Schooling and hobbies: Loves painting and reading. Loves people watching, trying to understand their motives, and collecting paintbrushes.
Family and friends: Never spends time or talks with father. Has a younger half-sister she adores and takes out on some kind of educational trip once a week. Loves spending time with friends, drinking wine and discussing books.
Financial: Middle class. Drives an older Mercedes. Prefers to dress casually and doesn’t have much occasion to dress up.
Special skill set: Incredible artist, saving the money from her paintings to buy a better house with a better studio. Ultimate goal is to be a full-time painter. Has her ups and downs emotionally, but generally happy until her abduction.
Treats others: She’s kind until someone crosses her boundaries. She’s articulate and has a dry sense of humor that can sometimes be cutting. She doesn’t like confrontation, but sometimes her temper gets the better of her and she explodes. She is not usually impulsive. She prefers to think and plan. She is street smart and tends to hold on to her regrets and grudges.
Her backstory:
Three major events in her life: 1. Losing her mother at a young age–afraid she’ll die early, too. 2. Discovering a love of art, thanks to finding a collection of her mother’s drawings. 3. Being publicly dumped by her high school boyfriend.
She never got along with dad and stepmom. Has always felt alone and has had no luck with relationships. Loves cats, drinks with friends, and her work at a museum restoring old paintings. Has always had a fear of sharks–will never step foot in an ocean for any reason!
Now let’s discuss these as they relate to her RANGE as a character.
R - Reasons she does what she does—she fears what is growing inside her and of what happened to her. She’s desperate to remember.
A - Ambitions—she wants answers more than anything else in the world, and she’ll cross any line to get them.
N - Needs—she thinks she needs answers, but they won’t satisfy her because she truly needs peace.
G - Growth—she will be afraid of people in the beginning but as the story progresses, she’ll become a badass woman willing to do anything to protect herself and her loved ones.
E - Emotion and Effect—she can’t tolerate lies, might climb the walls if she can’t bake while she’s stressed, hates cars–lost her mother in a crash–and loves cats. Except, her cats are now afraid of her, and she doesn’t know why.
Now let’s do SEARCH for the plot.
S - Symmetry - She is walking down a dirt road, barefoot, hungry, unsure how she got there. The seasons have changed, and now the weather is warm and humid, when she remembers it snowing just last week. There’s a sudden flashback of torture that makes her flinch. This is her new reality.
E - Encounter - After she is found and taken to a hospital, tested and interviewed by police, someone sneaks in and tries to kill her but a mystery man swoops in and gets her out of there. After this first encounter, she doesn’t know who to trust.
A - Adversity - They are now on the run, being hunted. Mystery man says he knows of someone else who was abducted with no memory of what happened, so they set out to find and question her. They’ll need to figure out how assassins are always able to find them, as well as get new identities to travel without being detected. When they find the person who went through something similar...they are only plagued by more questions, raising the stakes.
R - Reflection - Emotionally, she's a mess but fighting to survive. Her thoughts revolve around her next steps. Should she stick around with her mystery man–she’s attracted to him–or are his intentions sinister?
C - Climax - They find out the truth after being abducted again together, her memories restored. They’ll seem trapped, like they are both going to die. Or maybe she finds out he is an alien, and they fell in love after her first abduction. He fought to save her. Now, they must face down their foe.
H - Harmony - They won the battle. They are free. They decide to forge a life together, keeping his secret.
Time for setting!
The story begins in a small town, but as she goes on the run, she visits other states. Road trip? Bigger cities to get lost in the crowds? A cabin in the woods.
Small town—stifling, too many prying eyes
Texas—familiar but not comforting, too close to home
New York—overly crowded, makes her paranoid
A cabin in the woods—safe place, ready for final showdown
Her different individual realms:
Solitary (frightening)
Doctor (hopeful turned frightening)
Mystery man(hopeful again but still frightening)
Traveling (always looking over shoulder)
Self-improvement (learning and preparing to fight back)
Alien (frightening with a chance at redemption)
Day 15
Planning ahead
By now you have an idea for your book, a trope or two, and a theme. Our next goal is to fine tune some of the nitty gritty details that will help bring your big ideas to life. We will do this with a little pre-writing planning to organize your thoughts and prepare you for each new day of work.
This is not a time to think about anyone else’s opinion. Only yours matters right now. Try not to censor yourself. You can always nix a scene later. Right now, let your imagination run wild!
GENA: For all of my earlier books, I was a “seat of the pants” type author. I had a grain of an idea, but little else, then sat down and just started writing, figuring things out as I went. And I still do that sometimes. But I mostly prefer to pre-plan now, figuring out my trope, theme and message before ever writing a word. I also figure out the kinds of necessary scenes I’ll need to make my idea viable. The method I use works for those who have written random scenes, but don’t know how to tie them together.
