It’s the middle of the month and my word count is not where I want it. I’ve had pitches and proposals to write, and it’s always easier to write two chapters of a book than a synopsis, plus research and plotting, but all that work takes time…and it’s time that doesn’t directly add to my word count quota, which I am now officially behind on for the month. Eeep. Which means it is time to buckle down and make up word count.

My overall daily target word count is not all that onerous; 4 pages a day will produce 4 books a year. It’s all this other stuff that eats away at that time, and if said books are not pre-sold, I don’t know what I’m writing so I can’t be doing the four pages. Also when books come out there’s promotional work, and there’s editing after books are turned in. So there’s this constant shuffle of working on proposals in hopes of future book sales, revising the previous book, promoting the current book. While trying to get those 4 pages in.

Anyway, it is now time to make up for days when I didn’t get 4 pages, or when those 4 pages may not have counted towards a future book. *typing furiously*

Today’s blog entry is at Romancing the Blog, talking about the need for Romance in dark times. Come join me.

By Joyfully Reviewed.

“Charlene Teglia has crafted wonderful characters and blends them together in a way that left me satisfied. Night Rhythm has a cover that truly reflects the story within. Fabulous.” - Erys

I do love the cover. It’s sexy and romantic.

Delilah tagged me with the 123 Meme. The nearest book is Jo Leigh’s Have Mercy (Blaze). So, on page 123…

“Come on. You have to tell me every single detail.”
“I do not.”

If you haven’t been tagged with this meme, here are the rules:
1. Find the nearest book of 123 pages or more. No cheating!
2. Turn to page 123.
3. Find the first five sentences.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five other bloggers.

I’m too lazy to tag, but if you haven’t done it yet, consider yourself tagged. And hey, maybe we’ll all get some new book recs this way. *g*

Want to score some hot summer reads and help provide relief to Myanmar? Check out Shiloh Walker’s ebay auction. You can help the victims of Cyclone Nargis and get a sneak peak at upcoming titles by Robin Schone, Lynn Viehl, and more. (Signed copy of Wild Wild West by yours truly included)

And a happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there.

It’s Help Stamp Out Hunger day in the US. Your postal carrier will be collecting donations for their food drive. If you have non-perishable items to share, put them in plastic bags by your mailbox today!

Jordan wrote about how she prepares to write, and I thought I’d chip in my not-quite-outlining approach.

The story starts with a basic conflict. The proposal I’m working on now began as a one-sentence idea with a McGuffin. I changed the McGuffin from one thing to another between one-sentence idea and synopsis because I liked it better that way, but it’s the same conflict. Since I’m writing paranormal erotic romance, I basically have three intertwining plot lines. Paranormal plot, erotic plot, and romance plot. Each of these needs to advance throughout each act of the story and resolve fully and satisfyingly in the end.

The synopsis is an overview of the characters and conflict and resolution. I keep mine very short, but it’s just an overview, not a detailed breakdown. It’s my map of the story and summarizes what the story is about.

Now we go about putting together the acts. I use a three-act structure. I start off by doing the math. For single title, I have roughly 120 pages for Act One. Act One has to do the same job no matter what length I’m writing, but the final length determines how much room I have for minor characters, subplots, slow build, arc, etc. And all three of my plot lines along with my character arcs should hit a turning point around the page 120 mark.

Further defining Act One, it needs to do several jobs. Introduce my characters, my conflict, my world, get readers invested in the outcome, build to the turning point. I tend to write a very bare-bones outline for each act as I go of things that have to happen in the course of that act. The order may change as I write, and I may come up with something better than I’d originally intended to accomplish a particular goal of the story, but I have a rough overview of what each act should contain. This is a technique called outlining from inside; you write towards certain key scenes that have to happen in the course of the story.

By doing this as I go, I keep my story on track and make sure I don’t drop anything from act one that should have developed in act two and resolved in act three, and I keep my page count on target for my final length.

So now my proposal’s gone from one-sentence idea to synopsis to the start of Act One. As I get further into Act One, I’ll see where I need to go fill in research holes. I’m re-using a world previously created so I’m not starting from scratch, but there’s always something to research. My story’s theme is a guideline for plotting. For instance, if you are writing a Beauty and the Beast story, you follow that to fill in turning points (points where the action moves in a new direction). I.e, Beauty agrees to stay at the Beast’s castle and from that point on her life is changed.

Recommended reading:
20 Master Plots and How to Build Them, Ronald Tobias
Plot, Ansen Dibell (elements of fiction series)
The Hero of a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell