Location, Location, Location!

Do you love New York?

             Or would you hate it, even on a spring day in Central Park?
 
What about your characters? 

We know how important is to describe where your story is taking place: if it could happen anywhere, you miss a huge opportunity to create a meaningful story world for your reader. But have you ever considered the importance of setting to each of your characters? How does each one feel about it? And how does that affect what they do in your story?

Setting can  enrich a character's behavior by causing them to react in ways that move the action forward. In other words, setting can create conflict.  There are two kinds of conflict: Internal and External. 

Internal conflict is what happens inside a character - and it can change the dynamics of any setting.


If your hero loves the beach, she'll be relaxed there. It will be the ideal setting to slow down the pace and let a romance build. Then again, if she hates the beach - whether she refuses to be seen in a swimsuit, or if her brother drowned in the ocean - that first date could be a nightmare before the picnic basket is unpacked. 



Popular "fish out of water" stories use the setting to create inner conflict through contrast. Put a city gal in a country setting for the first time, and the humor will write itself. Send her home to the small town she escaped, and drama will infuse every scene.

External conflict is something that happens right there on the outside when your characters have other business to attend to. The romantic couple at the beach could get rained out, or distracted by a lifeguard rescue, or lose the car keys in the sand.  The gal in the country could experience her first tornado, or a flirty sheriff, or a lack of cell phone signal. Pile some external conflict on a scene already rife with internal conflict and you get a double whammy - a scene so exciting there is no way the reader can resist.

The point is, when we talk about setting, anything can happen - and should.  Where we are and how we feel about it makes a big difference in our lives. Where your characters are and how they feel about it can make a big difference in your story.
--------------------------------------------------
Leslie Lehr is a prizewinning author, essayist, and screenwriter. One of her favorite settings is at book festivals where she gets to discuss her new novel, What A Mother Knows.

You can follow Leslie at www.facebook.com/authorleslielehr
Tw @leslielehr1
or email her at lesliejlehr@gmail.com

Writing tips: if you show me yours, I'll show you mine…. by Brenda Janowitz

This cycle on the Girlfriends Book Club, we're talking about writing conferences. But, true confession time: I've never been to one! It's not because I don't want to. I think a conference could be a great experience. Hanging out with other writers, meeting agents and editors, what could be bad? But with two small children at home, I just haven't been able to find the time.

I bet there's a lot of you like me out there. So, let's make our own little writers conference.  If I share some of my writing tips, will you share yours?!  I'll go first:



Keep writing! It’s so easy to get discouraged or feel like you don’t have the time to write. But like anything else that is important in life, you have to work at it and make the time for it.


This is the advice I give to every writer I meet.  There will always be excuses to avoid writing-- I have no free time, I have little kids, I have big kids, I don't have kids yet, my job is too demanding, I need to find a job...  you fill in your own.  If writing is really your dream, make the time.  Start with a writing class, and then find a writer's group.  Once you commit to taking the time to write, you'll be able to find the time to put pen to paper.  (Or fingers to keyboard, as the case may be.)



Edit! Editing your work is almost as important as the writing itself. Sure, you’re telling your story, but it’s also important to consider the way that you tell it. You want your writing to be tight, elegant and polished. It can only get to be that way through careful and thorough editing.




Develop a very thick skin. You’re putting yourself out there when you write and not everyone is going to love what you do. But that’s okay! You’re not writing to please everyone out there. You’re writing because you have a story that you want to tell. So start getting used to criticism and then see tip #1—keep writing!


Now, I've told you my best writing tips.  What are some of yours?

I’m the author of SCOT ON THE ROCKS and JACK WITH A TWIST. My third novel, RECIPE FOR A HAPPY LIFE, was published by St. Martin's on July 2, 2013. My fourth novel, THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB, will be published by Polis Books on May 6, 2014.

My work’s also appeared in the New York Post and Publisher’s Weekly. You can find me at brendajanowitz.com or on Twitter at @BrendaJanowitz.

