Birth of a Novel: The Outline

Pantsers! 
Plotters!
Pantsers!
Plotters!

Yes, yes, yes. These two groups work very differently and never the twain shall meet...or shall they? Most authors claim to be either a "fly by the seat of the pants" kind of writer or a strictly disciplined outliner who plots every single scene. I think in reality most of us lean one way, but borrow techniques from the other side as well. Call me Ms. Pants-a-plot...wait, don't call me that. That just sounds wrong.

Anyhoo, for my current WIP titled PINCH OF THIS, I have an outline. I did character sketches of Jennifer and William, my heroine and hero. I made sure I understood the theme which is basically "where ever you go, there you are." I really got into the motivating force so that their wild explorations make sense to the reader. There is a definite climax to the story (no pun intended, lol) and I know what each character must learn to get to the conclusion. I've outlined the book from start to finish and I'm ready to jump into the thick of it. That being said...the best laid schemes of mice and plotters...

I believe for a story to have the ring of truth to it, it has to evolve organically. Yes, I can force my will onto the story, but then it reads as forced. No matter what I think I understand about my characters and the place they need to go, I always learn something along the way and there's inevitably something about the book that has to change. It is then that I deviate from the outline (or sometimes throw it out altogether) and let the book take me where it needs to go. I've done more introspection and learned about myself and the world around me mucking around in the fictional space between my ears. It's great therapy and a lot cheaper too...not that I need therapy...hey, who said, "Yes, you do!"

Anyway, the point is that if I had to choose a camp, I'd call myself a plotter but I think it is important to give yourself the freedom to work in the manner that serves the needs of the manuscript. If that means working outside your comfort zone, all the better. An art professor once told me (and I do consider writers to be artists), in the midst of creation, if you're scared and off balance, that's exactly where you should be.

Also, if there's one thing I've learned: At some point my characters will have an uprising and Jennifer and William will take charge of who they want to be. Ahhh, characters and their wily ways, but I'll get to those slippery buggers next time. Until then, keep writing!

Cheers,
Cindy

On a sixty degree day, I found my Christmas spirit

The taste of peppermint, the scent of evergreens and holly, the sight of children excitedly awaiting Santa, the sound of jingle bells, the nip of winter in the air--these things speak of Christmas to me. Okay...so four out of five ain't bad. Today, on a warmer than usual December day, I found my holiday spirit.

It was one of those accidentally perfect days. My son and I were watching cartoons this morning and one show portrayed a Christmas parade.

"Hey--" he turned to me-- "when is our Christmas parade?"

The lovely little Northern Virginia town we live in has several annual parades, Christmas being among them.

"I don't know," I said. "I bet it's soon, though. Let me check."

I'm usually more on top of these things, but it's been a hectic autumn and a few details had slipped through the cracks. A check of the town website confirmed my suspicions--the Christmas parade was scheduled for today.

Quickly, we changed out of our jammies and headed out the door. The parade route is within walking distance and so is a cluster of local boutiques and the farmer's market. We decided to hit the trifecta and visit them all.

First we hit the Ben Franklin store. Yes, our little town still has a Ben Franklin. I love this place because it has a whole section of crafts for sale from local artisans. It also still has a coin operated rocking horse. I don't know what I'll do when DS gets too grown-up to beg for fifty cents to take a ride.

We purchased a couple of gifts and got each of us a pair of twinkle light glasses. Mine make the lights look like snowflakes, my son's create the illusion of tiny reindeer.

Then we strolled over to the Farmers Market. It's a wonderful collection of local artists, crafters, micro-vineyards and breweries, not to mention the actual farmers. We bought a peck of freshly harvested apples then munched on one while we waited for the main event.

As usual, the parade was uplifting. Not only are the emergency vehicles all in lights a joy to see, as are the floats, but it's wonderful to gather with our friends and neighbors to celebrate this beautiful place we call home.

Toward the end of the parade--just before the big man in red showed up--a girl scout handed me a candy cane and wished me a merry Christmas. I returned the greeting and watched her skip away to catch up with her troop. Once I popped the confection into my mouth and the uniquely candy cane peppermint flavor coated my tongue, I knew I was hooked--pun intended.

On the walk home, my son and I sang Christmas carols and put a dent in his parade candy. For me...the holiday season has truly began.

Happy holidays!
Cindy
http://cindyjacks.com/

Birth of a Novel: Conception

The question I heard a lot last month during my NaNoWriMo journey was: How do you do it--how do you write a complete novel?

Well, unfortunately there is no formula that works for every writer or heck, even for every manuscript. However, since I'm beginning a new project, I thought it would be fun (and hopefully informative) to show you what I go through with each and every book. Some stages are easy, some are as painful as giving birth...okay, so NOTHING is as painful as giving birth, but it's damn near as bad.

