Inspirational romance

Searching for meaning, purpose and love finds its way into profane stories that often don’t mention religion or the Golden Rule.

But these stories show and have no time to tell. Showing is always the most dramatic way to get in a dig for right over wrong.

Today, the Academy Awards had much love to show:

A Star is Born, shows an incredible romance with three people, he, she and his demons.

Black Clansman, forget the Klan, those people are idiots and find hate and that hate might be the only way they can make money. This is a love story between two cops, one black and one a Jew.

Green Book, here a love between a white and black is shown amidst 1970s hate.

Roma, shows a live-in housekeeper in Mexico City who has a life of her own.

We are not told what is right or wrong. The movie shows us the way.

The delicate nature of romance

This post is a follow-up to a previous post called "Painting oneself into a corner", published 1/27/19.
Consider the difficulties of writing a two POV story, the hero and heroine. Girl meets boy in an odd or cute meet. They struggle together or apart or a little of both. They become both protagonist and antagonist. Usually there is a huge physical pull between them. There are often external antagonists to spoil their plans. They may have different plans. They may see the antagonist(s) as protagonist(s). You are writing a novel and because of the length and the need for drama you must set up various barriers to their future love.

Balance this with the way most people get together. They’re attracted, they like, they love (or they discover they’re incompatible).

If you watch a romance or romantic comedy, most of the roadblocks are easily identifiable because they come from outside influences. A good actor and actress will try to show you their inner conflicts typically with facial expressions or body language. Sometimes they address the problem with words. All this fits into a two hour movie.

Herein lies the problem for a writer. Try writing hundreds of pages of ever changing interior conflict between hero and heroine, using both viewpoints and making it seem real.

Because of this difficulty the conflict expressed in interior monologue needs tropes as understandable and believable assists:

1.      Not ready for love.

2.      Not ready for marriage or fear of commitment.

3.      Not wanting marriage or kids.

4.      Having something more important to accomplish, career, school.

5.      And an infinite number of other problems that the author’s creative mind comes up with for their special story.

Next week, I’ll write about how hard it is to fool the reader regarding who he or she will pick.

Simplicity

Simplicity

There are so many books about how to start a novel. The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman and Hooked by Les Edgerton are two of my favorites.

We all know or should know that the first scene or chapter should have an inciting incident that changes everything for the hero. This is a sweeping recommendation, bordering on a commandment. We also know that we shouldn’t start with dialogue as a rule because we don’t know the characters too well yet nor do we know where we are. This is a pointer often given.

Today, I want to write about the first paragraph or two. These suggestions are pointers not some sweeping do or die commandment.

First, let’s see an example from chapter one, paragraph one of Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips:

“It wasn’t every day a guy saw a headless beaver marching down the side of the road, not even in Dean Robillard’s larger-than-life world. “Son of a…” Dean slammed on the brakes of his brand-new Aston Martin Vanquish and pulled over in front of her.”

I hardly know where to begin or what to leave to your imagination or for you to figure out on your own. Phillips is that good. Simple words or phrases like side of the road, marching, larger-than-life, brand new, headless beaver… all evocative and precise (and understandable). There is not one word that doesn’t fit. Her first paragraph is like a mosaic in which removing any piece spoils the art.

Immediately, we have a sense of who Dean is, what he wants and/or maybe doesn’t know it “her.”

1.      The first paragraph gives us a story promise. The rich, Dean, is going to go out of his way for a strange lady or something he has never experienced. What’s with his life (purpose or lack of) that would compel him to stop his car?

2.      It tells us where he is, a back road somewhere.

3.      It shows our hero to have a sense of adventure, fun and wonderment of life.

4.      “Marching” gives a sense of the heroine. She’s proud and maybe disgusted with her plight since she’s no longer wearing her head.

5.      “Slammed on the brakes” shows that the hero is impulsive. He already finds the “beaver” irresistible in some way he might not yet fully comprehend.

6.      Pulling over in front of her shows his type A personality. He saying stop right there young lady. I must talk to you and I always get my way.

For most of us mortals telling a bit about the POV character and where he is, in the first paragraph, is a good start. To engage the reader’s imagination in a focused way is good. To write using abstraction is bad. Bad, because a wondering mind will lead to the reader wondering why she’s reading your story.

For homework read over your first paragraph and see if you could be confused with Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

Painting oneself into a corner

Painting oneself into a corner

In writing, writers sometimes find themselves boxed in by the plot, promises made early in the story, left turns our own characters dare throw in. There are any number of reasons. How do you know it’s a corner? You don’t know what to do to move on. Do you go back and rewrite everything? Do you hope the reader will suspend disbelief?

