Corset Writing

I could have called this "Tight Writing" but the corset thing really was more fun, don't you think?

What is tight writing? Er, Corset Writing?

Okay, okay, tight writing shows when a writer can take an incident, no matter how small, then use that incident to mold the characters action or reaction later on.

For example. Your heroine wakes up to a beautiful morning. All is well until. . .she spills a bowl of cereal down the front of her silk suit. Now she is rushing to clean up the mess, change, and get to work on time.

Later, Mr. Right comes up to her as she is busily working on the computer. She's in no mood to melt into a puddle because the spill made her late for work and the boss noticed. So Mr. Right's conversation starter is shot down by heroine's terse responses. Then Mr. Right does something sweet. He makes a paper airplane and flies it into her cubicle with an invitation to lunch scrawled on the wing. Heroine's irritation begins to melt away. . .

Ahhhh. . .

Keep in mind, the longer the book, the harder it is to write tight. But every event should have some tie to the main event and show different aspects of your main character's personality.

Winners of last weeks contest: Bluerose AND Angie. Oh, and Lisa can have a book too. She is my fan club.

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Do Not Disturb, I'm Disturbed Enough!

It happens. People look at me with wide-eyed wonder when I tell them I'm a published author. Sometimes I think it's really cool too. But weeks like this make me wonder if there is something else I could do that pays more money for the amount of work (and stress!) this career path can generate.

This week, for example, I received galleys that needed proofed for my second historical. Then two background outlines were requested, one for my third cozy, which was written so long ago that I couldn't even remember the storyline! The other outline was for my second historical. To top it off, I had a request for a full manuscript that meant I needed to pump out 25,000 extra words. . .

In.

Six.

Days.

Now, besides eating and sleeping, I like to live a little. You know, nothing fancy, but going to church is a must, which meant one of those six days was. . .shall we say, rather unproductive. I think I logged a little over 700 words. Reality check:

24,300 words.

In.

Five.

Days.

Now remember. This request for a full manuscript does not guarantee a contract. No. Not at all. As a matter of fact, five days of commiting my life to my laptop will more than likely mean rejection.

Are.

We.

Having.

Fun.

Yet?

My brain is mush. I have 3,000 more words to go. I need inspiration. Encouragement. A shoulder to cry on. So, a copy of my latest romance to the person who can make me smile the biggest. Because I love you. And because my lips don't remember what an upward curve feels like. (See? I'm in really bad shape!)

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Backstory 101 ~ Backstory Ascends Its Throne

August 24, 2010

If you'll remember from last week, we talked about how to hint at backstory (events that occur previous to chapter one) within your story. Today we will take that same example and build on it to show the importance of *knowing* your character's backstory before you begin writing. It adds depth to your character/s. Layers. Think onion.

LAST WEEK: A woman who has endured abuse in the past at the hands of her spouse is sitting at a table as he rants and raves. Remember, on paper, the reader knows nothing of this woman or of this man. They don't even know that she has been abused in the past. Yet. What we are going to do is SHOW through her actions and reactions to her spouse that she has endured violence at the hands of her husband before.

Mary focused on the vein in Larry's forehead. The one that always swelled in direct proportion to the build of Larry's anger. She gripped the edges of the kitchen chair with her hands and dared not stare down at the rough wood boards of the table.
"Listen to me!" he snapped and pounded the table.
Her spine stiffened and she purposely blanked her expression. Fear swam in the back of her throat, an oily taste that worked her gag reflex.
Larry jammed his face up next to hers. "That's the problem, you never listen to me."
He grabbed her upper arms with all the strength of a construction worker.

Today we'll add to this. Let's take one aspect of the woman's backstory, her job, and tell me how what she does for a living is going to affect her actions and reactions to yet another one of her husband's tantrums.

1)How would the woman's job as CEO of a company affect her reaction?

2)How would she react if her job was that of a janitor?

3)Same scenario, but she is a scientist?

4)What if she is unemployed?

Really give this some thought. What you're doing is seeing how one tiny aspect of a character's life, something the reader will not know about that person right off, can vary their action/reaction. Why is this, and how does it help deepen characterization?

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