Comments on: Moving On – The Next Sub

By: Jackie Ashenden

Jackie Ashenden — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 21:36:34 +0000

Yes, I agree Lucy. I don’t have problems with digging deep, I have problems with digging all the way through to China! To much and too many conflicts. Need to think about the KISS principle all the way. 🙂

By: Lucy King

Lucy King — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 11:44:54 +0000

I have trouble writing both. But then I kind of have a moment when I think, 'Ah so that's what you're all about' and it gets a bit easier. Not a lot, but a bit. That 'keep it simple, dig deep' piece of advice is fabulous.

And husbands can be surprisingly insightful on occasions, can't they?!

By: Jackie Ashenden

Jackie Ashenden — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 08:34:05 +0000

She is very generous, Suzanne, believe me. Ah heroines – my fatal downfall.. 🙂

Jo, I’m sure it will be.

By: Joanne Cleary

Joanne Cleary — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 21:45:59 +0000

Yes great advice Jackie, lorraine on her blog and Michelle.

I did a great course a while back, Plotting via Motivation, it's really helped me to plan. Of course, I don't know if it's working yet :-)

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:42:08 +0000

I’m with Janette and Rachael – love writing heroines, but find the heroes more difficult. It’s a fine line between alpha and a total pain in the neck (as, I think, has been said before) and I never seem to get it right.
🙁
PS Fantastic insight from Michelle – am always amazed how generous published writers are with advice.

By: Jackie Ashenden

Jackie Ashenden — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:13:12 +0000

Lol, Lacey!! My mind went some time ago.

By: Lacey Devlin

Lacey Devlin — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:34:41 +0000

Wow thanks Jackie and Michelle! You both just blew my tiny mind lol 🙂

By: Michelle Styles

Michelle Styles — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 05:35:05 +0000

Jackie --
Because it is letting the editor chose for you. Years ago, I submitted my first full and quickly followed it by another. Both came back. I had revisions on the second one, and would have had revisions on the first if I did the second ones right. In the event, although they loved parts and I gained an editor, the second one was not strong enough and because of that, it was not recommended that I revise the first one.
Since then I have always made sure it was one piece at a time to give that piece of work the best chance. Helen French left before she was able to buy me but her last act was to pass Gladiator's Honour to Linda. I learnt so much from Helen and do still consider her to be my first editor.
And yes if Anna will look at your synopsis, she can say which one is the strongest quickly. If it is any help, I can take a quick look. Contact me via my website.
Anyway, just make sure your heroine holds some cards. She cannot start from so low down that it is a slam dunk that she will marry him. The heroine needs to be aspirational, even when she is a slave.
FWIW

By: Jackie Ashenden

Jackie Ashenden — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:54:27 +0000

Michelle, why is it better re sending two synopses rather than two partials? Will it take them longer do you think?
Yes, good advice re the heroine. I'd better take a look at the mss I have and see how my heroines fit with that.

Rach, we could swap for mss for a bit? You write my heroine and I'll write your hero! :-)

Lorraine, yep. Keep it simple! Argh!

Romy - snap! That's pretty much my problem. Once you start having to add character traits to your characters to give them motivation to do something you're trying to force them to do, then that's when it stops being convincing. Internal conflict first, premise second! At least, that's the way to go for Modern Heat.

By: Romy

Romy — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:18:16 +0000

Your post ties in so nicely with Lorraine Wilson's current blog post.

Every story starts with an amzing premise. And so far every story I've written has got to about Chapter Four before I realised the premise just wasn't working. And that's when all the characters' motivations start to change and then I spent a lot of time struggling with it before it seemed even vaguely fixed.

Is this just me, or has anyone else experienced this?