly at all of Emily, instead amusing her with a recitation of Lucy's many perceived faults. Her sister, he told her, was a scatterbrained female who wasn't safe even sitting on a chair. Meet Lord Thrale
The Spare is coming along splendidly. (Hope I didn't just jinx everything.) I'm gathering in the threads, tightening the weave and creating the emotional complexity I just love to have leaping off the page. I really, really like my hero and heroine, Sebastian and Olivia. Stories in the planning stages won't change much until I'm done with The Spare. The List and The Barbarian. But, what about Devon and Emily? Lucy and Thrale? Ben and Mary? Stay tuned.
How do you think up stories?
I wish I could say they come to me fully formed, accompanied by a blinding flash of light and hours of inspiration. I start with what feels like an emotionally interesting combination of hero and heroine, and I build a story around that. Broad strokes are easy, but the devil is in the details and I've found I need to give up the broad strokes of the concept once the details point me in a different direction.
Ok, but what exactly does that mean?
The Spare had a truly wretched beginning as a story about the daughter of a duke long in love with her best friend's husband. (Ouch, this really hurts) The wife passes away, in backstory, mind you, and, oh, well. It was just really a bad idea and I wish I'd let go of it sooner. The core of the story is about a couple who think they're unsuited for each other but aren't. And there you have "The Spare." Ghosts and all. I want to babble on about Sebastian but that would take me 450 pages. Too long for a newsletter.
Ask Carolyn a question. She promises a personal reply. Suggestions about what you'd like to see in the newsletter would be greatly appreciated.
Getting Unstuck when you're Stuck
Lord Ruin was stuck for some time, by which I mean it just wasn't working and I was spending a lot of time rewriting scenes that didn't work. Great writing. Boring scene. It's easy for me to see that now, but at the time, I couldn't see the forest for the trees. Here's some tips on what to do when the thought of reading your story makes you feel like a wet noodle:
If you're bored, the reader's bored.
Do NOT repeat DO NOT look outside your story for an explanation of the problem. It's not the weather, it's not the time of year. It's not that no one understands your story. And it's not that your pants are too tight and you need to get more exercise. It's the story. Luckily, you're writing it, and you do have complete and utter control over the decisions YOU make.
When you've identified a scene that doesn't work, re-write with the opposite in mind. If the characters are disagreeing, have them agree. If they agree, have them disagree.
Who's in your scene? If it's not your H/H, then the scene had better have something big at stake for them. Yes, it's fine to have scenes without your main characters, but Romances are about two people falling in love, so it's better to have them both present than not. If your scene doesn't have one or both, consider getting them there.
Don't delay. If it's not working, fix it now. Do not write a scene in support of one that isn't working. Delete it or re-write it. Every moment you wait before fixing the problem is another moment when your problem continues to affect your entire story and your optimism about it. As a side note, I never really delete a chapter, I just tuck it away in the "This didn't work" section. Occasionally, I'll pull out sections and use them in the new chapters. The Spare has 27 files that I've decided didn't work.
Visit Carolyn's Workshop for more tips on writing.
Last Romance Novels read: The Bridemaker by Rexanne Becnel (Week including January 20) Twisted Shadows by Patricia Potter (Week of January 20) An Honorable Man by Rosemary Rogers (Week of January 20), Dancing at Midnight by Julia Quinn (Week of January 27) The Famous Heroine and An Unacceptable Offer by Mary Balogh. (week of January 27)
Last non-romance Novel read: Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan (Week of January 13)
School: Lives on the Boundary, a Moving Account of the Struggles and Achievements of America's Educationally Underprepared by Mike Rose
Carolyn Jewel
P.O. Box 750431
Petaluma CA 94975-0431
Last Updated: 2.11.2003