To Cuss or Not to Cuss--How Will My Characters Talk?

Sometimes I worry I do my readers a disservice. They never know what they're going to get from me. Depending on my characters, language can run the gamut from one or two "dirty words" to more "F-bombs" dropped than gunfire in a war.

So, why the difference?

Why don't I write all my books in the same language style?

In short, it's my characters.

As I write their stories, some characters tell me they wouldn't use that word so I clean up the language. Yes, I hear voices. Others, like my hero in a book currently with an editor, have no qualms about using the F-word frequently. The hero in the book I'm writing now speaks with less spice.

But why? Aren't I the writer? Aren't I the one putting the words on the computer screen? Yes. Yes, I am. I am also in my character's head. If I'm striving for deep point of view, I have to mentally become them. Yup...there are times, for hours a day, I might think and write like a man. I have to act and react in an Alpha male manner. Use my pretend hunk swagger.

If I choose not to listen to my character's directions, he or she wakes me up at night. Or preys on my mind during the day long after I've moved onto another chapter.

Not all authors think the way I do. And that's okay. They don't have to deal with how my mind works. I do. So one time you might read a book of mine with little swearing and other times the language will make your hair curl. It's my characters' fault.

Using Body Language to Show Emotions

I'm one of those authors who have a small group of body movements I include in my writing. I have a larger list I keep on file. I just need to refer to it more often.

All body language must be considered in context, but if I've set my scene correctly and established my characters' good and bad points, a little body language can help add life to the story. I'll share a few with you.

Anger

Anger is one expression of fight-or-flight mode -- an automatic, instinctive reaction to a threat. In many cases, there is an underlying fear of being harmed. Thanks to autonomic nervous system arousal, the heart rate increases, pupils dilate, and the face may flush. Other signs of anger:

􀂃 Balling the fists

􀂃 Crossing the arms tightly

􀂃 Clenching the fists once arms are crossed

􀂃 Tight-lipped smile

􀂃 Clenched teeth

􀂃 Shaking a finger like a club

􀂃 Stabbing a finger at someone

Attraction

􀂃 Pupils dilate

􀂃 Women will cross and uncross legs to draw attention to them

􀂃 Mirroring - (usually unconsciously) mimicking the other person’s body language

Closed to Conversation

􀂃 Keeping the hands in the pockets (esp. men)

􀂃 Arms and legs crossed

􀂃 Sitting back

􀂃 Folding the hands together on a table (creates a barrier)

􀂃 The “figure-four” leg cross (setting the ankle of one leg on the knee of the other) and then grabbing the lower half of the top leg with both hands.

Opennesss and Honesty

􀂃 Exposure of the palms

􀂃 Arms and legs unfolded

􀂃 Leaning forward

Submissive Signals

􀂃 Smiling - that’s why some people smile when they’re upset or afraid

􀂃 Slumping the shoulders

􀂃 Doing anything to appear smaller

Distress

􀂃 Men in particular have a tendency to stroke or rub the nape of the neck when they’re upset. It acts as a self-soothing gesture to deal with a “pain in the neck.”

􀂃 Crossed arms - arms act like a protective barrier

􀂃 Self-hugging - arms are crossed, hands gripping upper arms

􀂃 One-arm cross - one arm crosses the body to hold or touch the other arm - women keep a hand on a purse or bag strap to make this look more natural

􀂃 Clutching a purse, briefcase, or bag with both arms

􀂃 Adjusting cuffs or cuff-links (men’s version of the purse-strap grab)

􀂃 Folding the hands together in front of the crotch (men)

Lying

Lying causes a subtle tingling in the face and neck, so the gestures below are attempts to eliminate that feeling

􀂃 Covering the mouth - can be like a shh gesture, or they may cover the mouth completely - some people try to cover it by coughing

􀂃 Touching or rubbing the nose or just below the nose - often a quick, small gesture, not a scratch

􀂃 Rubbing the eyes (especially men)