5 Tips to Make it Rain Words

By Malena Lott


Confession: I've been in the midst of a word drought since Thanksgiving 2013.  While I had a good run in 2013 publishing Family Charms (women's fiction), Twin Falls (YA) and even a romance novella Sterling & Sloane, only S&S was new fiction. I'd written the other books in prior years and edited and published them in 2013.

I wanted to kick off 2014 with a downpour of new words and a new story, but nada -  no prose precipitation in the slightest.


I knew I needed a plan to make it rain words and get my creative mojo back, but nothing seemed to be helping.


Or was something working and I didn't know it?


It's important to remember as a creative that your stories are always in progress, even if you haven't put the words down on paper. We get our ideas by living, experiencing, interacting with others, watching, listening. What I found was that I had some things to work on before the wellspring of words would flow again.


Finally in the last few weeks, things started coming together. The forecast calls for a new novel. Here's what I did:

1. Work on wellness. Having a lack of energy to write could mean a lack of creative energy, which needs to be fueled by things like adventure, new challenges, good health, positive attitude, clarity and a number of other things. (Here's a great link to a post on 18 things creatives do differently and I identify with all of them.) If your life is feeling dull, get out and explore, connect with nature, make a new friend, work out, eat better, meditate, whatever it takes to fuel your creativity. Take a look at what's going on with you physically and mentally and make the proper adjustments.
   
2. Find a muse. A muse is the source of inspiration for a creative work. When I wrote The Stork Reality, my babies were my inspiration. For Dating da Vinci, it was the original Leonardo da Vinci (who is still my #1 crush). For Family Charms, it was my sisters. For Sterling & Sloane, it was Rock Hudson (specifically his character in Pillow Talk.) Now I've found a real-life muse for my new project and everything has started coming together. Of course the verb “muse” is also highly recommended: deep thoughts and meditation.
   
3. Try something new. One of the reasons I didn't want to write is because I had no story. That sounds tres obvious, but I have to become obsessed with a story to write about it. The compulsion to write must overcome me. Finally, while absently watching the Superbowl this year, a story idea hit me, but it was only a kernel, hardly enough to run with. Yet it remained there waiting patiently for me to do something with it and recently a few other events (and the muse) watered that kernel to where I'm in the correct obsessive-compulsive place to work on it. It's something very different than what I've done before so the challenge is spurring me on.
   
4. Be patient and make the hard choices. If you've read the The War of Art, you know about Resistance. Often our worst enemy to our craft is ourself. Instead of fighting the resistance, step outside of yourself as a third-party witness and see what's going on. Don't judge it. Examine it. What do you fear? Why aren't you going for it? Decide what has to change to make it rain.
   
5. Go for small, more frequent writing stints. The fantasy of being able to write for long stints is really tough for most writers. If you can't write for big stretches, go small and add in more in a day.  I'm starting this new "rain shower"strategy but it will require absolute silence and no interruptions to make it work. Maybe a few thunderstorms will show up along the way.
   

What on this list resonates with you? Share your ideas for pushing past your limits and improving your creative mojo in comments.

Malena Lott is a brand strategist and author of six novels, three novellas and several short stories. She also fuels her creativity with hot coffee, iced coffee, wine, Zumba and yoga. Learn more about her at malenalott.com.

My secret time management weapon

by Maria Geraci


Recently, I was interviewed by Nurseweek magazine for an upcoming article. The theme of the article? How I juggle my two careers. Like most published authors, I have a second job, or as I like to put it, the job that actually pays the bills. My income as an author is just too shaky at this point to quit my day job (or in my case, my night job). You see, for almost 28 years I've worked as a Labor and Delivery nurse. A job that I still to this day love, and will probably continue in some capacity until the day I retire.

