I didn’t
ever get into the first season of Australian
Idol, but the second year I happened
to be lurking around the remote control
when the audition shows hit the screen.
I was fascinated; I became hooked. And
as the shows unfolded I noticed the importance
of song choice. Really talented singers
didn’t always choose the right
song for their voice / personality or
-– most importantly for a popular
vote show -– for the public.
This got me thinking about story choice
in category romance. I’ve read
a lot of contest entries over the years
and in the process have seen loads of
wonderfully talented writers. A lot do
well in contests since their talent shines
through, but then they fail to win over
the editors at their chosen category
line. Why? Many reasons, but it struck
me that one I see time and again relates
to the Idol song-choice issue.
They aren’t choosing the right
material for their audience. In other
words, story choice is all wrong for
the market.
Each category / series line has specific
requirements in focus, length, writing
tone, sensuality and so on. There are
some storylines which just happen to
work particularly well within certain
lines … and some that, well, don’t.
If your queries aren’t getting
you past first base, or if your rejection
letters repeat the message: “not
right for this line”, or even if
you’re getting further and learning
that your stories “lack the emotional
intensity” required by your chosen
line, perhaps you need to change your
approach.
How well do you know your line? What
are its essential elements? Which classic
storylines suit those elements? And why?
If you can confidently answer those
questions, I have one more for you – do
you use that knowledge in crafting the
right story for your line, right from
the get-go?
Let me illustrate my point with the
example of my latest sale. While finishing
up my Plenty books I had a lot of ideas
swimming about on what to write next.
But the only one to grab a real hold
on my imagination was a bit risky, I
thought, for Desire. Too heroine-focussed,
more chick-lit in tone, lots of girlfriend
stuff going on as well as the romances.
I could have adapted it. Maybe it would
have worked. But I didn’t have
time for “maybes” or “could
haves.” I didn’t want to
invest a lot of planning time, get enthused,
get rejected, and have no books in the
pipeline for 2005.
So, I decided to craft a “safer” idea
from scratch … and since I was
doing that, why not make it a mini-series?
I’ve always wanted to set something
in outback Australia, so I started there.
I also decided to start with the heroes,
since they are such an integral part
of Desire. (Note: If you’re
writing for a line that’s more
heroine-centered, start there!)
But before I got too invested in characters,
I thought about what kind of story defines
Desire — these storylines needed
to have high emotional stakes inbuilt
into the conflict, and the potential
for intense sensuality. In other words,
it helps to throw the hero and heroine
into close or forced proximity that tightens
the sexual tension between them to explosion-point … or,
another angle, give them a good reason
to fall into bed together, a reason with
conflict built-in.
I didn’t want a straight “we’re
attracted” thing. I wanted to up
the stakes. So the kick-off question
to start my brainstorming was this: why
would this hero and heroine climb into
bed together? And after circling around
for ages I kept coming back to the age-old
reason. To make a baby.
Emotional high stakes, necessary sex,
and inbuilt conflict IF the characters
involved aren’t exactly thrilled.
Why would they have to make this baby?
I brainstormed a list of wild and wacky
(and sometimes almost plausible) ideas,
but circled right on back to the old
standard. Terms of will. I layered in
some extra motivation, came up with three
half-brothers all with very different
(character-driven) ideas on how to go
about this. None of them are too happy
about being forced into it, but the stakes
of failing are so high that they must.
(Note: this is the process that worked
for me, to create stories I wanted
to write but which suited my line.
I could have chosen a different path,
different stories, but with the same
key ingredients. What are those for
your line?)
Next step – working out the back-story
and motivation.
By the time I had my heroes worked out — and
each brother needed a unique and distinct
personality or the books risked being
all the same — I already had a
pretty good idea what kind of woman to
pit them against. I wanted conflict,
I wanted different books, and I wanted
plausible motivation for these ladies.
So, my emotionally-scarred cowboy needed
a woman who understood him well, who
knew what he’d been through and
could heal his wounded heart. I chose
a childhood friend who’d loved
him forever. Her agenda is much broader
than having his baby: she’s confident
she can make him live and laugh and love
again.
The second brother is the playboy charmer,
who thinks this is all a bit of a game.
He needs a woman who doesn’t fall
for his charm and looks, a challenge
who sees through his veneer to the real
man beneath. Why would she fall for this
baby-making scheme? For the money. I
painted her into a corner where his “indecent
proposal” seemed like her only
option.
Which leaves the eldest brother, the
alpha boss. He coolly chooses The Ideal
Wife and Mother, proposes, but his nice
orderly world is turned upside down when
his chosen one jilts him. Now, at first
the runaway bride was going to be his
woman, but somewhere in the planning
stages her bridesmaid got all protective
and feisty and SHE became the heroine.
I liked the idea of an alpha whose plans
go completely awry, not just when he’s
jilted but when the wrong woman ends
up pregnant.
So, this is my rather longwinded and
self-indulgent explanation of how I tailored
the books to suit my line. I chose a
basic premise that fulfilled the line
requirements. I chose characters and
storylines that fitted the expectations
of emotion, conflict, tension and sensuality.
I made sure the concept excited me — that
enthusiasm does come through in your
writing. And, lastly, I made sure that
despite the traditional and standard
hooks employed, I had something fresh
and interesting in each book.
How? There’s a slew of marriage
of convenience and baby-making and terms-of-will
books out there. How do you make sure
yours isn’t run-of-the-mill ho-hum
lost-in-the-crowd?
You make it your own with interesting,
fully-drawn characters; with a unique
setting (the outback has not been done
in Desire but in another line that might
not be fresh); with your writing voice;
by reversing roles or twisting the classic
line or combining elements to give an
original twist to an old favorite; and
by choosing great scene ideas that aren’t
from the stock-standard list and that
make your story interesting and compelling.
I hope I’ve given some of you
mega-talented writers something to consider
before you start your next book. Is it
right for the market? Does it fulfil
all the requirements and expectations
of your chosen line? And if you can’t
answer those questions, then perhaps
you need to spend quality time reacquainting
yourself with the books that define the
line … and those are the ones
out in the bookstores now! |
