Party On!

If you've been around this blog for awhile, you know that I occasionally take late night walks. On these walks, I sometimes see interesting things or get a little scare, but even if I don't, I tend to come away with tons of story ideas or to have worked out a story issue I was having.

The other day I took one of my late night walks (it's been super rainy here lately, which is weird for us, and the other night was actually clear!) While I didn't observe anything fascinating, I did walk by a party. On the one hand, I was happy they were out on the porch, as it meant there were people who were a) conscious, and b) in a position to hear me, say, scream should anything happen on this late night walk. Yes, I think about those things, and I know I shouldn't go on late night walks, but they soothe me and open up my creativity. And sometimes that is my only opportunity to get out for a walk or any type of exercise.

Courtesy of Stephanie, clker.com

Back to the party, it made me think about how parties can be used in your writing for various purposes. For instance, having a character interact with folks one way, then completely change their behavior in privacy can tell you about that character pretty quickly. And even if you don't change anything once they get away from everyone, you can still learn plenty about them. Are they bubbly and outgoing? Shy and reserved? Do they feel threatened or get aggressive? Are they highly competent and professional? Are they putting on the party? Crashing it? Or are they being forced to attend due to a relationship, friendship, or work?

A party scene can also help you introduce several characters at once, giving us a hint about who it is we should follow and become invested in. Harry is highly personable, organized the entire event, and was the life of the party. Betty skulked in the shadows, cast fake smiles at anyone who spoke to her, and left early. Ramin was friendly, albeit reserved, chatted with folks and showed interest in what they had to say, but was relieved when the evening came to a close. We've just met three characters, and if you write the scene properly, you should actually have been able to show their personalities through their actions and reactions, rather than telling us their personality traits or situations.

Courtesy of Camaher, clker.com

The type of party can also say a lot about the setting and characters. Is it a raucous, drunken orgy of energy? A sophisticated, highbrow affair? A dinner party? A barbecue? A kegger? What type of house is it being held in? What is the general setting? A field? An apartment? What's being served? Is there hired help or a frantic hostess? Even better if you can immediately set a time period for the story. Are they wearing hoop skirts, evening gowns, or poodle skirts?

Interactions between folks can also lead to the sharing of quite a bit of information. Conversations can reveal backstory, establish relationships, and lead the story forward. A character can discover clues or additional information they might not have gotten otherwise. Discoveries can be made.

Not only can information be established, but so can relationships. Did Betty glare at Ramin the entire time she was there? Did Harry look at Betty with lustful eyes or with deep love that isn't returned, because she never notices him or pays any attention to him? Is Ramin carefully studying Harry out of the corner of his eye, maybe reporting into a hidden microphone?

I'm sure I could keep going, but the point of it is, parties can be a great tool in your writing toolbox. If you're struggling with presenting some information, consider throwing a party! In your book, anyway.

Have you used a party in your writing? What did it help you establish? Can you think of other ways it could be used to help your story?

May you find your Muse.

Craft Book Recommendation - Writing With Emotion, Tension, & Conflict

I was contacted by a mutual friend several months ago asking if I'd review a new book, Writing Emotion, Tension, & Conflict: Techniques for Crafting an Expressive and Compelling Novel, by Cheryl St. John. Full disclosure: I was sent a free copy to read for the review.

"Today's highly competitive fiction market requires writers to imbue their novels with that special something - an element that captures readers' hearts and minds. In Writing With Emotion, Tension & Conflict, writers will learn vital techniques for writing emotion into their characters, plots and dialogue in order to instill that special something into every page."

There were several things I really like about this book. First, Cheryl stresses from the very beginning that different things work for different folks, so she didn't write this book to tell us what to do, so much as how to figure out what works for us as individuals. This isn't a "my way or the highway" book. She provides writing exercises that involve watching movies or television shows, in addition to reading other books. In fact, she uses examples from these different mediums, which I think is a great way to get across the meaning of what she's saying to an array of folks. Not only does she recommend books/movies, but she points out what to look for in them and cites her own examples in spots. 

Hearkening back to what I said about her stressing different strokes for different folks, she was good about pointing out examples of what worked for her and what worked for other people she had spoken with. If there were different ways to do something, she pointed out different examples and why those worked for others.

Cheryl St. John has been writing for awhile, and has quite a few books under her belt (over 50). She uses this experience to tell new writers how she did things in the beginning and how those methods have metamorphosed for her with experience. This is something that could easily come across as condescending, but not in the way she does it. What it does accomplish is a little background that lets us know not to get discouraged, that we will all find our way to a system that works for us, and that the way to get there is experience, persistence, and flexibility. And it lets us know that even someone with this many books out, an award winner, is always learning as she moves forward with her writing career.