Is it difficult working two jobs? You bet. But it's also incredibly rewarding. Eleven years ago I began writing because there was a creative void in my life. Today, that void is filled, and while there are times I find myself daydreaming of owning a house on the beach and writing full time, I've also discovered that the nursing part of my life makes me a more complete person. Writing is a solitary profession. Nursing, on the other hand, is an intimate profession. You engage with others at a time in their lives when emotions are high. Nursing helps me fill what I like to call my "creative well". No man (or woman) is an island. And neither is any writer. In order to write well, we have to be active participants in life.

So...how do I work 2 jobs and stay sane? Some days it's not easy and a lot of days I simply have to admit to myself that I can't do everything I'd like. But to quote someone (not sure who, but they knew what they were talking about) you always find time to do the things you really want. Over the years I've found a simple management tool that's allowed me keep all my juggling balls in the air and I don't have to go far to find it because it's in my kitchen. Yep, you probably guessed it. It's my kitchen timer.

The first time I thought about using a timer to help me write was while reading cleaning tips from The Fly Lady, who has all kinds of theories about how much you can do in 15 minutes. While 15 minutes might not seem like a long time, it's long enough to spot clean your kitchen, or in my case, write 3 sentences. And for me, 3 sentences is the magic formula that gets my brain flowing and puts me into my story. Three sentences here and three sentences there, and soon, I have a scene. Most days, if I'm off from work, I try to write in 1 hour increments, using my timer as an absolute. As in, I will absolutely not get off my arse until my timer goes off. One hour is my max concentration time. After that, my fingers tend to wander towards the computer keys that will take me to Facebook or email, but I figure I can do anything for an hour.

How about you? Any secret
 time management tips you'd like to share?

Maria Geraci was born in Havana, Cuba, and raised on Florida’s Space Coast. Her love of books started with the classic, Little Women (a book she read so often growing up, she could probably quote). She writes contemporary romance and women’s fiction with a happy ending. Her fourth novel, A Girl Like You, was released last August by Berkley, Penguin, USA. You can connect with Maria by visiting her website, www.mariageraci.com

Sacked by Sandy

I was really looking forward to this blog post--I love writing tips. And sometimes making suggestions for other writers gets my creaky gears groaning, too.

But then life intervened--in the form of Hurricane Sandy. Or Cyclone Sandy or tropical storm Sandy or whatever you want to call her. All I know is I was at the end of a lovely vacation, when Sandy stranded me for four extra days. 

In Rome. 

Italy.

I know. It's hard to feel sorry for someone stranded in Rome. And I did eat more than my share of amazing pizza while waiting for news of the storm as it roared toward our home in Connecticut. But I didn't write a word, either for you or for me.

So my best, short writing advice? Apply butt to chair, hold your nose and write, as my good friend Hallie Ephron would say.

On the other hand, if you're still waiting in the dark and the cold, or your house was damaged, or you've lost some precious sense of safety because of the storm, please know that we are all holding you in our hearts. Don't worry about writing now--the words will come when the time is right.

Lucy Burdette is the author of the Key West food critic mysteries, most recently DEATH IN FOUR COURSES.  Read more at her website, or follow her on Twitter, or like her on facebook.

NaNoWriMo: Seven Tips to Keep You Motivated by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga

It’s November 1 and that means one thing to writers: the first day of National Novel Writing Month(NaNoWriMo). For those of you who’ve been living in an underground bunker for the past few years, this is where thousands of writers get down to business to try and write a novel in a month (or at least 50,000 words of one!). In 2011, 256,618 writers participated and 36,843 crossed the 50K finish line.

I’ve never participated—I suppose every month is NaNoWriMo for me—but I think it’s an excellent idea. Don’t so many wannabe writers complain that their dream is to write a novel but they just don’t have the time? With NaNoWriMo you know that thousands of people are hunkering down, cranking out their daily 2000 word count and that’s a great motivator to finally get that novel started.

But what about staying motivated during NaNoWriMo? Or what about staying motivated whenever you’re writing a novel? Sometimes it’s just not easy to keep up the pace, no matter how much writing experience you have and no matter what the deadline. Writing is hard work and it can be daunting—there’s no doubt about that. So here are a few tips that might help you keep going:

1. Set at timer for 10 minutes, 25, 45 or whatever, turn off all distractions and just write. You’ll be surprised at what you can come up with under self-imposed deadlines.