􀂃 Scratching the neck with the index finger

Superiority, Confidence, Power, Dominance 

􀂃 Steepling the fingers (aka setting the tips of the fingers together)

􀂃 Folding the hands behind the back

􀂃 Thumbs sticking out from pockets when hands are in pockets (can be front or back pockets)

􀂃 Hands on hips

􀂃 Straddling a chair

􀂃 Hands folded behind the head while sitting up (in men; in women this thrusts the breasts out and becomes sexual)

A Hammer, A Drill and A New Plot

Calvin's bedside lamp broke. The darn thing wouldn't stay turned on. Then in the middle of the night, the crazy thing would decide to pop on and scare the daylights out of us. So he went to Home Depot to buy a new socket, or whatever you call that round thing you screw the light bulb into. He was confident it would be an easy fix.

He went out to the garage shortly after breakfast. It didn't take long for the grumbling to start. Then the pounding of a hammer commenced. I shook my head. I could see a new lamp purchase in our future. There was more racket and the grumbling became rather colorful. Then, for some unknown reason, the electric drill roared to life. So did the cussing! When what sounded like a zillion lamps hit the garage floor, I knew his "easy fix" was done. Well, there was the whirl of the shop vac. He just left to go buy a new lamp--and I shudder to think what it'll look like. My tastes run to the coordinated. His to the cheap.

Still, I could identify with it all. I've had storylines like that. A bright idea popped into my head, got my creative juices flowing and then everything stopped. When I was awake, nothing worked. When I tried to sleep, ideas flitted through my mind only to be forgotten by morning.

Characters I thought were great turned out to behave one way in one instance and a different way in another. You know, bi-polar jerks. And I couldn't see it. My critique partners could point it out, but I was plowing ahead, oblivious to his or her inconsistencies. Then, whammo, it would hit me. This story is nothing but crap.

Or, as one truly good writer recently complained about her current WIP, it's like I've drawn the box, but there's nothing in it.

But there was something in mine...and it stunk...stank...ah...smelled like a complete rewrite.

This is why we need to know our characters before we begin--their pasts, their hurts, the reasons they react to things a certain way. And keep it consistent until we reach their character arc where we can show their point of personal growth and change...and no, it won't happen over night, but it will make them think about things, help them move three steps forward, even if they sometimes make two steps backward. None of us makes a complete, positive change overnight. We do it in steps and stages.

We also need to know how the story will end. What do you envision the ending scene as being? The ways your characters reach that point is your creativity at work. I can envision my ending scene of my current WIP. Now, how I'll reach that point will be the fun part or the agony. Perhaps that's what we should call the writing life--THE AGONY AND THE ECSTACY.

Keep writing, folks. If it's junk, it's junk. Better a screen filled with gibberish, than a blank one. We can hammer a bad story into something readable. Or drill out the bad parts with our Delete Key. I've discovered the Delete Key is my best friend.

For a fun Christmas novella, think of purchasing SANTA WORE LEATHERS, the introduction to my firemen's "Wild Heat" series. http://amzn.com/B00GFD6X34

Book one of my "Wild Heat" series HOW TO SEDUCE A FIREMAN is available now. http://amzn.com/B00ME1OWD4

For a dash of paranormal in your Scottish Highland romance, try book one of my contemporary "Highland Beloved" series, A HIGHLANDER'S OBSESSION. http://amzn.com/B00ILX9WC0

The Power of Back Story by Vonnie Davis

All books, whether a stand alone or part of a series, contain back story. For the purpose of today's discussion, I'm talking about two types of back story. Character and series. Each have similarities, yet each are different in power and scope.

Personal back story helps explain why a main character behaves a certain way. If our hero served in a war and has PTSD, then we have to study how this back story can affect him both physically and emotionally. If our heroine was abandoned at an early age by a parent and then again as a young adult by a lover or spouse, then this back story affects how she responds to both external and internal stimuli that reminds him or her of that past pain. We also call this part of character development.

