The day after HEA

Your book is done.The hero and heroine ride off into the sunset, then what?

The day after HEA (happily ever after).

In the movie Sleepless in Seattle Sam and Greg remark about An Affair to Remember starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, “that’s a chick flick,” when it is actually a romance. They then waxed ecstatic over The Dirty Dozen which brought them to tears.

A guy pursues a gal for marriage with flowers, chocolates, and sweet nothings and then after the wedding it’s football and poker with the boys. Somehow, they forgot (partially) their romantic side.

Here it is. I’m going to say it. Who’s the type of guy who is most likely to forget romance? Alpha heroes. What proof do I have, you may ask. Hang in there, but if it is true, if I make my case, then those alpha romance we write need a little tweaking.

First, consider what men read romance, what men enjoy rom-coms like Sleepless or romances like An Affair to Remember. I’ll add what men write romance genres.

1.       Creative types (include some scientists and engineers).

2.       Artists, including architects and all those who works with and appreciate beauty.

3.       Renaissance men.

4.       Intellectuals, writers (lovers of words, their beauty, and what they can do), & philosophers.

5.       16% of men read romance novels and they’re probably from the four categories above.

I’ll suggest two things. The men above (and I probably missed some) are not the type to scoff at their wife’s choice of books or movies, no they’d watch with. And alphas are not likely to be in this group nor would they sit through a rom-com unless they were trying to please their wife. “Yeah, honey. Good movie. No really. I especially like the part…”

Why? Because the alpha male is quite often about competition, winning, to be kind, being the best at something. Of course, there is crossover between the men above and alphas and herein is how you save your manuscript. Give your alpha a romantic ‘flaw.’ They cry watching An Affair to Remember for instance, lol. Show him as more than the handsome star quarterback who has any woman and maybe many women before he settles down. Perhaps he paints (not houses), maybe he’s a patron of the arts, perhaps creates a beautiful building or improves the environment with a breakthrough technology.

I know I haven’t proven my point to QED but I have built a mountain of evidence to the point that you can draw a conclusion.

Does this mean write beta? No. Just remember that some real men have qualities that made them attractive to the heroine in the first place.

In Sleepless in Seattle Sam, for all his teasing about An Affair to Remember with his buddy (peer pressure), says to the radio doctor that his deceased wife made everything better, she was magic... To his son he said your mom could peel an apple in one fluid motion. By the way, Sam (Tom Hanks) played an architect.

This blog was originally about the male POV in its many manifestations and alternative ways to look at the subject until new ideas became harder to come by. This post, however captures what I try to do with my blog.

SAVE THE CAT! WRITES A NOVEL

Last week I talked about starting a novel in the right place. In my current work in progress, I thought I had, but the beginning was missing something. It was flat. Something I had known when I wrote my first novel Neanderthals and the Garden of Eden. Picture how it would look and feel if it were a movie.

Inspiration done slapped me upside my head when I noticed and bought:

SAVE THE CAT! WRITES A NOVEL*** [by Jessica Brody]

I just picked this book up and it has already helped me improve the beginning of my latest work-in-progress. I’m about to be published by The Wild Rose Press and have written award winning novels, and yet the CAT book taught me something concrete and as I read along will probably help me again. I have always opened with an extremely visual and memorable scene until me current wip.

CAT says: “It [the opening image] should be a visual representation of your hero’s flawed life.” Before things change at the beginning of the novel.

Eureka. As soon as I read this I put the book down and pounded out a modification to my manuscript.

Before: Special Agent Kapinao arrived at 26 Federal Plaza and took the elevator to the twenty-third floor summoned by the Assistant Director for what would likely be a dressing down or outright firing. [Blah, blah, blah.]

After: FBI Special agent Kapinao, secured her still warm Sig Sauer P226, and ducked under the police tape in Washington Square Park. NYU students and other horrified people froze like statues. Reporters surrounded her, shouting questions. She shooed them as best she could and raced for her Yamaha with them chasing her like buzzing bees.

“No comment. Give me room.” She popped the clutch and in frustration and a little of in-your-face wheelied out of there into oblivion. This could be the end of her career.