2. Try writing at a different time of the day or even a different location. Changes like this can sometimes kick-start new creative impulses.

3. Read the opening chapter of a novel in a different genre from what you’re writing. Or read the first chapter of a “competing” novel. It’s so easy now to find excerpts of books online and you might discover a new writer you can learn from or realize that your story is better than what’s out there!

4. Take a day off from writing. Lots of people say to write every day, but a break can do wonders for your creativity. Just don’t take off a whole month!

5. Go to a favorite café and do some people watching. Listen to conversations, observe behavior. Bring your laptop and/or notebook, look lost in thought and no one will realize you’re eavesdropping.

6. Watch a movie and notice its structure and character development. Does it hook you immediately in to the story? Are the characters three-dimensional or caricatures? If you think it’s a bore, why? Watch actively instead of passively and take notes. Apply what you learn to your own novel. You just might make some important discoveries.

7. Read your favorite magazine or blogs about writing. Get inspired by a fellow writer, or even a little envious, and you might find yourself back at your desk in no time, ready to type your brains out!

Girlfriends, what keeps you motivated?

Wendy Nelson Tokunaga is the author of the novels, "Midori by Moonlight" and "Love in Translation" (both published by St. Martin's Press), and the e-book novels, "FallingUphill" and "His Wife and Daughters," and e-book short story, “The Girl in the Tapestry.” She's also the author of the nonfiction e-book, "Marriage in Translation: Foreign Wife, Japanese Husband." Her short story "Love Right on the Yesterday" appears in the anthology "Tomo," published by Stone Bridge Press, and her essay "Burning Up" is included in "Madonna and Me: Women Writers on the Queen ofPop." Wendy holds an MFA in Creative Writing from University of San Francisco and teaches for Stanford University's Online Writer's Studio. She also does private manuscript consulting for novels and memoirs. Follow her on Twitter at @Wendy_Tokunaga and visit her website at: www.WendyTokunaga.com

Scoop.it Tips For Authors

by Sara Rosett 

Have you heard of Scoop.it? It is a curation site designed to help you share interesting articles and links from the web. It’s like Pinterest for articles.

I’ve been using Scoop.it more and more as I try to simplify my online life. We’re talking about transitions here at GBC and I thought instead of focusing on the thing that comes to mind first —moving boxes and U-Haul trucks—I decided to explore another transition: how I shifted from traditional blogging to micro-blogging.

When my first book came out out way back 2006 (i.e. in the dark ags, pre-ebooks) I was blogging my little heart out at my own blog, Rosett Writes. I’d joined Girlfriends Cyber Circuit and happily blogged about friends’ books. I joined with four other mystery writers and created a “grog,” a group blog called Good Girls Kill because we were nice women writing murder mysteries.

And, oh yeah, while all this blogging was going on, I was also writing books.

Then one day I realized I was spending more time thinking about my blog posts than about my WIP (work in progress).

Not a good sign.

I closed down my individual blog and said a temporary good-bye to the Girlfriends. (I rejoined later after the Circuit was remodeled into GBC). My group blog died a natural death as we all reached a sharing saturation point and mutually decided it had been a great time, but we were tried of the weekly post commitment.

Truthfully, I didn’t think I had much left to say, either witty, funny or informative. Blogging had wrung me dry and I wanted to concentrate all my writing energy on my books. And I also had a feeling that I wasn’t reaching readers with my blogs. It seemed much of the blog activity was authors busily commenting and connecting with other authors—not a bad thing, but I wanted to reach readers.

I didn’t want to abandon all on-line activity and kept up with Facebook and Twitter. I wanted something a little more interactive, but without the huge time commitment of daily blogging.

Enter Scoop.it.

I’ve always posted lots of links to book-related news and blogs, so I created a topic on Scoop.it last year called All Things Bookish, a topic broad enough to attract readers and writers. I love the magazine-style format and the easy integration tools.