But suppose the back story is fairly recent? For whatever reasons, our heroine has lost her job, her home and savings. Now she's sleeping in her car. How much of her back story do we give? Well, obviously the basics so the reader knows the whys of her living conditions and sympathizes with her. But how deeply do we go with the back story? We want to give enough back story to educate and entice the reader to read on. But is it important to cite the personal habits of the evil-doer of the person who put her in dire straits? Do we need to know the back story of that stinker too?

How many of us have read stories where the heroine is traveling and thinking back over her personal history--her family, her family's home and financial situations, grandma's gout, Uncle Harry's love of liquor, the death of the family's dog and her horrible state of affairs of  now having to resort to taking a job as a nanny. I do. And I recall my eyes glazing over as I read pages and pages of boring back story.

BACK STORY SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO EDUCATE AND ENTICE US TO READ ON!

Writing a series, something I'm doing now, involves its own type of back story. In fact, I'm weeding though two series--one set in Scotland and one in Florida. Yet elements of back story are important to each to tie every book in the series together. Let's talk about my Scottish bear-shifter series. In book one, I explain how these shifters came to be. So, now in book two, do I bore readers who read the first book by relling the story again? Or do I leave the new readers, who haven't read book one, in the dark? How much back story do I repeat? How much is vital to understanding? I wrote about an ancient Viking curse in book one. Do I mention it in book two? It's created a lot of sleepless nights.

So, once more, I relied on a back story technique I started some time ago. I opened a document and roughly listed all the back story I might want to include. Depending on my mood I might list the back story in bullet points or I might write it all in paragraph form. As I use that part of back story, I either delete it or highlight it.

Next problem, how long do I make the back story insert? When I first started writing, all I heard was editors didn't like to see any back story in the first three chapters. Ouch! Then it changed to NO back story in the first chapter. 

Now, let's pause here for a minute, folks. Let's be serious--and damned honest. For me to write a first chapter with zero back story is like my going yard sale shopping in these shoes. It just ain't happenin'. No way. No how. 

But my method has taught me how to minimize the amount of back story. For once I eliminate the fluff, I open my trusty thesaurus and write a paragraph, using the strongest, most descriptive words I can find. Sometimes I can write ONE good paragraph of back story. And believe me, when I can write one sentence of back story to sprinkle in among the current story's narration, I am super tickled. For back story is best told in snippets. Not paragraph after paragraph or--God forbid--page after page. Sprinkle it in as needed and in small and powerful amounts.

Here's an example of back story from book one used in book two. I've highlighted it...

Mrs. Munro had traveled from Virginia in the United States to attend her Uncle Angus Iverson’s funeral in March. She’d brought her grown granddaughter Paisley along as her traveling companion and the two had stayed at Matheson Lodge. Gossip was Creighton, the eldest of the Matheson brothers and Laird of his bear-shifting clan, had no sooner set eyes on golden-haired Paisley than he’d laid claim to her. They were married a couple of months later.

To quickly show the heroine and hero of book two have already shared an intimate history, I inserted this bit of back story into a paragraph of the first chapter...

Not that she cared one Scottish whit, for she didna. Not after he’d cast her aside over a year ago to wallow in the memories of the wife he’d lost four years earlier from complications in childbirth. Oh, the man could romance a woman for some physical release, he just couldna move forward and commit.

Now we're starting to hear that some editors want more back story to validate character's behavior. I've not heard it from my editors yet and hope I don't. Even so, my technique will still work. I'll just have to use a heavier hand with my back story. That would figure, though. Just when I perfect a plan that works for me, someone comes along and changes the game. And you know what I keep thinking of? Those long boring pages of narration telling me every minute bit of back story. I can feel my eyes glaze over all ready.

Do We Want Our Heroines Physically Perfect?

I enjoy a heroine who has fleshy thighs and broad hips. I suppose that preference reflects back on my own plus-sized figure. What about a heroine who wears glasses or has a bit of an overbite? What say you about a heroine who has had a masectomy? Or kinky hair that just won't do what she wants? How perfect do we like our heroines?

I ask myself this question everytime I start a new story.