I use notecards, giving each pre-written idea (or already written scene) a title—the main thing that happens in it. Examples: “A kiss.” “Hero fights the bad guy, revealing his strength.” “The big secret is revealed.”
Then I lay out or pin the cards in the order I think they’ll occur, with a note about the purpose of the scene. Always know the purpose of your scenes! Then I make more cards with things that need to happen in order to reach those scenes.
Examples:
Hero and heroine argue at a club (leads to the kiss)
Hero is in a bad mood for some reason, and buys a bottle of whiskey in middle of night (which leads to the fight)
Heroine suspects the hero is hiding something...heroine investigates...heroine confronts hero… the secret is revealed
I like using notecards or notebooks because I can leave added notes for myself.
When it comes to the actual writing, I never stop at the end of a scene. I always write the introduction to the next day’s scene, so my mind ponders the direction I want to go for the rest of the day, unconsciously working out any kinks. By morning, I’ve figured out what mistakes I made and what needs to happen next.
Your assignment: Pick from one of two assignments today.
Make a list of every scene you already have in mind for your book and arrange them in the order you think they’ll go. If possible, use bullet points to expand them.
Don’t have any scene ideas? Think about your main characters, their goals and invent ways they can achieve each one. Follow this same procedure with problems they might encounter along the way.
Day 16
First Lines
The opening of your novel is important. It is a reader’s introduction to your voice and sets the tone for your story. In fact, many readers often flip to the first page, scan the first line and paragraph and decide if they wish to read further.
There’s a piece of advice often given to new writers: begin your chapter or story with a killer hook–a sentence or paragraph that leaves the reader wanting to read more. Many hooks pose a question to the reader, relay a bit of shocking information, or instill a sense of urgency. We think the firs
t line simply needs to intrigue in some way, shape or form.
JILL: These opening sentences are from two two novels originally published by Harlequin in their Blaze line:
Maybe she could just fake it.
Sworn Enemies by Jill Monroe
Previously released as Hitting the Mark
What was she doing? Or had just done? Miriam Cole sucked in a breath and squeezed her eyes tight. It didn’t change a thing. He was still there.
Sworn by Instinct by Jill Monroe
Previously released as Primal Instincts
GENA: Two of my favorite first lines are:
“Isn’t it amazing how one seemingly innocent decision can change your entire life? For me, that decision came in the form of a grande mocha latte.”
Playing With Fire by Gena Showalter
“Every night death came, slowly, painfully, and every morning Maddox awoke in bed, knowing he’d have to die again later. That was his greatest curse and his eternal punishment.”
The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter
What are some of your favorite first lines, and what made them stand out?
Your assignment: Brainstorm possible first lines for your novel.
Tomorrow, you begin writing your first scene!
Day 17
Where to Start?
Today is the day you begin your novel! Where to begin? Maybe you’ve already drafted some scenes that you can use as a starting point. Maybe you’d like to begin with something new, at the beginning or even the end. That’s up to you! You can start with any scene you prefer. If necessary, you can put everything together when you finish.
GENA: For my drafts, I always start at the beginning and work my way to the end, using single spaces and Times New Roman. When working on a rough draft, I tend to write an entire chapter in a day, and those chapters come in anywhere from 2000k - 4000k words. That word count has taken anywhere from an hour to 15 hours to write. My completed rough drafts have come in anywhere between 65k and 85k words. As I edit, adding things I missed and layering in other details I might have glossed over, that word count grows.
JILL: I prefer breaking my book into chunks and segments and then piecing them together at the end. I rarely write in order and often write the scenes I’m most excited about first. I’ve forgotten good ideas more times than I care to think about (sob). Notes scatter my desk and bullet points fill my manuscript. My preferred pace is to write 2,000 words a day or 10,000 words a week. I don’t like working on the weekends, so if I can keep up with that 2k word pace Monday through Friday, I’m happy. Monday is my favorite day to write, and I avoid scheduling anything on that day at all. I’m most creative in the morning and leave marketing, emails and social media stuff for the afternoons.
Note: We’re often asked about the number of words on a single page and the total length of our novels.
A single page of a manuscript is usually around 250 words. So, you’ll be writing one page a day, six days a week. Well, sometimes two pages a day. Keep this pace up until you have a completed rough draft, anywhere from 45k words to 75k words. Then we’ll begin with editing assignments. If you’re feeling inspired to write more, go for it! If you finish your rough draft before we reach those editing days, don’t stop reading All Write Already. You’ll pick up tips for revising and editing your story along the way.
