What Makes a Novel Memorable? #RR Blog Hop 7/23/16

Topic for July: What makes a novel memorable?

The best stories connect with readers on a visceral level. They transport us to another time and place and put us in a different “skin,” where we face challenges we may never know in life. And yet, the commonality of the story problem draws us onward and, in solving it vicariously through the protagonist, changes us.

Another feature of a memorable story is characters that live off the page. One of the highest compliments I’ve never received for my novel “Lynx”, Rodeo Romance came when one reader told me she thought about my story constantly. She said that Lynx and Rachel’s story seemed so real, so heart wrenching, and their love so very enduring.  She said that she was going through a difficult time in her life and my story gave her hope.  Hope.  Hope for someone during a desperate time—I felt blessed that she shared her story.  I was also humbled.  It is moment such as this that I know just how powerful worlds and stories are to our readers.

While I never sit down at the keyboard and say, “I think I will write a powerful, life-changing story today.”  What I do, by nature, is select a social issue for the core of my stories.  Since my stories are character driven and often told in the first person, the emotion has a natural flow.

How do you create this type of engagement with your story?

Go beyond the five senses.  Your reader must feel your character’s emotions.  Your reader must forget there is a world outside of your story.

Embrace idiosyncrasies.  As teenagers everyone wanted to fit in, be one of the crowd.  Your character isn’t like anyone else.  Give him an unexpected, but believable trait.  In “Here Today, Zombie Tomorrow”, 99-cents for the next week on Amazon.com, my heroine, a Zombie has a pet. Not a zombie pet. Not a dog, or a cat.  She has a teddy bear hamster named Gertie.

Make them laugh. It doesn’t need to be slap-stick.  Just a little comic relief when the reader least expects it to happen.

Make them cry.  Remember the scene in the movie classic, Romancing the Stone, where Joan Wilder is crying when she writes the final scene in her novel?  I find this is the key.  If you are crying, your reader will be crying too.

If you are writing a romance, make them fall in love.  Make the magic last.  The first meeting, first kiss, the moment of falling in love.  These are the memories our readers savor, wait for in our stories.  Don’t disappoint them.

As Emily Dickinson, said so well: 
There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!

Thank you, once again, Rhobin for this month’s topic. 

Please visit the members of our RR blog hop today and see what each one has posted.

Connie

FREE 6/22 - 6/29

Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
Beverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Dr. Bob Rich  http://wp.me/p3Xihq-I4
Victoria Chatham http://victoriachatham.blogspot.ca
Helena Fairfax  http://helenafairfax.com/
Marci Baun  http://www.marcibaun.com/blog/
Rachael Kosinski http://rachaelkosinski.weebly.com/
Connie Vines http://connievines.blogspot.com/
Rhobin Courtright http://www.rhobinleecourtright.com

Sunday Snips & Stuff

Social Media Tips for Authors

http://mizging.blogspot.com/2016/07/hootsuite-and-social-media-for-authors.html?m=1

I am blogging today! Please stop by at Dishin' It Out.  Even if you aren't a writer, you may find the social media info & tips helpful,

Software Programs for Writers # Sunday Snips & Stuff

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As everyone knows I like to use software programs and social media.

I was reading my friend, Beverly Bateman's, latest blog topic titled Writers Software Programs (Blogging with Beverly on Blog.spot) when I realized this was a very interesting topic.

I also began to wonder exactly how many programs I used when writing, plotting my novels, stories, etc.   I feel the content would be of interest to writer, readers, and those who man be looking for a program help them make it though the rigors of a AP, university level, or an extension class.

My go to program is Power Structure purchased via Write-Brain.com.  Since I work in segments: Chapter 1 - 3, etc. rather than scene by scene or chapter by chapter, this program is adaptable to my thought process.  I am able to work in three Acts, Chapters, Scenes, or any structure model of preference.

