On Writing Romance_ How to Craft a Novel That Sells - Leigh Michaels [66]
The ham caught her eye and her mouth watered. Protein, and not in the form of a beer nut. She nearly wept.
She was cutting off a thick slab of the smoked meat when she heard the locks on the front door begin to rattle. Roz didn't wait around to wonder who it was. She stuffed the rest of the ham back in the fridge, tucked the bread and slice of meat she'd hacked off down the front of her shirt and hightailed it to the rest room. Through a crack, she watched Mason walk in, a pretty woman close behind him. ...
Quietly she closed the door and climbed atop the heat register. She was out the window and standing on the wooden palettes before she remembered her duffel bag was still in Mason's office.
Roz is busted—and it's a rare reader who doesn't turn the page to find out how long it takes Mason to realize that his new employee is a break-in artist, and to see what he's going to do about it.
1. Review the romances you've been reading. How does each author use details to show the story? How many details do you need to picture this setting in
your mind?
2. Does the author use flashback? How did he handle the flashback? Were you able to follow the timing of the action?
3. Was the narrative easy to follow? Did the author use exposition and summary?
4. What settings and backgrounds has the author used? What kind of details, and how many details, did the author need to make you able to see and understand the setting and background?
5. How many chapters were there? How did the author begin and end scenes and chapters? Did you want to turn the page and go on to the next part of the story?
6. Did the author use past tense, present tense, or past perfect tense in telling the story?
1. What is the primary purpose of this scene?
2. What else can I accomplish with this scene?
3. Which characters do I need to bring on stage?
4. Which characters don't I need?
5. Which characters are possible point-of-view characters?
6. What unit of time and place does this scene represent?
7. Why does the scene begin at the moment it does?
8. How can I best capture the readers' attention in the opening paragraph or two?
9. How can I establish time and place within the first few paragraphs?
10. What are the dozen events that could happen in this scene?
11. Can I use this scene to foreshadow future actions or events?
12. How can I use this scene to build suspense?
13. How does this scene lead into or set up the next or subsequent scenes?
14. How does the end of this scene draw the readers into the following scene?
By the time you actually start writing your book, you'll have already developed your hero and heroine, and they'll remain the most important characters throughout your entire story. But your main characters don't live in isolation. With few exceptions (such as a book in which the hero and heroine are marooned on a deserted island), your main characters will be surrounded by other people— families, friends, coworkers, authority figures, opponents, and enemies.
SECONDARY CHARACTERS
These people are the secondary characters in the book, and together they can act as a framework, a background, a contrast, and a sounding board for the main characters.
The limited length of many romance novels allows little time or space to fully develop secondary characters and subplots. Even in the longer books—historical romances and long contemporary category romances, in which subplots and secondary characters are encouraged—it's important to keep the emphasis on the main romance, the main plot, and the central characters.
Because there are fewer restrictions on the personalities and behavior of secondary characters, they are often less difficult (and more fun) to write about. They can actually become more fascinating than the hero and heroine for the readers and for the writer.
This is especially true in sequels; characters who were previously at the heart of their own book appear in another character's story and sometimes want to take over. Beware of spending