We are now on Day 4 and the focus today is about the WHEN part of our novels. In this case, it really is about setting but it is all about marketing as well.
This is one of those issues where authors need to do their research BEFORE even starting that story, and when I say start, I am talking about any research or planning. This is really where so many authors screw up.
The reality is that it doesn't matter about the quality of your writing, if you are writing a story that simply is not going to work in the current market, it is not going to sell. This is not an issue of the publishers having a limited scope of writing, or trying to control things. This is a matter of what the readers are currently interested in.
I remember right after 9/11, there were authors who really wanted to bring up a story that rode on that emotion. The problem is, that while the author might have had a great story, the world was simply not ready to face that emotion at that time.
There is also an issue to plotting. The time of the story really is a backdrop to the entire plot and needs to really be there for a reason, and that reason needs to be significant. Like our discussion of setting yesterday, the time of the story also has to be there for a reason.
I remember one author pitching a story that sounded like it had some potential, but this author set the story in the early 70's. This was a romantic suspense and she wanted to set it in a time where there were no cell phones or the Internet. This was not a great approach because now, she had to not only try to tell the story, she had to add in all of the world building. This was world building that was non-essential to the story.
If you are writing a contemporary story, make it contemporary. You readers will relate to the story better because it is a time they understand and live in. It also makes your life easier when you try to connect the reader to the story.
If you are writing anything historical, ask yourself if this is truly a time period that will work right now. It might not be the time to tell that story. Put it aside for now and focus on something that would sell.
Just something to consider.
Showing posts with label setting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label setting. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
5 W's & an H: Today WHERE
We have talked about the WHO and the WHAT, so today is about the WHERE. We're talking about setting.
This is one of those times where you as an author have to figure how much the setting is a part of your story.
I am thinking of the book (not the movie) of UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN. When she is writing, Cortona is a living and breathing part of the story. The restaurants, the stores, the streets and all of the setting is a part of the story. To fully understand what Mayes is going through, we have to get the full sense of the community.
Another great example of this would be many of the camera shots in the Kiera Knightley version of PRIDE AND PREDJUDICE. In the first scene is at the very beginning when we see her outside and then walking into the house. The camera walks us through the entire house so we get a true sense of the family and the importance of family. The second scene is at the party when the camera walks us through all of the conversations. We see the elegance of the party and we see the pettiness of many of the conversations.
On the other hand, there are times when simply describing the setting is not important. If the characters are having dinner at a restaurant and it is just about the conversation, we don't need to read about the wonderful basil in the pasta (a common phrase I see in almost every description of a small Italian restaurant).
Like the WHAT, this is just a matter of knowing if you have too much or too little. Immerse us in the scene when the scene is important. Immerse us in the conversation when the conversation is important and skip out on the scene.
This is one of those times where you as an author have to figure how much the setting is a part of your story.
I am thinking of the book (not the movie) of UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN. When she is writing, Cortona is a living and breathing part of the story. The restaurants, the stores, the streets and all of the setting is a part of the story. To fully understand what Mayes is going through, we have to get the full sense of the community.
Another great example of this would be many of the camera shots in the Kiera Knightley version of PRIDE AND PREDJUDICE. In the first scene is at the very beginning when we see her outside and then walking into the house. The camera walks us through the entire house so we get a true sense of the family and the importance of family. The second scene is at the party when the camera walks us through all of the conversations. We see the elegance of the party and we see the pettiness of many of the conversations.
On the other hand, there are times when simply describing the setting is not important. If the characters are having dinner at a restaurant and it is just about the conversation, we don't need to read about the wonderful basil in the pasta (a common phrase I see in almost every description of a small Italian restaurant).
Like the WHAT, this is just a matter of knowing if you have too much or too little. Immerse us in the scene when the scene is important. Immerse us in the conversation when the conversation is important and skip out on the scene.
Monday, November 23, 2015
Why Did You Pick That Time Period For Your Contemporary?
OK., let me just say that I am someone who loved the 80's. Actually, I loved the music of the 80's, and yes, I did have a Members Only Jacket. But, with that said, if I were to write a contemporary romance, I would not set it in the 80's. I would set it in the present.
As an agent, I am always wondering what it is that motivates an author to set their contemporary romance in these more contemporary times, primarily the 60's-90's. If the purpose of the romance is to watch a blooming relationship, and that IS the central focus, then putting in these other time periods do not make much of a sense.
