LOVE SMART...

Find the One you Want--Fix the One You've Got.

No, I'm not going to tell you how to do that, but Dr. Phil will if you win the 6 CD audio book I'm giving away next Friday, March 4th, as part of our second anniversary celebration. Or, if you'd rather learn how to create a phenomenal family, Dr. Phil can tell you how to do that, too, in Family First--Your Step-by-Step Plan for Creating a Phenomenal Family. If you're the winner, you can choose which audio book you'd rather have.

Dr. Phil is an expert in human behavior and reading the back cover blurbs on the two CDs, I was reminded that we, as writers, have to be an expert in human behavior, too. In fact, I sometimes think Psychology 101 should be a prerequesite when learning the craft of writing. How can you write realistic characters if you know nothing about human behavior?

Like each of us, our characters' behavior is based on multiple factors stemming from genetics and life experience. No one is the same and two people striving for the same external goal will have different internal motivation that drives him toward it. Failure to delve deeply into a character's past is a common mistake new writers make. It's why characters seem wooden and sound alike. It's only when you dig deep enough to find your character's driving force that you can create characters with depth and breadth.

So, how do we do this, and how deep do we need to go? Some of us create charts or make long lists of traits--and we do need to do that--but charts alone will not get us where we need to be to make our characters come alive. We have to dig deeper and deeper, until we get down to the level of a character's values and beliefs about life...and, most importantly, about himself. When the reader understands a character's deep motivation, he can identify and will want to read more.

Do you go that far? Do you know what your character values the most? Do you know what your hero believes about himself? Do you know why he believes it? Do you know what happened in his childhood to cement this belief? Those are questions I have to ask if I want my characters to have deep internal motivation for whatever goal I give them. If you're not asking those kinds of questions, try it and see what happens.

If you'd like to be in the drawing to win one of the audio books by Dr. Phil, simply leave a comment and it's done.

And don't forget, there's still time to save on classes at Bootcamp for Novelists. The special discounted prices are good through 2/28 at midnight, but time is getting short. Check out our new Face-to-Face Clinic as well, at www.bootcampfornovelists.com.

Ciao for now,
Linda

AND THE WINNER IS....

CONGRATULATIONS to Sharlet Liebel, winner of the lovely turquoise bracelet!

I will be giving away another prize on Friday, so check back to see what the prize is. I may even attempt to impart some tidbits of writerly wisdom while I'm here.

Don't forget...we're continuing our month long anniversary celebration in which all core classes at Bootcamp for Novelists are only $25. And it's still not too late to get into the February classes. Late registration goes until 2/18.

BOOTCAMP CLASSES at a glance

LINDA'S FEB/ MARCH/APRIL BOOTCAMP START DATES
Continuing the Techniques of the Pros

2-P DEEPENING CHARACTERIZATION - begins Feb 11
How your character acts in any given situation is based on multiple variables. Here you'll learn what they are and how to use them to maximum potential and make your characters leap off the page. Some of what we will cover:

Character Arcs
Values and beliefs
Deep Point of View
The Driving Force

3-P ESCALATING CONSEQUENCES - begins March 18
Have you ever been so excited about a story that it almost seems to write itself...and then somewhere after the third chapter it stops dead? If so it's probably because your conflict is static. This workshop examines what makes your conflict dynamic...and what to do to make your story move along naturally...with high drama. Some of what we will cover:

External situations and internal conflict
Static conflicts vs dynamic conflicts
High Drama

4-P BUILDING STRONG PLOTS AND SUBPLOTS - begins April 22
Do you ever wonder what makes a good story great? Why we remember some stories and not others? In this workshop we examine layering and subplot development and their use in taking a story from okay to outstanding. Some points we will cover:

High concept plots vs character driven plots
Subplot structure and development
Weaving in subplots
Layering
_____________________________________________________________________________________

CONNIE'S FEB/MARCH/APRIL BOOTCAMP START DATES
Continuing the Four Pillars of Structure

2-B DYNAMIC PLOTTING begins Feb 11
Some people believe that stories come from a magical realm and simply float down to some lucky writers. But could it be possible that given a character with a goal who faces conflict that you can give them situations that make your story sing? This course shows you how.

The Story Question
Four Act Structure
Eight Major Plot Points
Making It a Page Turner

3-B SCENE SCULPTING begins Mar 11
Structuring scenes for maximum impact is the third pillar of story structure. You'll leave this course knowing where and when to place a scene and how to connect each scene for ease of flow and maximum impact.