Conflict, Subplot, plot point,  You can also change almost any term used in Power Structure to suit your personal preference.  I attended a class by Chris Vogler, a Hollywood screen writer, who uses Joseph Campbell's "A Hero's Journey" as a plotting bible.  Since I have followed Joseph Campbell's works and find the "A Hero's Journey" the best way for me to write a story (with the look of 3 x 5 cards when I feel like experiencing a flashback to my freelance magazine days).

Beverly also mentioned Dramatica Pro.  Pricey, yes.  I believe for characterization, especially for detailed historical novels, or when writing a continuing series, this program was a good investment.
This program allows you to work on levels for character development. If you so wish, you may print a StoryGuide at each stage of development.  This program also has a number of templates to choose fro, e.g., screenplay, novel, short story.  Each comes with an appropriate number of archetypal characters already created, ensuring that each character has a clear dramatic function in the story.

There is also a Plot Progression Window which lets me examine where to place a pivotal point.  There is also a Spin-the-Model Brainstorming option.  This helps when, heaven forbid, you have writer's block--and much, much less painful than pounding your forehead on your desk until your muse comes up with a plan.

On my iPad I have several program: My Writing (which I seldom open), A Novel Idea (where I have grains of thoughts/names of future novels) this takes the place of scribbles from my lip liner on discarded pieces of paper I'd find in the depths of my tote bag. I Do Notepad & I Do Notepad Pro which I will use but it have a devil of a time retrieving what I have saved.

The Journal app is good for free-flowing thought/plotting etc.  and also for using as a writer's journal.  You can create labels, change the font and even add a background picture.  This is were I many place the notes from my character interviews.

For more information about by novels, or to purchase my novels, please click on the bookcover, or links at the top of my blog.

Please visit the other authors in this weeks' Sunday Snip & Stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/Brede-Rodeo-Romance-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00DRPHILY?ie=UTF8&keywords=Connie%20vines&qid=1465100492&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Happy Reading,

Connie Vines

http://www.triciamg.blogspot.com (Tricia McGill)
http://mizging.blogspot.com (Ginger Simpson)
http://yesterrdayrevisitedhere.blogspot.com/ (Janet Waldon)

Sunday Snips & Stuff #6/26/16

Research—Does Inaccuracy in a Novel Bother You?  

Does it bother me? 

Yes.

 However, in my case, there are varying degrees of irritation.  If it is an easily found fact, or a fact that any functioning adult should be aware of then, yes—I am very irritated and will probably not finish the novel.  On the other hand if current verbiage is used or the description of an item of clothing is more modern, that could be the writer’s choice.  The writer may feel that her ‘readers’ wish to have the ‘flavor’ of a historical story without the genealogy charts or gritty reality of the era. Then I am okay.  But to pass the facts off as accurate/ or marketed to make the reader believe this is not a fictionalized story—as in “The Other Boleyn Sister” or Disney’s “Pocahontas” animated movie (with what I like to call the Vulcan-mind-meld when the Hero and Heroine suddenly speak and understand each other),  I do become angry.  Apparently, I clamp my teeth, and my husband swears, that I growl when these movies become a topic of conversation.

We all make mistakes, I remind myself.  Alternatively, the copy-editor adds/ deletes a needed fact.  Moreover, sometime we simply ‘thought’ we removed it from the final draft.  Still sloppy research makes for sloppy writing.  If you do not like research, build your own world/town/or, do not give the reader a date or place to hang her hat on.  You and add a statement:  liberties were taken; the mistakes are my own, etc. 

Researching

Any professional writer knows there is a lot more to the job than simply writing. There is also revising, editing, promoting, and much more. Before I even consider typing: Chapter One.  Whether I am writing, historical, or fantasy, I conducted days—if not months or even years, gather my research material and scheduling interviews.  

Research is vital to every writer.  Contemporary novels required daily research to keep up-to-date on the latest tech item, hairstyle or whatever relates to your storyline.  

Every encounter with a new person or visiting a new place is an opportunity for better, more descriptive writing. Writers never truly take a vacation, or turn off the research part of her/his brain.