You see, I get fed-up with society's opinion that one is worthy of love only when one is perfect.

We don't all have perky breasts. Nor long shapely legs that go to our waists. Or bedroom eyes that tempt a man. For some of us, take off our glass and we have to squint to see the man in our beds. Thank God for the power of touch.

 

Nature does not create us all perfect.

 

Then there are the effects of pregnancy or accidents or three too many donuts. In life, our bodies get abused either by outside influences or by our own bad habits. But does that deem us unworthy of love?

 

Do we feel a closer connection to heroines with a flaw or two? Or do we want them beautiful, toned and tanned? How perfect do you like your heroines?

What Kind of Torture Makes a Tortured Hero? by Vonnie Davis

What type of tortured hero do you like?

 

 

Women are born nurturers. We love making a difference in someone's life. We enjoy making someone happy. And we are drawn to a tortured hero. But what kind of torture gives a male character the label of a tortured hero?

 

Could it be something emotionally scarring that happened to him in his childhood? Like Storm Masterson's abandonment by his mother? Did this cause him to cling too closely and doubt so quickly?

 

What about physical scars from war? Can a hero with an amputeed leg be sexy? Can a heroine help him deal with his PTSD? I'm betting Win's virility will jump off the page at you, one leg or two.

 

What if a hero's torture is self-imposed? Like if his fiance was killed because he did something wrong? Does the guilt he revisits every day qualify him as being tortured?

 

What if an error in judgement in a hero's teenaged years caused a family disaster? For example, the younger sister Jean-Luc was supposed to keep an eye on was kidnapped while the teenager flirted with a girl up the street. This constant source of guilt and pain causes a strong need to control everything and everyone. How would you help him change?

 

What is your favorite kind of tortured hero? I'd love to hear. Leave a comment with your email address between now and Saturday (4/27 at 6pm) and be eligible to win your choice of one of these titles. 

Alone With the People in My Mind by Vonnie Davis

In many ways, writing is a lonely profession. In other ways, our minds are so filled with characters screaming to escape to the written page and our psyches so jumbled with storylines that, at times, we wish we were alone. How many of us have thought at times the characters frolicking in our minds were infinitely more interesting than those who populated our reality?

But it's the way writers' minds work.

The magic is somehow out of all this chaos, an interesting, well thought-out story evolves. Scenes written and rewritten flow in an orderly procession from one to another, building suspense, passion or self-discovery. Our characters--screaming and demanding to be heard--saunter onto the screen, strong and multi-faceted and endearing in their own way.

Imagine.

From a muddy helter-skelter mess, a story of love, hope and courage often grows.

What stories are evolving from the crowded, dusty recesses of your mind?

WHY A WOUNDED HERO?

William Wordsworth wrote, "the child is father of the man." Praise--or lack thereof, victories, the availability of unconditional love and the emotional pain a boy or girl experiences as a child affects the adult he or she becomes.  Take the picture of my son, Mike, and his little boy. Taken some years ago at a wrestling tournament, Ryan has just lost. Mike is his wrestling coach and sometimes straddles the line between Dad and Coach Mike. In this photo, whom do you think is consoling Ryan? Dad or Coach? How is Mike's reaction to Ryan's loss affecting the man Ryan will one day become? The child is father of the man.

To be sure, we are a sum of our experiences. What we go through as a child affects our actions and reactions as an adult. We know this. In fact, we use it in our writings. This gem of knowlege factors into our character's development. How has our heroine's or hero's background affected her or him?

But pain and emotional trauma don't only occur during childhood.  A lover's betrayal, a business partner's disception or an auto accident can also scar us. So can war.

In THOSE VIOLET EYES, my hero Win Fairchild is a wounded war vet. He's not only carrying the emotional wounds of what he's seen and the buddies he's lost, but he's also minus part of a leg. In otherwords, he is not the physically perfect hero we so often write about. He wears a prosthesis and is sometimes unsteady on his feet. His gait is not smooth; he walks with a slight limp. Yet in my heroine's eyes, he is perfect.

