Hi!
Despite the fact that the Jewish holidays are almost here, this is not a religious discourse but a few thoughts regarding "getting started" with our next book.
We've all been there. Our last manuscript is put to bed with the editor and copy-editor. Our ancillary material is complete and forwarded. And now, "In the beginning ... there was WHAT? I try not to panic at this juncture, suddenly remembering all of those writers I meet who have books, books, books and characters, characters, characters running around in their heads all of the time. Most of us have attended conferences where the speakers say they have to shut out one book, to get their current one keyed in on their hard-drive. Never my problem I can assure you.
Perhaps the reason is, I write historicals set in the West and I don't encounter any of my characters until I've jumped into the deep end of my research. The old chicken or the egg addage pops up at this time. Which comes first? My characters or my story? Okay, there's a very good argument that these are not separate in romance. True. In romance, "It's the romance, stupid." Ah, but you see I enjoy attempting historical romance and so a critical level of historical substance must be factored in. If there isn't a great story hidden somewhere in the history, wherein lies your historical romance? Thus my "chicken and egg" dilemma.
Pathos. Good word is it not? A wonderful editor I have the good fortune of knowing told me she thinks my characters have pathos. Well, once said ... there's no going back. If I don't write stories with pathos now, my chicken might just "lay an egg." Ouch.
You've been great to listen. Thank you. There are steps and more steps to the process of writing a great story, whatever the genre, but my FAVORITE is the writing of it. Beyond marketing and newspaper mentions and appearances and good reviews and good WorldCat numbers and a decent showing on Amazon (albeit sporadic), there is the ultimate enjoyment of finding the story hiding inside of us and writing it!
"In the beginning ... there was the story."
Back soon,
Jo(anne)
http://www.joannesundell.com/
www.squidoo.com/historicalromancewriter
http://www.fivestarauthors.blogspot.com/
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