Let me give you a concrete example. It’s only page fifty and the hero and heroine are crazy for each other. The hero declares his love. Oh no, you have 200 or more pages in which to develop the story and give them the happily ever-after they deserve. What happened to all the road blocks? What happened to making things worse? Black moments, etc.

One solution, if the hero goes overboard verbally let the heroine put on the breaks. You’ll see this technique used by Hallmark all the time.

If you are not writing a romance and the protagonist has solved the plot problem too early, then let the antagonist put a bridge over the wet paint so the hero can escape and they can play their deadly game. This often happens in Bond movies. The machine is about to laser Bond in half when the antagonist leaves it to his idiot assistant (and all hell breaks loose).

I write this tiny inspiration today just to say there may be an easy way to move on and continue writing. So follow your instincts, have paint brush and work toward the corner.

24/7 immersion

24/7 immersion

The technique of forcing the hero and heroine to be together 24/7 on a journey of change is an often used technique. Why?

If done right, it is often a mix of fish-out-of-water for both the audience and the hero and heroine. The other reason why is the 24/7 immersion of the hero and heroine with each other. How many of you wish you could have had this while dating. You’d know soon enough if you were compatible or in love. The nay-sayers say things like how could you fall in love in three days. If you date once or twice a week, how long would it be before you pile up 3 or x full days?

For romance writers who have seen It Happened One Night, 1934, we treasure the memories of one of the most perfect romances ever portrayed.

Many put down the Bachelor franchise but consider the immersion and think again. I’m not selling the show just the concept for writing.

So how does a writer handle immersion? Take care to observe the changing environment and how the hero and heroine react to it and each other. Counter-point: if you have a heroine or hero who works, has family, friends and other interests you may have a longer story. Slow down for the moment they fall in love. It is pivotal and must be believable. Don’t get me wrong. The story is not over when they realize they’re in love, whether it be immersion or slice of life. If done right there are obstacles typically both in interior thought and outside influences. Black moments are the grist for our mills.

The boy behind the cereal box

The boy behind the cereal box

Did you ever wonder why kids love to line up cereal boxes and hide behind them? They’ll sometimes play peekaboo and sometimes parents will encourage this by starting a peekaboo. Sometimes they’ll be reading the box or claiming they find the box utterly absorbing. Sometimes they’re hiding from their siblings, who they may have a love hate relationship with. They love their sib but at the same time they can’t stand them. They have a right to their own thoughts and privacy, right?

Kids grow up. How much of our behavior is dedicated to hiding behind a barrier? We choose to do one thing over another. We go to parties and sometimes wish it would end so that we can go back to normal. Or we’re shy or uncomfortable at parties and try our best to contribute.

What of the heroes or heroines in our stories? We’re all a mix of social and anti-social to put it simply. These ying-yang behaviors can be used to give your characters more depth. Another way of measuring the difference between protagonist and antagonist is in how far or close they are to putting up barriers.

Puerto Rico

Guest blogger: Robert Ricciardi

Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico means port ruler. This can aptly describe a proud people (who didn't choose statehood).

What I am about to write might seem like politics, but it’s not.

Point 1: Two weeks ago, Mr. Richard wrote about Decòr. He suggested that many men start out slobs in a marriage. And then tongue in cheek how this could lead to divorce.

Point 2: Suppose you’re married and you have a budget of $2000 each month. You must pay for food, mortgage, and various other bills. If you are lucky, you’ll save some for your children’s college education. Your back yard fence needs major repair but that will have to wait. Do you repair the fence and buy no food? Do you repair the fence and not save for your children’s education? No, and besides it still wouldn’t be enough.

PRIORITIES. Right? Good.

Point 3: Then you’ll agree that one could make an analogy to the people of Puerto Rico, all of them U.S. citizens, our family. They need help and we have a limited budget. Why is it we have to fix the fence before we completely help Puerto Rico (our family)? It turns out we are rich and can spend some on the fence or wall, but our people’s destitution comes first. Some of you will say that the people of Puerto Rico brought it on themselves by not choosing Statehood. Hey, how many of you have teenagers in your family who have a different opinion? I'm not saying Puerto Ricans are teenagers. The family still stands. We have a moral duty to all our citizens.

Point 4: Most homes have no front wall. It you are the kind of person who won’t stand for dissent in your family, perhaps you should build a wall to keep your family from escaping.

Okay, maybe this is somewhat about politics. Will Mr. Richard save me?

Bob Richard: Men who are always right should live alone. Where’s the romance in that?