The length of a book is based on the word count, not the page number. This is because font, margins and chapter headers can contribute to the amount of pages, but not the actual words.
A typical full-length novel can be anywhere from 45k and 100k. The genre you are writing in usually dictates the length. This is where your genre research comes into play. It’s helpful to have a rough estimate of your end goal before you begin, because some storylines need more words due to the complexity of plots, subplots and characters.
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 18
When to Self-Edit
Now that you’ve written the first part of your novel, your internal editor might be offering unsolicited advice, commentary or insults. Some authors like to edit as they write. Some prefer to write an entire draft, making notes about needed changes as they go. Then, after they’ve completed the draft, they go back and edit. Still others will send their manuscript directly to beta readers and only complete one edit at the end.
Sometimes authors who edit as they write get stuck and can’t bring themselves to move on, because what they’ve written isn’t “good enough.” They focus on that one problem area for days, weeks or longer. Don’t fall into this trap. You can’t publish without a complete story. Forget perfect. If you lay the foundation today, you can build the house tomorrow.
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Bonus assignment: Find the best method of writing and editing for you. Pick a scene related to your story and start a timer for 10 minutes. Write as much of the scene as possible without letting yourself stop to think. When the timer goes off, stop writing. Do not edit what you wrote. In fact, set it aside.
Reset and start the timer again. This time, don’t give yourself a time limit. Just time how long it takes you to write a second scene about the same topic. Carefully consider every sentence as you type it. When you finish, read it again to make sure it’s right, then stop the timer.
Which method worked best for you? How different are the sentences? Is one better than the other? Is the time difference worth the extra effort?
Day 19
Hooks
Open up a favorite book and flip to the end of each chapter. Notice how the author ended scenes and take note of what kinds of “frosting” the author used to keep you reading.
JILL: As an experiment, I chose the book closest to me which was Naked Thrill and flipped to the last page of the first chapter. The context is this: Hayden Taylor just woke up naked beside an equally naked man. Their clothes have been burned, and there is a car painted like a ladybug parked outside. They find a pile of cash in the glove box. They’re terrified they stole everything the night before.
He eyed the front seat. “I think I should drive.”
“Why?” she asked.
His eyes softened, and a rueful smile touched his lips. “Because if we’re caught I can make them believe you had no idea I’d stolen the car. Only one of us gets arrested.”
It was strangely chivalrous. Hayden reached up, sank her finger into the hair at the nape of his neck so she could draw him nearer. The reality of his kiss was way better than the fantasy.
“Besides,” he said, his gaze dropping from hers to study something far off in the distance. “I’ve been to jail before.”
When I wrote this scene, I aimed for several different emotions to crash into the heroine one after another. At first I wanted her to question if she’d been stuck with the kind of dude who thinks only men should drive. Then she realizes Anthony is trying to protect her and it touches her. As she’s feeling desire and tenderness toward him, he breaks focus, and the reader knows he’s about to say something to Hayden that he can’t say eye-to-eye. When he drops that he’s been in jail and the chapter ends, the reader turns the page because they want to know why.
GENA: I borrowed Jill’s grab-and-look method and picked up The Evil Queen. Here are 3 examples of chapter ends.
“With his gaze still locked on mine, he bit into the poisonous apple.” (I wanted the reader to wonder what happens after Prince Charming eats Snow White’s apple. Does he die?)
She appeared in a flash, her silver eyes wild, her cheeks pale. She shouted one word, “Run!” (Again, this points to something terrible about to happen.)
“Refuse, and you won’t like what happens next.” (The hero says this to the heroine, and I like it because it shows him as an alpha while making readers wonder what he’ll do and how the heroine will react.)
Your assignment: Double your word count today! Write roughly 500 words.
Day 20
Dialogue<
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Have you ever read a bit of dialogue and wished you’d said something similar to a real person? We have! It made us love the character so much more. Dialogue is another tool a writer can use to connect a reader to their characters.
Realistically, not everything your characters say is going to impart some kind of knowledge, draw out a grin or a tear, or teach someone a lesson, but the words they speak should be in line with their personality or goals.
Write down the first response that comes to mind. Then flip it toward a different angle or go the exact opposite direction. When you, the author, are shocked by a fictional person’s words, your readers might be shocked, too.
Customer: What’s your soup of the day?
Waitress: Whiskey with H20 croutons.
When it feels as though you are transcribing a conversation in real time, you’ve hit a sweet spot! Run with it! You can always go back and weave in emotion, tone, thought/narrative, and physical reaction later.
All Write Already: Year Of Your Book Page 4