I post pretty much anything that I think is interesting in a book-related way:  articles about writing, photos of amazing libraries, and publishing news. Recently, I posted an article about how to create a computer screen saver with your ebook covers as well as an article about swimsuits that resemble book covers, which was got some attention.

Five Scoop.it Tips for Authors:

Think carefully about your topic title— you can’t edit the title of your Scoop.it topic once it’s entered. Decide if you want to go broad (Publishing) or niche (Cozy Mysteries). You can create several Scoop.it topics and they will all appear on your account with you as the curator. 

Install the Scoop.it Bookmarklet—I use the Scoop.it bookmarklet to “scoop” an article or photo to my All Things Bookish page, then I edit the appearance of the scoop: pick a pull quote, change the headline, and even select which photo I want to run with the mini-post. Scoop.it has apps for the iPhone and Android phones, so you can update your site from your phone. 

Link to your other social media accounts—This is my *favorite* thing about Scoop.it. I’ve linked Scoop.it with my Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr accounts as well as my website through Wordpress. I can post the same link to them at once. Pinterest isn’t supported yet, but there is a workaround. Once the post appears on my All Things Bookish page, I can use the installed “Pin it” button on the post to send it to Pinterest.

Website Widget--There are Scoop.it widgets and buttons for your website and blog. I send my most recent posts directly to a section on the lower section of my website home page. It keeps it my webpage updated with fresh content.

Connect—You can connect with other curators and find topics similar to yours. Scoop.it emphasizes that they help you curate content, bringing you lots of articles and links related to your topic. You can create streams with info related to your topic. I haven't found their content that helpful, but you can just ignore it, which is what I do. 

If you want more control on the appearance of your Scoop.it account or more detailed feedback on visitors, you can upgrade your account, but the free account works fine for me.

You can check out my All Things Bookish topic or see the most recent posts on my website. 

I’m curious to hear from you...do you blog? Why or why not? And, what tricks and tips have you found to save time with blogging and/or social media?

~Sara

A native Texan, Sara is the author of the Ellie Avery mystery series and the On The Run travel thrillers--watch for the first in the series, Elusive, out in September. As a military spouse Sara has moved around the country (frequently!) and traveled internationally, which inspired her latest travel thrillers. Publishers Weekly called Sara’s books, "satisfying," "well-executed," and "sparkling."

Sara loves all things bookish, considers dark chocolate a daily requirement, and is on a quest for the best bruschetta. Connect with Sara at www.SaraRosett.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Goodreads.

The Idea Store

by Judy Merrill Larsen

A few years ago, I went to see the lovely Elizabeth Berg at one of her book signings/readings. She's delightful--kind, a little shy, funny, friendly. I love her. Someone asked her, "Where do you get your ideas?" She smiled and said, "Why, at the Idea Store!" Everyone laughed. I thought to myself, I'm betting she's been asked that same question a million times. And might be a little tired of it.



And I wondered if she'd mind if I stole her answer. Because it's perhaps the most common question authors get--along with wondering why we haven't called Oprah. (Answer: No one knows her number. And we'd probably all cut off an arm to get it.)

Because here's the thing--if I go looking for an idea, I'll never find it. And lots of really great, fabulous, amazing ideas never pan out. And, in general, I don't even know I have an idea that's going to work at first.

They sneak up on me and start nagging. I fumble around wondering what string to pull that will help the story. And I pull at a bunch of loose strings that turn into knots or are little scraps that pull out completely. But I never know until I pull.



Which makes for all kinds of fun.

With ALL THE NUMBERS, my first novel, the idea stemmed from a random conversation with my best friend as we sat on the dock at her lake house watching our kids playing in the water. One comment. And poof, an entire story.

Another manuscript started with a photograph from childhood and whispered stories about "that family next door."

Yet another came from a tiny, one paragraph news article about something found under a bed when a family was cleaning out their deceased grandma's home.

