My net-book and my laptop have both gone kaput in the last two weeks. The net-book found out it couldn’t swim when the 3yr old twin tipped an entire cup of water on it, and there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth in sorrow at my house (the teens had confiscated it from me and were using it to look at Zac Efron).  The laptop has been on its last legs for over 6 months now and the other 3yr old twin accidentally pushed it off my bedside table.

So my two computers are now going to visit Oscar the Grouch. Unfortunately for me I found out that my insurance does not cover electrical accidental damage. So not very happy in our house right now. And I’ve been relegated to writing by pen/pencil and paper.

The family computer is fought over constantly, so rather than throwing my weight into the ring I’ve tried the alternative and grabbed a pen and paper. I’ve complained to hubby that my fingers are sore, and he suggested it’s because I’m using different muscle groups in my fingers now. I can type 80+ words a minute on a computer but with the pen and paper it’s much, much slower/lower word count.

But the good thing is I think before I write now, instead of just letting anything come out, I’ll pause and put down the better sentence, after I’ve thought/ pondered on the text I’m trying to share. I don’t know how long this will last, I think come tax return time there’ll be the sound of brand new keyboard typing happening.

What tips do you have for pens/paper writing? Does anyone have a favourite pen they can recommend. I’ve be left with the old bic pens my kids no longer need for school, but I’d like to know if there any pens other writers recommend.

I’ve come across several blog posts lately that encourage writers to print out their mss and read the story aloud to spot hiccups or problems. Being conscious of dwindling tree populations I’ve resisted this message until now, relying instead on allowing Microsoft Mike to read my mss out to me while I fix problems on the file itself. I thought I was doing a good job at it. Um, can I admit I was wrong?

Yep, it seems Microsoft Mike and Mary and Sam, just don’t cut it when it comes to reading your own work out loud. They can’t get the nuances right, nor do they have one ounce of enthusiasm or acting ability. So reading your own work out loud will catch more mistakes than they ever will.

Sorry this is a short post, I’m way behind in my writing goals and must concentrate on killing a few characters in the next chapter (always makes me feel better).

For most of us, secondary characters in our story are there to support the hero/heroine in their journey/quest for fulfillment. Many times they just pop up unexpectedly in the story. But how much effort do we need to put into these characters without them taking over the storyline itself?

Literary agent Nathan Bransford said this in his blog :

“Every single character you introduce, major or minor, should also have their own plot arc(s) with defined goals and motivations. The more important the character the longer and more complex the plot arc(s.)” He goes on to say, “This is often where writers miss opportunities: every character, big or small, has to show motivation, agency, and desire. They have to have their own plot arcs. And it’s important that the arcs have a beginning, middle, and end.”

My favourite secondary characters include: Dr Watson; Silk from David Eddings “Belgariad” series; Lula from the “Stephanie Plum” series by Janet Evanovich.

What is it about these ones that keep me interested? With Watson it’s the underlying loyalty to Holmes, even though he’s probably a lot smarter than Holmes, his loyalty keeps him going.

With Silk it’s his sense of humour and the mystery of being a spy. And with Lula, well, Lula is a character unto herself, she really does need a book just her own. Her flamboyant ways help her say and do things that the main character never could. She lets the steam off the pressure cooker at just the right moments, but never to the point that she takes over and dominates.

Who are your favourite secondary characters? What it is about them that helps them stick in your mind? What about the story you’re writing now, are the supporting cast fully fleshed out? Do they dominate or support your heroine in her role?

Okay we’ve got a week people, one week until the official launch of 2010′s 50k in 30 days writing frenzy. And yes the panic has set in at our house. How on earth am I going to get all this done in such a short amount of time?

Well to help out I thought I’d go through a few plotting devices you might like to try.

The first up is Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet. It’s used mainly for screenwriting, but it works well when you’re setting up a romance story. Kind of helps you sort out the direction of your story and where major points will occur. Blake’s book “Save the Cat” is a must have for any writer, he breaks down popular movies for writers to understand the steps involved in story making.