Okay you can decide, but to me, I knew immediately. I didn’t start in the right place and the scene was not visually memorable.

CAT has been on sale for two years, has 1155 reviews averaging 4.8 and is number 2 in three categories today. But I just liked the cover, lol.

*** SAVE THE CAT! by Blake Snyder is a classic on screenwriting and highly recommended even if you only save one cat..

The Value in Starting a Novel in the Right Place

Hooked

I’m leaning on the book called Hooked by Les Edgerton.

Les suggests in his Tagline: “write fiction that grabs readers at page one and never lets them go.”

Well how to heck are you going to do that while developing your story and characters? You may avoid hooks by writing a literary novel, but I suggest the style of writing replaces the traditional hook with an intellectual or artistic, come on, read more. After all we all want to find that book that smacks us aside the head and says read on, you really don’t need that much sleep.

If a book is book, literary or not, you the reader will know and I might add, immediately.

Back to Hooked:

1.       If your book doesn’t catch the eye and heart of the gatekeeper then you haven’t done your job. The gatekeeper is either an agent or editor. If you want to self-publish, then satisfy yourself with the story. But please do be a tough taskmaster. Perhaps a critique group or other authors to pair with will help get you feedback rather than receiving it in reviews in which the risk of one-stars can sink a story.

2.       Take a look around at similar books and the very best to see how they handled the beginning.

3.       By books on structure and the art of writing. You’d be surprised how these inspire an enhanced story.

4.       I’ll stop here and just mention that the inciting incident looms large and it must be in chapter one. In a rom-com or romance they often merge the meet-cute or cute-meet with the inciting incident. Something must propel change and that’s where you start the story.

Something (hooks) compels the reader to keep reading. I suppose I’m not clear (it would take 242 pages) so there’s only one thing to do. Buy the book.

The value of labor in romance

 All too often I see or read a romance in which the guy or gal gives up their career to be with the one they love. This is wrong if either or both are diminished by it. Man contributes to his fellow man by working. Talents are meant to be cultivated and shared for the good of the many and for financial well being. This doesn't mean looking for the highest paying job.

The days are over when the gal gives up her job to follow her man. That's sexism. And it's also true in reverse.

My rule: there should always be a balance achieved in which the hero and/or heroine retain their commitment to their fellow human beings (and dogs and cats, lol) in some way.

Example: in the UP! movie, Finding Normal, a doctor leaves her job in LA to get to her fiancee in NY to join his extremely lucrative practice. She gets stuck in Normal Louisiana, a small town who needs a doctor and the pay sucks. Okay, perhaps you know what happens. I'll just say Candice Cameron Bure (the actress) is practicing medicine, lol.

Balance your story.

The value of Instagram

What’s the point of Instagram? To make connections with people who enjoy your photography of things that interest you and would like to share their own. If you are in business or simply gregarious Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. is a good place to be, provided you don’t neglect or hide form your purpose. In my case it is writing stories.

I must be a complete nerd because the only thing I can think of for Instagram that serves my career as an author are what’s around me in my office. So I’ll start there. Besides, lately aren’t we all spending more time at home and if we are writing, more timer in our office?

Today’s tip: Go to virtual conventions. I learned so much and connected with so many people at the RWA convention last week. I have a huge task ahead of me when The Wild Rose Press, releases Cinnamon & Sugar. In order to help it become a hit I must spend x amount of time marketing and y amount of time writing the next one.

Right now, I’m comfortable building up my FB friends (at 4100) and will embark today on Instagram. Twitter throws me, but I’ll get on board soon.

Oh yes, writing tips. Chapter one is so important to the book because it shows the inciting incident(s) and sets up the main characters. Expect to rewrite this more than other chapters, but don’t let that stop you. If you feel it isn’t quite right, don’t hide in a perpetual chapter 1. Write more chapters and come back to it later when everything clarifies, and it will. What I’m talking about is how much we need to know about the hero and heroine at that moment(s), and exactly how many ramifications of the inciting incident, which can also be tweaked. And more.