To begin with, you gotta have an idea, that spark of inspiration that lights the whole fire. The novel I'm completing this month is titled PINCH OF THIS. It will be (fingers crossed) part of a series called SPICE RACK which another author invited me to join. There are two requirements to fit into this series:
1. The couple featured in the book have to be married and need to add a little spice to the relationship. At the end of the book, they have to remain in a committed monogamous marriage, but guests in the bedroom are allowed to "spice" things up as long as they do not become a permanent part of the relationship.
2. The story has to include The Spice Rack, an item sold in department stores and other locations that one would buy gifts. Instead of holding actual spices, the jars have suggestions to spice up one's life. The couple has to use this item as a catalyst for change.

This is a little bit different way to come up with a story line because the starting point has already been decided for me. Usually ideas will just hit me out of the blue and then it's up to me to figure out the specifics. For this one, I had to brainstorm a little. I thought--married couple, spices, bored with themselves and their lives--and instantly thought of travel. Literally sampling different spices from various regions of the world. From there it wasn't hard to come up with a couple who have retired early, are financially well off, but--due to their pursuit of a comfortable life--never indulged in the travel to exotic places they planned to as young lovers. So, how to make this romantic and erotic? While they're sampling the local cuisine, they'll also sample the sexual culture of the location as well.

After this initial concept, the outline wrote itself, but that's spilling over into the next blog entry: The Outline. Love it or hate it, it's a useful tool, even if you only make broad strokes to guide your journey.

Cheers,
Cindy

Anaїs Nin and The Delta of Venus--Jacqueline George

Please welcome back my guest, Jacqueline George, paying tribute to Anaїs Nin. ~Cindy

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Anaїs Nin and The Delta of Venus

Have you heard of Anaїs Nin? If you are reading this, you really should have. If you enjoy a spicy romantic book now and again, you should offer a quiet thank you as you read. If you can have an intelligent conversation about modern sex and relationships, you should probably thank her too.

Who was she? In 1903, a girl was born in Paris to two sophisticated artists. Her parents could be described as Cuban-French, although they could probably support several other labels instead. Anaїs was brought up in France, but died an American. Her early life was turbulent, and her first jobs at the age of sixteen were as an artist’s model in New York. In 1923, she married her first husband in Havana, and moved back to Paris.

This was the Paris of the twenties, a wonderful, frenetic place, full of artists, writers, poets and their various hangers-on. Dali, Chagall and Picasso were there, with writers like Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald, Dos Passos, Baldwin, Gertrude Stein, and Pound. I will not even start on the poets and philosophers. It must have been a great time to sit in those uniquely Parisian cafes and discuss everything the new century had to offer.

Among the people talking and thinking were Anaїs and her new friend Henry Miller (famous for The Tropic of Capricorn, and other sexually loaded books). Anaїs was drawn to the subject of sex. Then she lived in the apartment of an American man who was away for the summer, and discovered a stock of French erotica. One by one, I read these books, which were completely new to me. She later said I had never read erotic literature in America… They overwhelmed me. I was innocent before I read them, but by the time I had read them all, there was nothing I did not know about sexual exploits… I had my degree in erotic lore.

Anaїs began to write. She turned out a library of material. Her journals, deeply introspective, covered 1931 to 1974 and are a goldmine for historians. Her fiction interests me more, both for its delicate sexiness and for the intriguing hints of a wide and sexy life. She seems to have had a go at nearly every literary and artistic figure of her age, and often included their wives in the party. She managed to run two unwitting husbands in America, one on the east coast and one on the west. Her exploits with Henry Miller were almost certainly wild and adventurous, but we are never quite sure how far they went. After all, in those years ladies did not admit to such things.

 

She says she took up erotic writing because she was poor and starving in New York. That might have been true, but the experiences she was writing about came from the decadence and free-loving of Paris in the twenties. Perhaps her most famous and accessible books are The Delta of Venus and Little Birds. Treat yourself to them this Christmas. They are full of erotic snapshots, gentle, rewarding, sometimes frustrating, always deeply true. I first read them half a life time ago, and they still excite me. I am jealous of her imagination, and even more of the fun she must have had before putting pen to paper.

Anaїs died in America in 1977. I wonder if she looked back on her life and realised that she had made a difference, that she had contributed to freeing women and giving them back their sexuality. The fact that we can now read and write and think about erotic romance is, in part at least, a tribute to her.

 

Jacqueline lives in Far North Queensland, on the shore of the Coral Sea. She keeps herself busy with her cats and garden, and by writing books - some of which are far too naughty for her own good. You can find out more about Jacqueline and her books at www.jacquelinegeorgewriter.com