The book is separated into clear sections, as outlined at the beginning in the Table of Contents. When she deals with Conflict, she stresses the difference between things like conflict vs. incidents or conflict vs. misunderstandings/disagreements. She addresses GMC (Goals, Motivation, & Conflict), an important combination in writing. Of importance, she talks about how to make the conflict realistic. When talking about Emotion, she goes into POV (point-of-view), emotional triggers, characterization, and dialogue. And for Tension, which is addressed in the other areas, as well, she not only discusses how to create that tension, but how to sustain it and show it in your writing.

Her tone throughout the book is friendly and encouraging. She laces fun book and movie quotes throughout. The exercises she provides are useful (not just busy work) and interesting, and she provides asides in boxes to the side when a little something extra is needed. Her examples all work to reinforce what she's trying to teach the reader. I came away from this book with a better understanding of quite a bit, including external vs. internal conflict, something I struggle with identifying. And I had several revelations while reading. I highly recommend this book as a craft and reference book for your writing area. This is one I'll keep nearby to help me when I'm struggling with something.

Just a couple quotes from the Introduction and first chapter to give some examples:

"Feeling tells you what to say. Technique gives you the tools with which to say it." Intro, P. 5

"In order to have conflict, your character must have a goal and his goal must be believable. The believability factor comes from motivation." Chapter 1, P. 13

"This is an important lesson to remember: It's effective to eliminate all possibility that the character could go back to life as usual. He can no longer return to an ordinary world." Chapter 1, P. 15

Cheryl St.John is the author of over forty Harlequin and Silhouette books. Her first book, RAIN SHADOW was nominated for RWA’s RITA for Best First Book, by Romantic Times for Best Western Historical, and by Affaire de Coeur readers as Best American Historical Romance. Since then she's received several RITA nominations and three Romantic Times Achievement Awards. In describing her stories of second chances and redemption, readers and reviewers use words like, “emotional punch, hometown feel, core values, believable characters and real life situations."

Cheryl is admittedly blog crazy. She has a personal blog, From the Heart, a recipe blog, and a blog that follows a home remodel. She guest blogs whenever and wherever she's asked, and blogs monthly at Petticoats and Pistols.

You can purchase Writing With Emotion, Tensions, & Conflict at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble in paperback and e-book. 

What's your favorite craft book? Have you read anything by Cheryl St. John? Do you feel you have a strong grasp of tension, emotion, and conflict? Are you familiar with GMC?

May you find your Muse.

Creating Villains - A Guest Post and Book Release From Nicole Zoltack!

Today is release day for Nicole Zoltack and White Hellebore! She's stopping by really quick for a guest post on Creating Villains.

I find villains to be more intriguing characters than heroes, if the villain is created properly. So how does one make a villain everyone loves?

First, villains should not be just evil, just like heroes shouldn't be only good. Real life comes in shades of gray, so should villains.

Second, villains need to have backstory, too. They are villains for a reason. Remember, villains think they are the heroes in their stories. Make us understand where they are coming from, even if we don't agree with their methods.

Third, villains should be memorable. They're more than killing machines with witty one-liners. They have a mission, a quest, a goal. They may be single-minded, but we need to understand their inner workings to be truly terrified by them.

What villain is your favorite and why?

After destroying Skull Krusher, Nicholas Adams thinks Falledge is safe and becomes a security guard at the museum, watching a valuable statue. Unfortunately, the Egyptian statue houses the soul of a scorned witch, biding her time to have her revenge on the descendants of her cheating lover.

Kiya the witch isn't the only new foe in town as the drug that created Skull Krusher has now transformed a scientist into yet another monster, forcing Nicholas to don his Black Hellebore mask again and save Falledge.

Nicholas has no help this time as Kiya gains possession of his love Julianna's body and brings the soul of Justina, Nicholas's high school sweetheart and Julianna's twin, with her. Despite himself, Nicholas is torn between the sisters. If he can't stop the fiends from taking over the world and destroying humankind, he'd never be able to find lasting, true love.

Add it on Goodreads! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21912639-white-hellebore

Find it on Amazon.

Nicole Zoltack loves to write in many genres, especially romance, whether fantasy, paranormal, or regency. When she’s not writing about knights, superheroes, or zombies, she loves to spend time with her loving husband and three energetic young boys. She enjoys riding horses (pretending they’re unicorns, of course!) and going to the PA Renaissance Faire, dressed in garb. She’ll also read anything she can get her hands on. Her current favorite TV show is The Walking Dead. To learn more about Nicole and her writing, visit http://NicoleZoltack.blogspot.com.

Thanks for stopping by, Nicole, and good luck with White Hellebore's release!