In the scene I'm about to share, Win is at Evie's house. After a tearful phone conversation, he rushes to her side to offer comfort. Her brother has stolen all of her money. In Win's haste to get to her, he's forgotten to reattach his prosthesis and is concerned how she will react to his stump.

Win readjusted his crutches and followed her inside. So far she hadn’t seemed repelled by his stump, but she hadn’t seen it in the light either. His stomach clenched. If she rejected him, he didn’t know how he’d handle it.

Her back was to him as she poured the coffee. “Living room’s to your right. Go on in and have a seat. I’ll bring the coffee.”

Win moved into the living room. Clean, neat with older furniture. The kind of room a person could relax in. He settled on the sofa.

Evie set the mugs on the stand by his elbow and looked at his leg.

His stomach clenched. What is she thinking?

She kneeled in front of him. “I didn’t know how much of your leg you’d lost.” Warm hands ran from his knee down. “You’ve got both knees, but your leg ends about three inches below that. You’re kind of red here.” She trailed fingertips over his stump and gazed up at him. “Hurt?”

“It’ll hurt if you stop.” He couldn’t believe she was touching him there, as if that part of his body were no different than his cheek or his elbow. Oh, how he needed her touch.

“Does walking so much in your prosthesis irritate your…your…” She tilted her head and regarded him. “Tell me the right term, Win.”

He shrugged. “Stump.”

“Stump,” she repeated.

Then damned if she didn’t lean over and kiss it. He didn’t realize how fearful he’d been that she’d reject him. In fact, he was sure she would.

“Evie.” The anguish in his voice surprised him.

She jerked back. “Did I hurt you?”

He wrapped his hands around her arms. “Come here.” He lifted her to his lap and threaded his fingers into her damp hair. “It doesn’t repulse you?” He tilted his head so his forehead touched hers. “I was afraid…”

Evie pressed her hands to his cheeks. “I’m attracted to your mind, your heart, your soul. Even that surly mood you’ve got goin’ on sometimes. I’m sorry about your wounds, but the loss of a limb does nothing to change the man you are.”

Win laid his head against the back of the sofa and exhaled an audible breath. “I was so worried…” He rushed here to comfort her and help her with whatever problems she had. Now, here she was comforting him. If he had any questions before about whether or not he adored her, her attitude just now lured him the rest of the way into love. How had he lived without her all of his life? How could he face the future without her and her sweet acceptance of his battle scars?

“A lot of women couldn’t handle an amputee.”

“Is that why you’ve been blowing hot and cold with me? Were you afraid I couldn’t handle less than physical perfection?”

“Made sense to me.”

“How stupid is that? Believe me, you’re the most perfect man I’ve met so far in my lifetime.” She pressed kisses to his eyelids. He ran his hands up her back and pulled her closer.

So, why did I chose to write about a wounded hero?

Yes, we deal with emotionally wounded heroes all the time. But could a less than physically perfect person--man or woman--be appealing to the opposite sex? In a world where we tend to worship perfection, I suppose I wanted to prove "perfection" was more than the physical. By society's standards, I am not worthy of a strong romantic love. I bear stretch marks from having three children, scars from six surgeries, an excess abundance of weight, not to mention cottage cheese thighs. And, yes folks, my pompoms have drooped. Yet I'm here to tell you Romance is alive and well at the Davis household. Less than perfection deserves and is capable of seducing romantic love.

In fact, an older heroine--a breast cancer survivor--has been niggling at my brain. She wants to show the world a fiesty woman with a double masectomy can capture the devotion of a man, too. What do you think? Shall I go for it?

HONORING DIFFERENCES IN THE SEXES

Some years ago, society went through a phase where it was politically incorrect to acknowlege any difference in the sexes. A premise spawned from the thinking "women can do anything a man can." If fact, many women--including myself, for a period--were determined to do whatever their male counterparts did.

