Writing - Choosing a Plot by Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Plot #Mystery #Horror writer #Demise #romance

 

Back to my way of writing.  When I begin, I decide what kind of book I plan to write. This time, I wanted to start a new mystery series and several things were buzzing in my thoughts. I decided rather than a straight mystery, I wanted this series to have a developing romance along with the mystery. Then came the idea for the first one in this series. I needed a title before I began.

I'm funny this way, but I need to have a title before I can begin the book. I knew the dead man was a horror writer. A number of titles flashed in my thoughts. Finally I decided on the Horror Writer's Demise. Not sure why that stuck in my head. Then the planning for the book began. 

Setting became the Hudson Valley and one of the places there was a house that had been turned into a place where writers and other people involved with the arts couldrent a space where they could write. There once was such a place not far from where I live. Not sure if it still exists.

Te Characters came next - Not all of the but they will either increase of combined in versions of the story. The heroine is Valentina Heartley. With a name like that she thinks she should writea romance, especially since there have been no good ones in her life. She does research for professors, attorneys and authors. Her interest is Dane Grant, a local detective and widower. Theyboth have five year old sons. She has a mother who helps her and he has a sister.

What happens next will be my taking these two characters and writing a synopsis of the story. For good or not, I organize my stories completely. At present there are a few questions I need to answer before I can start writing.

That's how I work and the system has evolved over the years since 1968 when I soldmy first story.

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After the Idea, Plot Comes Next by Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #writing #plot

 

 

Once I've spend days of hours with the idea for a book, I then decide what's next. For me, that's the Plot. While there are many types of Plots, I must choose the one that's right for the book. For a fantasy story, I usuallt choose the Quest plot. This emns sending my characters out into the world in search of something. Sometimes a physical thing and sometings more of a growingup quest. These are fun to write.

The story I'm talking about today is pursuing Doctor West. This uses the chase plot. That's often the case of a romance, at least the romances I write and enjoy reading. In this story, Zelda has loved Doctor West since they were children and next door neighbors. Her attempts always seem to be futile. How can she win.  The opening scene shown him returning home as a surgeon and joining and group of doctors. He learns Zelda is the nurse manager of the surgical unit. He wants to avoid her but tha doesn't seem possible. Zelda sees him andknows what she wants. The middle of the book is the chase and her many failures to succeed. Then comes the twsit as the middle comes to an end. Zelda decides she will never succeed and she decides to leave. Suddenly the reverse happens and he decides to chase Zelda.

So having decided on the plot, I begin the process of writing which ever book I've decided to write.

A Plot Is Just A Plan by Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Writing #Plot #Plan

 

Many years ago, more than fifty, I went to hear a NYTimes Best Selling Author speak at an all day event in Pittsburgh. The first thing he said was "A plot is just a plan." The plan is where your characters play their roles. I took this to heart and read books on writing and focused on Plot.

Just what does this mean. Think of the plot of your story being like planning a trip using a road map. There is a starting place. Why are the characters in this particular place? What do they plan? How does the plot and setting effect their decisions and directions.

Once the characters have set off on their way toward the goal they have selected, you come to the middle. This may be where the characters remain on the road or perhaps take a side trip of two. The middle of the plot shows the decisions they make and what changes those decisions may cause.

The end of the journey shows they have either succeeded, failed or changed their initial goal. This includes the crisis, the moment of decision and then the characters leave the plot, happily My Places

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 or sadly but always the road ends in a satisfactory way.

Writing Villains by Priscilla Brown

 

 

 

Scottish laird, Australian  journalist - and villain at work 

https://books2read.com/Dancing-the-Reel 

 

'There's no hero without a villain' 

 (https://www.brainyquotes.com/mark_pellegrino_959913

 

 

How would fairy stories be without their villains?  Hansel and Gretel, Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and many more involve malevolent characters intent on harming the 'hero' or 'heroine' by eating them, denying them something they need or want, or making them stay at home to do the housework.

 I would like the characters in my contemporary romances to be 'nice' people with 'normal' every day  lives.  However, such paragons would not make an interesting strong story, and I need to deal with the challenge (to me) of giving my individuals problems, conflicts, tensions, ups and downs.

Enter villains.

In such a romance, the main characters are heading to a 'happy ever after'. or at least, a 'happy for the time being', and the role of the villain is to set them apart. This troublemaker has a single-minded personal agenda, a motivation for interfering with their developing relationship. On an early draft of Dancing the Reel a critique suggested  that the character I'd built as the villain needed redemption. I was surprised, and had no idea how to redeem her without compromising most of the plot. However, having considered this, I decided that as she was such an unsympathetic personality totally focused own her own ambition and attempting to walk over everyone in her way, redemption would be misplaced. In fact, the very suggestion of it led me to strengthen her personality, actions and dialogue, so that, while still credible within the story, this villain is unlikeable. Ultimately, she fulfilled her necessity to the plot, so I wrote her out in a tactic pertinent to her behaviour and preferred lifestyle. And the hero and heroine eventually arrived at their 'happy ever after'.

Wishing you lots of enjoyable reading, Priscilla

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