And of course, there are lots of other ideas that never survived the "string test". Or so I think now. But, down the road? Who knows what spark will bounce back to some of those strings. And that's thrilling because they are rarely what you think you'll be. Rarely where you think they'll lead. And, in many ways, the whole writing process for me is one of pulling and tugging at strings . . . a character sees something or makes a comment and before I know it, often without my consent, we're chasing down another road wondering what's around the next turn or over the hill.



Of course, all this wondering has made me wonder something else . . . just as I sometimes think I'd love to be able to pop in to an Idea Store after I've browsed the racks at J Jill, what would your fantasy store hold?

I live in St. Louis, MO with my husband, am the mom/stepmom to five kids (ages 19-27), and taught high school English for 15 years. I'm over on Facebook and Twitter . My first novel, ALL THE NUMBERS was published in 2006.

How to Write a Better Book

by Maria Geraci

No writer wants to be a one book wonder. But maybe worse than being a one book wonder is the writer who peaks with their first book. I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want to be the M. Night Shyamalan of literature. (I don’t think you’d find too many film buffs who would disagree with me when I say that he hit the ball out of the park with his first film, The Sixth Sense, and has yet to direct a better movie).

But how do we do write a book that's better than the one we've just written? How do we continue to grow as writers and improve our craft? Just like the protagonists we write about, growth occurs through conflict and struggle.

First, let's talk about the struggle.

It's no secret to anyone who writes that writing is hard work. If you're familiar with Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 hour rule, then you know what I'm getting at. In his best-selling book, Outliers, Gladwell theorizes that natural talent has less to do with success than the power of sheer hard work. The rule is that it takes about 10,000 hours for an artist to hone their craft. In other words, if you do something long enough, you're going to get better at it. So the first key to writing a better book is to simply write consistently. The old adage practice makes perfect has been around a long time because it's true.

Then, there's the conflict.

Again, unless you happen to hit one out of the park (and do so consistently with each book) your writing career will be filled with ups and downs. It's those "downs" and how we react to them that teach us the things we need to learn to be better writers.

"Downs" come in many forms- rejections, bad reviews, etc... I know there are a number of people out there who will disagree with me on this, but I happen to believe that reviews can be a writer's best friend. I read every single review written about my books. Yes, every single one I can get my hands on--this includes reviews from Amazon and Goodreads.

Now, lest you think I'm a sadist (trust me, I'm not) I can tell you that I've learned a lot from reviews. I also read and study reviews for books I've read not written by me (I've found this to be one of the best teaching tools out there.)

Most of the time, I discount 5 and 1 star reviews. Loving (or hating) a book is usually a visceral reaction. It's the 3 star reviews that interest me most. Many times, those reviews hold a tiny nugget of something that reverberates with me. That teaches me something I don't get from the reader who loves my work (or hates my protagonist). The hard part about this isn't reading that someone thinks your work sucks (because believe me, someone will always think that), it's knowing what to take away from those reviews. Over time, however, I'm come to trust my instincts and to know what criticisms feels right and what feels wrong and I think my work has become better as a result.

Conflict and struggle. It works for our characters, and it will work for us as writers.

Maria Geraci writes contemporary romance and women’s fiction with a happy ending. The Portland Book Review called her novel, The Boyfriend of the Month Club, “immensely sexy, immensely satisfying and humorous.” Her fourth novel, A Girl Like You, will be released August, 2012 by Berkley, Penguin USA. You can visit her website here.

There’s No Crying in Baseball, But There Is Good Story Structure

by Sara Rosett 

I suppose I should preface this post with the comment that I’m not a rabid baseball or Rays fan, but I do keep up with local sports teams. I was aware of the Rays standings in baseball the way I was aware of the bridge closure downtown—it was there in the background, but not front and center on my radar. 

I paid more attention as the season wound down. When I saw Evan Longoria’s homerun at the bottom of the twelfth inning on the last day of the season send the Rays to the post season, I thought, it’s like a book or movie.