So how do I organized my research material?  (Tossing everything into a large bin is oh-so-not-the-way to be organized.)

#1: Keep a File Folder for Ideas

I have files where I stash clippings of articles on specific topics I feel will come up again, or will one day make great short stories/articles.  I have plain colored folders for “shared” topics (I write multiple genres), cute folders (for YA/Teen topics), action folders for supernatural stories, etc.

These clippings are often story generators or prompts to open a chapter/create a pivot point. How many times have you heard something on the radio or watched something on television and thought, “Wouldn’t that be so great in my next novel”?

Story prompts can be anything that you find interesting, anything that relates to your genre or area of writing interest. Because my books are character driven, I tend to be drawn to articles that talk about the human condition (i.e., why we do the things we do) or specific topics that I feel relate to my particular ‘character’.

 #2: Story Premise Research First

When you start a new project, you must make some decisions. What is the theme of your book? (We might also think of this step as “what is the premise of your book?”) The answer to this question will guide your starting research.

My third book, Whisper upon the Water, focused a lot on the living conditions and societal attitudes about Native American children. I already knew that Native American children were forced to attend government run boarding schools after the Indian Wars, but I did not know about the process, and how it affected the children or how they adapted. Therefore, I began with interviews, tours of the schools still in operation and trips to historical archives and reservations. 

Before I wrote a single word, I looked into this, and the answers I found are what formulated my plot points. I needed this foundation of research to create a convincing plot, otherwise I would not tell the story correctly.  I wanted the truth, I wanted historical accuracy and I wanted my readers to have an emotional connection to my characters.  

Poor research in the beginning often results in a manuscripts dying at the halfway point. Think of this step as the foundation of your novel.

#3: First-Hand Accounts

As a rule, I set my stories in placed I have lived or visited.  However, a writer does not have to go to a city/country to get a feeling for it.

Online Resources

Travel sites, local blogs, and YouTube all have a place in a writer’s arsenal. In particular:

• Travel Sites often have detailed maps and downloadable audio walking tours that can give you context for notable buildings and directional substance for urban areas to include in your book.
• YouTube is a major resource, often underutilized by writers. Those seemingly normal videos are great for providing local terminology, dialect, visual perspective and even minor details like the amount of traffic at a particular park or on a particular street.

 #4: Details

• Using Google Maps and Streetview, for my upcoming release anthology at BWL: Gumbo Ya Ya—for women who like romance Cajun & men Hot & Spicy! I was able to get a street view of that area and I could ‘walk’ the streets as they appear in New Orleans. The Streetview feature setting on Google Maps plops you down right at street level and gives you a 360-degree view of everything including traffic, crowds, and architecture.  While I do have my personal photos and memories of the city, it is always good to make certain the details are ‘just right’.

#5: Remember to Write

You can always do a fact check on the smaller items as part of the final revision process.

When I am dictating or typing my story, unless an earth-shattering event is in the works, I do not stop the process.  I will type:** research time line of Spanish Flu or   ** insert the popular song year, and keep writing.  When I go back over the material, I will have time to add the particulars.

Research is fun.  Unlike may authors, research in my favorite part of writing.  Like a method actor, I immerse myself in the process.  Hobbies, Music, Books, and Food (well, not food when I wrote my Zombie novella, “Here Today, Zombie Tomorrow”. right now, however, it is shrimp Creole, pecan pie and coffee with chicory).  Research need not be cumbersome. If you are interested in your subject matter, then it is not work. It is just another part of writing a book.

 I believe it is writing a book that is rich in research helps to separate the writers from the multi-published authors.

Readers, how do you feel about this topic?  How important is historical accuracy to you?

Please stop by and see what my writer friends have to talk about today.

Happy Reading,

Connie

http://yesterrdayrevisitedhere.blogspot.com/
http://mizging.blogspot.com/
http://triciamg.blogspot.com/

How Emotionally Involved Are You In Writing Scenes?

Thank you Robin for this month's topic.

How emotionally involved are you in reading or writing some scenes?