The Principles of Cause and Effect
Control Actions Scenes, Control the Reader
Reaction Must Be Given Its Due
Transitioning from Action to Reaction . . . and Back Again

4-B CONFLICT THAT SIZZLES begins April 22
Without conflict there is no story. But what is conflict and how does it affect character and plot? It stems from the obstacles to the character's goal and from the consequences of character action. This course will focus on escalating obstacles and consequences until conflict sizzles on every page.

External Conflict
Extreme Differences
How Plot Pressures Characters
The Action Arc

All courses are 4 weeks in length. Go to http://bootcampfornovelists.com/ for more information.

Keep an eye on this blog and see how to win the next prize!

VIVE LA ROMANCE!

LOVE – it’s the universal emotion of mankind. Who cannot relate to being in love? Who doesn’t understand the love of a mother for her child, a child for his puppy, a puppy for his master? A man for his woman? A woman for her man? Wars have been waged for love. . .thrones abdicated.

From time immemorial, writers have been penning stories about men and women overcoming all obstacles for love. Odysses wanted to go home to Penelope, Cinderella wanted to marry the Prince, Romeo wanted Juliet, Marc Antony wanted Cleopatra, Richard wanted Elizabeth and Rhett wanted Scarlett. Many of the most famous and enduring stories are about love and romance. Is there any question that we all want love? We need love. Whether it’s romantic love, motherly love or puppy love, we’re obsessed with it. So, why is it that we celebrate such a grand and wonderful emotion only one day out of the year? Shouldn’t we be paying attention to each other all year long?

I don’t know why love, the elixir of life, is taken so for granted. Perhaps it’s because, as wonderful as it is, love isn’t always wonderful and, perhaps, the same day some of us romance our sweethearts, for others it will be a day of sorrow and pain? How can something so wonderful and which brings such happiness into our lives, also cause so much pain? These are questions I ask all the time. Why? Because I write romance novels and it’s my job to create a believable romantic story.

So, what exactly is a romantic story? Romance, as defined in Webster’s New World Dictionary, is a long medieval narrative in verse or prose, originally written in one of the Romance dialects, about the adventures of knights and other chivalric heroes. Secondly, Webster’s lists romance as a fictitious tale of wonderful and extraordinary events, characterized by a nonrealistic and idealizing use of the imagination, and third, a type of novel in which the emphasis is on love and adventure. The list goes on with other variations, most of which play on the same theme of false or exaggerated feelings and emotions. The word “Romantic” follows the same path and includes definitions such as “without basis in fact,” and “preoccupied with ardent, idealized lovemaking.”

Good grief. It’s no wonder the romance genre gets so much bad press. No wonder readers hide the cover of their romance novels when in public. Even though we all want and need love, we’re embarrassed to admit it. And men seem to be more embarrassed than women.

Except on Valentine’s Day! We have one day in which it’s okay to proclaim our love. . .and not be embarrassed about it. How silly is that?

Well, I’m sorry. My definition of romance is nothing like Webster’s. To me, romance and being romantic is a very real part of life. It’s a man bringing his lady flowers for no reason at all. It’s a woman putting a note in her husband’s lunch bag telling him she loves him. It’s seeing the ocean for the first time, hand in hand with the one you love. It’s watching a beautiful sunset, or seeing the sun rise over the horizon. It’s taking a date to a restaurant or a movie because you know she’ll love it. . .even if you don’t. To me, being romantic is seeing the world in Technicolor rather than black and white. It's the feeling you get when you hear your favorite song on a moonlit night. It's the streets of Paris in the spring, a glass of wine at a little outdoor cafe in Sorrento. It is men and women simply being with each other. . .living in the moment and creating wonderful memories.

Those are the stories I like to create. Real life stories with strong plots in which two interesting individuals face tough choices, overcome the odds and find a future together. While my plots may involve a serial killer or two, there’s nothing exaggerated or false about the story or the romance. Yes, in my books, the hero and heroine make love. In fact, they love to make love. . .with the person they love. To me, that’s romantic!

What’s your definition of romance? Who do you believe is more romantic -- women or men? I’d love to hear what you think.

Leave a comment and you’ll be automatically entered to win the “Romantic” turquoise bracelet pictured. The drawing is on the 15th, so be sure to check back to see the winner!


And for all you romantics out there, HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!

Don't forget, Bootcamp for Novelists is celebrating our 2nd anniversary all month long, and you can register for classes at a discounted price. Be sure to check out Connie’s blog as well because she’s giving away a prize on the 15th, too.
www.bootcampfornovelists.com