In my case, I learned to read blueprints and operate machinery in the heavy metals industry. I was a card-carrying member of the IAM, International Machinists Union. Steel-toed shoes and denim aprons were my fashion statement items. Slivers of steel were embedded under my skin, and I could lift heavy pieces of iron along with Joe and Nathan. Not that I necessarily wanted to compete with a man, but I wanted to earn what he was earning. And I did.

I also got my bachelors in English and eventually changed professions, becoming a technical writer. Throughout those thirty-plus years, I studied men. Hey, someone had to do it!!!

What did I learn? Men are so wonderfully different from women--and I highly respect the differences. For one, our bodies are delightfully dissimilar. And I smile widely as I write that statement.

And for another--and this is especially important for writers--we think and speak differently.

"How was work today?" Alice kissed her husband as he pulled off his grey tie.

"Good."

"Did you get that project done or didn't your partner come through with those research figures you needed?"

"No."

"No, what?" Alice waved her hand. "You didn't get the project done or Carl didn't get his reseach figures in?"

His head and shoulders disappeared behind the refrigerator door. "Where's the beer?"

You see, women like to find out things. Men, on the other hand, like to ignore. That's why if a woman suspects her husband is cheating on her, she will turn into the best private eye on the planet searching for clues. That's also why a man will ignore his discarded shoes and dirty socks on the living room floor, and a woman will pick them up.

There are basic personality differences between the sexes. Sometimes these differences endear the other person to us. At others, they drive us freakin' insane! Don't 'cha love it?

A woman will see another woman wearing a pretty top and notice the color and style. She'll take note of the way the wearer's cinched in her waist with a wide, red stylish belt.

A man looks at the same woman wearing the same blouse and think, nice boobs.

It's how we're wired. And, folks, we're wired differently.

Make sure you remember that in your writing.

I've just finished judging a contest where writers failed to acknowlege those differences. One had a guy remarking how the cut of the heroine's dress made her look short and stocky, instead of emphazing her tiny waist. Men DON'T think that way. Not unless they're fashion designers. In fact, most men are too busy checking out your boobs and butt to notice the color of the dress. They are visual creatures, but only in relation to the body parts that turn them on--or the paint job on a classic car.

When something makes a woman angry, she will growl and talk about it for hours. A man says, "Screw it!" And he's done talking. But, make no mistake, he's stewing mentally over whatever's got his boxers in a twist.

We talk differently. Men often speak in grunts and groans and monosyllabic words. Not all, though, and this is where your characterization comes in. My husband, a retired English teacher and author, can out talk me any day. It's part of his character, based on his education, creativity level and interests.

Women notice details. Men notice what they want. Women are multi-taskers. Men are singularly focused.

Remember these differences as you write and your characters will ring true.

JOHANNA GOT KENNY CHESNEY; I GOT THE FLU--or--how an old woman pouts

We've all read about Johanna Melaragno's trip home from the retreat. She talked to a woman at the airport whose husband works with Kenny Chesney; her conversation garnered her an invite backstage sometime to meet that cute little hunk in a cowboy hat. Okay, so I might be a tad jealous. After all, Johanna got Kenny Chesney and I got the flu. Calvin came down with the bug the day after we got home from Asheville and 48-hours later, I was sick, too.

Even so, let's think about Kenny Chesney for a bit, not that that's any hardship. How many times do you think he socks that hat on his head while standing in front of a mirror until he gets it just as he wants it? We, of the older set, refer to it as a rakish angle. Or would that be a smoldering angle? Hmm... Even things that look simple require practice, don't they?

Like creating characters and storylines; the more we do it, the easier it becomes. Or so I tell myself as I beat my head against the wall trying to pound my characters into submission. But I'm not blogging about writing today. Or am I?

When Kenny straps on that guitar and strums a chord, we have no concept of the number of times he's done that same thing, to say nothing of the hours spent in practice. Like the song lyrics to one of Bryan Adams' songs: Got my first real six-string...Bought it at the five-and-dime...Played it till my fingers bled...Was the summer of '69... We have no clue of the artist's sacrifice and hard work. We only see or hear the beautiful end result.