Of course, since I’m a writer and a big fan of process, I began to break it down and discovered the Rays' journey to the post season provided some excellent tips for creating good story structure:

Your characters need problems and obstacles
During the summer of 2010, there had been a steady bleed of talent as Rays players were traded or departed as free agents to teams that could pay higher salaries. Expectations were low. 2011 was labeled as a “rebuilding year” for the Rays. By September, they were almost nine games behind the Boston Red Sox, a gap that had never been overcome. Their odds of going to the post season were miniscule. 

Why this is important for good storytelling:  Our characters need problems and issues to overcome. There must be a struggle. If there’s nothing wrong in our characters’ lives, no challenges, then there is no story. The Rays’ situation was extreme, but it’s more thrilling to watch the underdog win than to watch the leader steadily progress to victory with no serious challenges.

Your characters need some redeeming qualities
While the Rays had lost some of their stars (Crawford, Garza, Pena, etc), they still had talented baseball players and brought out the best in their new players. Their manager, Joe Maddon, emphasized good mechanics and was the winner of Sports Illustrated’s poll that asked MLB players who they would most like to play for. The Rays might not have the biggest names in their division, but they were persistent. They didn’t steadily climb up the standing though sheer luck. Their own hard work helped them get there.

Why this matters in good storytelling: Readers want to like your characters and root for them. You don’t have to make your character a Pollyanna, but if you have a complaining, rather grouchy cop who is depressed over the death of his partner, readers will be more likely to root for him if he’s got a redeeming quality or two. Maybe he’s a volunteer Little League umpire (fitting for this post, eh?) or keeps an eye on the rookie at work. Don’t let your character succeed through dumb luck or coincidence. Of course, your character will have flaws, but be sure he/she has admirable qualities, too.

Your characters need a good rival
This won’t take much time to explain:  the Rays are in a division with the seemingly invincible and deep-pocketed Yankees as well as the Red Sox, two tough teams. The Red Sox steadily declined throughout September, which opened the door to the Rays, but both the Yankees and the Red Sox were quality opponents. With the Red Sox sliding, the Rays last games weren’t with a last place team, they were with the division leader, the Yankees. To go to the post season, they’d have to beat the best.

Why this matters in good storytelling: Your characters need a worthy rival. A victory over a worthy opponent is sweeter than a victory over a weaker rival. If you do well on an easy test that everyone aces, there’s not much pride there, but if you’re the only student to make an “A” in the class with the professor known to be difficult, you have a reason to feel good. Think of the feedback on reality shows. Praise from Simon on The “X” Factor or from Len on “Dancing With The Stars” means more to contestants because these “tough grader” judges have such high standards. A worthy rival tests your character and pushes him/her to the limit, revealing your character’s best and worst qualities. Seeing a character face down a worthy opponent and succeed through their own intrinsic qualities gives the reader immense satisfaction and that’s what we want to do as writers—give the reader a good ride.

Your character must always be in jeopardy
Even with the Red Sox fading, they were still tied with the Rays on the last day of the regular season and there was always the possibility that the Red Sox could pull it out, down to the last moments of the last game.

Why this matters in good storytelling:  This is what’s known as “stake.” What is at stake for your characters is what motivates them, keeps them struggling against those hefty odds. If the stake goes away, the tension goes away. If the Rays had pulled ahead of the Red Sox and the Red Sox had no chance of winning the Wild Card slot, those last few games wouldn’t have been filled with tension and pressure. Keep the stakes high. Keep your characters in jeopardy until the last possible moment.  Howard Bryant summed it up on ESPN.com, “In the span of three minutes, what couldn’t be settled for 161 games was settled. The Red Sox were one strike away from the playoffs; the Rays one from extinction. All was reversed. Even in the clubhouse, professionals who have seen it all, stood and stared at each other because they had never seen this, a virtual split-screen pennant race.”