"A story must engage the heart as well as the head; a story cannot just play clever games with language or structure or generic expectations but must have a beating, emotional heart at its core."

~ Stephanie Friedman

My novels are character driven. Therefore, an emotional-driven expedition.

Emotion- driven.  It's not about the plot, it's about how the plot affects the protagonist.  

When I read a scene in a novel, even a well-crafted scene, if it fails to have the all-important quality of 'emotional resonance,' it is a shell.  Where are the emotion elements?  The intensity? The responsive chord in the reader?

We read textbooks to comprehend; we read literature to feel.

To quote Gordon Lish, "It's not what happens to people on the page; it's about what happens to a reader in his heart and mind."

I strive to layer the details. Since many of my stories deal with social issues, may very intense.  The reader must feel the rain and react emotionally.  The key is knowing where to linger, inviting my readers into my world and allowing them time to feel.

When writing I pay attention to things in the world that speak to me, moments that resonate with me.  I take notes, often with my iVoice app. I gather those bits into a folder (physical or cyber) to later fuel my writing.

As the editors remind us: Give us characters we identify with or care about.

Happy Reading & Writing
Connie

Please visit these participating authors blogs:

Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Anne Stenhouse  http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com/
Marci Baun  http://www.marcibaun.com/blog/
Heather Haven http://heatherhavenstories.com/blog/
Victoria Chatham http://victoriachatham.blogspot.ca
Dr. Bob Rich  https://bobrich18.wordpress.com/2016/06/25/emotion-in-writing
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Beverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
Rachael Kosinski http://rachaelkosinski.weebly.com/
Margaret Fieland http://margaretfieland.wordpress.com
Connie Vines http://connievines.blogspot.com/
Rhobin Courtright http://www.rhobinleecourtright.com

Bad Boys vs Bad Girls by Connie Vines

Since it is Father's Day, I'm reposting one of my blog topics from Feb.

Why do you think 'bad' boys are so popular as heroes and 'bad' girls so often reviled? In real life, can those labeled bad change (certainly 'bad' is open to interpretation), or are such fictional romances misleading?

There's a reason why women are attracted to bad boys, and it's not (just) their sweet leather jackets. It's science.

Apparently, people with "pathological" personalities are simply more attractive to the opposite sex. The new study, carried out by a team of researchers at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona and published on Scientific American, analyzed 1,000 heterosexual men and women with a broad spectrum of pathological personality traits.

Gutiérrez believes women like deviant behavior simply because it's fascinating. “While [pathological men] are selfish, rule-breaking, imprudent, and rebellious, they are also brave, temerarious, independent, and self-reliant—and they live frantic, galvanizing lives,” he says.

This explains why bad Boys are popular in romance novels.  Reading about the deviant behavior is more exciting than living with a man who is selfish, rebellious, and hell-bent on dragging you into frantic lifestyle.

Marlon Brando, "A Street Car Named Desire"

In contrast, Bad Girls are a rare species in romance novel. The main reason is probably that they don’t make female readers salivate the way the Bad Boys do. Another reason may be that as a reader, one doesn’t want to identify with the “bad” character, instead one wants to identify with the character who reforms him – and female readers tend to put themselves in the shoes of the heroine. And there may be a double standard at work here, in that selfish behavior on behalf of a woman is still considered less forgivable than selfish behavior on behalf of a man – in fiction even more than in real life.

Mae West

What do you think?

Do you like a Bad Boy hero?  Or are you a bit of a Bad Girl?

Hop over to the next blog and see what everyone else has to say!

Also, Brede is featured as part of the Kindle Count Down -- it's free!

https://www.amazon.com/Brede-Rodeo-Romance-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00DRPHILY?ie=UTF8&keywords=Connie%20vines&qid=1465100492&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Happy Reading,

Connie Vines

http://www.triciamg.blogspot.com (Tricia McGill)
http://mizging.blogspot.com (Ginger Simpson)
http://yesterrdayrevisitedhere.blogspot.com/ Janet Waldon