As writers we, too, are artists. We paint with words. We play with passions and sing with similes and syntax. We create. Let's not belittle what we do. Kenny brings us enjoyment; we do the same for our readers.

So, back to my pouting mantra this past week as I swallow an antibiotic or pop-in another cough drop: "Johanna got Kenny Chesney and I got the flu."

THE ALL-IMPORTANT BACKSTORY

We all have a backstory. You know, those events in our past that affect how we react to things now. Things that push our buttons. Take me, for example, as a child who stuttered, I was often perceived as less intelligent than others, as if my stuttering were an indication of my IQ. So, now if you want to push my buttons, treat me as if I'm stupid. Believe me, it won't be a pretty sight.

We all react to things differently. Take someone falling; I grew up during the age of slapstick comedy, full of prat-falls. Now, if someone falls,  including myself, I have to fight the urge to laugh like a demented loon.

Different things affect our deep emotions, too. I am a weepy soul. News stories, movies and some well-written scenes in books can make me cry. My Calvin says, "I'm a soft-hearted woman in a hard-hearted world." But basically, I can't stand to see someone sad or belittled or abused--things that point back to my childhood, my backstory.

As writers, we need to know our character's backstory. What makes them tick? Why does our hero mistrust women? Why does our heroine have an eating disorder? Why does this person get angry when he or she is no longer in control of a situation? A backstory gives our characters flaws, makes them real to the reader and creates room for personal growth within the story.

Even so, we must dribble in the backstory in little dabs. How many of us have read pages of backstory only to feel our eyes glaze over. Usually, by this time, I'm thinking let's get on with it. Move the story forward! This becomes a writer's challenge: Putting in enough backstory to explain the character's quirks, but not so much as to beleaguer the point by droning on and on and on.

Do I handle this part of writing well? Not yet, but when I find myself writing more than two paragraphs about someones backstory, I ask myself if there isn't a quicker, more interesting way for my readers to know why...why does my character act or react this way? Writers, create and use your character's backstory.

MAKING A PURSE OUT OF A SOW'S EAR

Idle time for a writer is not a good thing, especially in my case. Bordom sets in. I've emailed my romantic suspense, Mona Lisa's Room, back to my agent with the first round of tract changes completed. We'll go through this process once more before she feels the manuscript is good enough to "shop out" to publishers. Keep your fingers crossed, folks. An editor at The Wild Rose Press has my short story--or novella, if you prefer that term--and will get back to me by July 5th on Waiting on a Dream. So, what do I do now as I wait?

Dawn Dowdle, my agent, suggested I dust off Indigo Blooms, my first novel. She loved the story and fell hard for Fae, the little girl who wanted a Mommy. I must admit Fae was my favorite character in the book, too.


Dawn said since my writing's so much stronger now, perhaps I could polish the book into a more marketable format. In Pennsylvania Dutch lingo, she's hoping I can make a purse out of a sow's ear--a sow being a female pig. Perhaps now you're getting a visual of what I'm facing.

I rewrote the entire first chapter. Changed a lot of the back story. One could say the plot has many holes. And, honestly, at times it reads like it's written in a different language. Gee, and I thought it was so perfect at the time...sigh... Passive language, point of view issues and characters that overreact. No wonder she couldn't sell the thing.

I'm not sure Wonder-Woman-Writer could salvage this story. Still, fool that I am, I'm trying. I think it's because I want you to meet Fae, the real heart-stealer in the book. Of course her veterinarian father, muscled hunk that he is, can make a woman's heart stutter at twenty paces. He's worth the trouble, too. The heroine, her heart locked in a protective vault, has no defenses established against the charms of an exuberant child--who does?


How much do I keep? Dawn's already told me I need to take out two chapters that make the story "too dark," according to publishers she queried. So do I lighten up on the tension or just hit the delete key? What will I put in its place? Or do I simply start fresh with that section and go in a completely different direction? What to do...what to do...

Tell me, how do you revamp a weak story? How do YOU make a purse out of a sow's ear?