Here’s a sample:

Opening Image  – The first impression of a movie – its tone, mood, and scope.
Theme Stated – Thematic premise.
Set-Up  – Introduce the heroine, the stakes, and the goal.
Catalyst  – A life changing event for the heroine.
Debate  – The heroine must decide how to proceed in life
Break Into Two  – Entering the new world of Act Two.
B Story  – Second plot that gives a breather to the main story.
Fun and Game  – Having fun in the new world.
Midpoint – Stakes raised with a false victory or false collapse.
Bad Guys Close In – Villains/conflict issue regroups against the heroine.
All Is Lost – Opposite of the Midpoint that signifies transition from heroine’s old ways.
Dark Night of the Soul  – Worse moment for the heroine.
Break Into Three  – Main Story & B Story converge for heroine to find a solution.
Finale- Heroine triumphs over villains/conflict to create the life she wanted.
Final Image  – Opposite from Opening Image to show a change occurred.

Another good device is to go through the Snowflake Process by Randy Ingermasson. I’ve heard numerous RWA members rave about this method but have yet to try it. He starts with an opening premise/tagline/logline and then expands upon it, then expands again. I might have to try it.

The best solution I’ve found so far in completing 50k in 30 days is to know your characters. When I don’t I get blocked, I’ll be writing great guns and then whammo, nothing. My characters refuse to talk to me, no amount of literary dynamite will push them out of the slump. It’s then that I realise I don’t know my characters that well and they know it. I’ve tried to make one react a way that really isn’t them. They’re actually doing me a favour by not talking. I would imagine a reader would throw my story against the wall if the heroine acted totally out of character. So work out who you’re writing about and make sure you have a good understanding of their motivations. Motivation is everything. You can chuck your heroine into a pit of roiling fire ants if you really wanted to and she’d work out a way to get out of there.

Congrats to those who have signed up. It’s a great way to get that book finished, or start a new one. 50,000 words seems like a daunting task, but the girls/guys here at RWA have nightly word sprints to help those of us who, um, procrastinate the daily word count (not pointing fingers at anyone)…

50k in 30 days, try it, you’ll be hooked.

So this week I’ve been editing a manuscript I had shoved away for a few months. It’s good to have fresh eyes when looking at the story. I can now see things that need fixing that before I would have just skimmed over.

One thing I have noticed is the need to be concise in my sentences. I tend to waffle on a fair bit. In fact I have found run on sentences that take up nearly a paragraph in some of my earlier writing (I have an aversion to full stops).

I’ve eliminated a lot of waffle, and have found that rather than wrecking the scene I’ve actually made it stronger (who would have figured?).

Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.  — William Strunk Jr. in Elements of Style

Oh no, if Mr Strunk were here today and had a look at my latest WIP he’d be very upset in deed, I’ve had all sorts of extra bits I didn’t need. Sort of like a sewing machine with gun turrets, no need for them I just like the fire power.

Omitting needless words is a major effort for me at the moment. I like long, flowery prose, but my scene doesn’t need them. Instead it needs the pace sped up, and my long winded sentences are getting a right royal kicking.

Here’s an example:

Loni had a vague suspicion, but didn’t know for sure that Bert liked her more than a friend.

And the cut example:

Loni assumed Bert loved her.

Can you make your sentences more precise? Do you suffer from wordy-itis? Too many words all trying to convey the same thing? Do you tend to repeat yourself often in a paragraph or page?

I do. I admit, I suffer wordy-itis terribly. But I am making progress. Today I cut out 43 “oh”s. They were tacked here and there in dialogue, and really served no purpose other than to up the word count  I guess. I also had about 20 “Well”s that weren’t supporting anything important. I took a deep breath and got rid of them. The dialogue runs smoother since I did it.

I still have a long way to go. But if I stick to my goal of keeping it concise then little by little I’ll improve.