So there you go…a couple of great story elements courtesy of Major League Baseball. (That’s I post I never thought I’d write!) but I bet someday there is a book or screenplay, maybe even a movie, based on the Rays’ 2011 season. In fact, it sounds a lot like the plot of Moneyball.

What about you? Anyone else have inspiration for story elements or structure from some place unusual? 

Sara Rosett is the author of the Ellie Avery mystery series, an adult “whodunit” mystery series in the tradition of Agatha Christie. Publishers Weekly has called Sara’s books, “satisfying,” “well-executed,” and “sparkling.” Library Journal says, “...Rosett’s Ellie Avery titles are among the best, using timely topics to move her plots and good old-fashioned motives to make everything believable.”

Visit http://www.SaraRosett.com for more information or connect with Sara on Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads.

Everything I know about writing--I learned on TV

               by     Hank Phillippi Ryan

It all started with a deadline. A missed deadline.

Not mine, of course, I would never miss a deadline. And that’s exactly the point.

When I was the newbiest of the newbies, a writer pal of mine was bemoaning her looming book-delivery date. “Oh," she said, "I’ll never be finished in time. I’ll have to ask my editor for a month-long extension.”

 I burst out laughing. Extend a deadline? I’m a television reporter, have been for more than 30 years, and the thought of “extending” a deadline…well, it’s impossible. Can you imagine if I said to my news director—"oh, woe is me, can I go on the air at five AFTER six instead of six? Because...I’m just not…feeling the muse.”

I’d be tossed out of the newsroom faster than you can say “stack of resume tapes.”

But that got me thinking—thinking about how very useful other things I’ve learned—and am still learning—as a reporter. And how they translate to my additional career as a mystery author.

Deadlines, of course. But lots more. And the more I discuss it, the more powerful the reality—journalism techniques  can be incredibly valuable in writing a killer novel—and especially when you’re stuck or worried you don’t know where to go next.

For instance. When we’re deciding what stories to put on the news, the big question is:  “Why do I care?” There’s a finite amount of time for the news, right? And we want to make sure people watch.  So the only stores that make air are the ones we know people will care about.   

Same for your story.  The only thing that should go on your pages is something people care about.  Otherwise, they’ll put the book down. If you’re stuck, ask yourself: why is this here? Is it the most important, most compelling, most interesting thing that can possibly be here? Why will readers care about his part?

If the answer is—“they won’t”--then you’re on the way to solving your problem. Figure out why YOU care. (Why is this scene here? Why is this paragraph here? What does it DO?) Figure out how to make the readers care.  And your story will suddenly take life.

Another question. Ask yourself: “What’s the problem?” Great news stories are often about conflict. He said/she said. Someone who wants something and someone else who wants to stop them.  Are you at a point in your novel where there’s no problem? Think about how you can get to the clash of wills, or the obstacles, or the dilemma. It doesn’t have to be huge—it just has to be conflict. When I was writing FACE TIME, I was at a point, very early on, where there was nothing wrong. Since it was early in the manuscript, it couldn’t be actual danger—it just needed some tension.

So I made Charlotte hungry. That’s all. Hungry. But there was no food to be had, and her blood sugar was plummeting, as a result, she was cranky, and making bad decisions, and all she could think about was food. A boring scene—became injected with humor and tension and purpose. And as it turned out—completely serendipitously, the need for food became pivotal to the entire plot.

I have ten questions I always ask myself when I’m stuck—and I’ll send you the list if you like!  But here’s number 11:  “What, me worry?” Because what seems like an insurmountable problem now—won’t by tomorrow. I promise. So just see what happens. And then you’ll be powering ahead toward THE END.

 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN is the investigative reporter for Boston's NBC affiliate, and has won 27 Emmys for her work. Author of four mystery novels, Ryan has won the Agatha, Anthony and Macavity awards for her crime fiction.  She’s on the national board of directors of Mystery Writers of America and New England Sisters in Crime.  Her newest suspense thriller, THE OTHER WOMAN, is the first in a new series beginning in 2012 from Forge Books.  Her website is http://www.HankPhillippiRyan.com