I do try hard to figure out what was going on in the person's head when he or she wrote the story and to this day, I cannot figure it out. The time period ends up having nothing to do with the story line, and, in the end, it all reads like a regular story. Other than a token reference to something in that time period, that is about it.
If you are a fiction writer, you have to remember that moving it to a different time period is the same as putting a new character in your book. The setting does need to be treated just like a dominant secondary character. There has to be a relevant reason for doing this.
I did have one author, during a pitch session, tell me why she set her contemporary romance in the 70's. Her heroine was trying to track down a relative and she wanted to make sure that computers and the Internet were not available. That was it. REALLY? There are a ton of other ways you can craft a story to keep that relative hidden away from the heroine. When she moved it to that time period, she ended up having to create that new FULL layer to the story, which, unfortunately, took the readers away from the real meat of the story.
As you determine that setting, it is important that you treat your "contemporary" story just like the historical authors would. They picked that time period for a reason. There was a conflict going on at that time. There was significance to that time. And more importantly, that time period DOES play a role in the story.
As an agent, I am always wondering what it is that motivates an author to set their contemporary romance in these more contemporary times, primarily the 60's-90's. If the purpose of the romance is to watch a blooming relationship, and that IS the central focus, then putting in these other time periods do not make much of a sense.
I do try hard to figure out what was going on in the person's head when he or she wrote the story and to this day, I cannot figure it out. The time period ends up having nothing to do with the story line, and, in the end, it all reads like a regular story. Other than a token reference to something in that time period, that is about it.
If you are a fiction writer, you have to remember that moving it to a different time period is the same as putting a new character in your book. The setting does need to be treated just like a dominant secondary character. There has to be a relevant reason for doing this.
I did have one author, during a pitch session, tell me why she set her contemporary romance in the 70's. Her heroine was trying to track down a relative and she wanted to make sure that computers and the Internet were not available. That was it. REALLY? There are a ton of other ways you can craft a story to keep that relative hidden away from the heroine. When she moved it to that time period, she ended up having to create that new FULL layer to the story, which, unfortunately, took the readers away from the real meat of the story.
As you determine that setting, it is important that you treat your "contemporary" story just like the historical authors would. They picked that time period for a reason. There was a conflict going on at that time. There was significance to that time. And more importantly, that time period DOES play a role in the story.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Finding Your Inspirations for Characters and Settings
I have seen a lot of different approaches for developing the characters for authors' books. Many go to great lengths to develop full profiles of their characters. Now, with the advent of social media, specifically sites such as Pinterest, authors are now taking this far beyond the character plotting bulletin boards we once used. Everything down to hair color, nail style and make-up is being posted online to create the perfect three-dimensional character.
In many ways, authors are taking the approach that Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell Smith did
when they created "Lisa" (aka Kelly LeBrock) in WEIRD SCIENCE. Although Lisa had everything that Wyatt and Gary wanted in a woman, she really was too perfect.
But the funny thing is that authors don't have to go that far.
I am a big fan of people watching. Going to the grocery, walking through the mall and even walking down the street can provide an author with more than enough resources to develop the perfect character. In fact, I would almost argue that the character is more realistic that the prepped out Internet version.
Looking around us is a great way to find that inspiration for the characters in our stories, and I would also argue, for the settings of your stories. You aren't taking their life stories, but simply looking at the way they act and behave, the way they talk and the way they react in different situations.
The same goes for the settings of your books. Just look around you and you might be amazed at what you see. Your characters are walking together down the street of a small town, just look at the characteristics of that small town street. Again, I am not saying to make a carbon copy of your small town, but use the template the real world has created for you.
I do have to say, there are a lot of times when I read a story and the characters or the settings come across as too stereotypical. The small town that always has the cupcake shop directly next door to the used book store and across the street is the barber shop. While that might be the case in some place, it doesn't have to be that cookie cutter in all of your books.
Take the time today, as you move around your own world, to simply open your eyes. Who knows? You might find your next hero, heroine, or even the setting for your next book.
In many ways, authors are taking the approach that Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell Smith did when they created "Lisa" (aka Kelly LeBrock) in WEIRD SCIENCE. Although Lisa had everything that Wyatt and Gary wanted in a woman, she really was too perfect.
But the funny thing is that authors don't have to go that far.
I am a big fan of people watching. Going to the grocery, walking through the mall and even walking down the street can provide an author with more than enough resources to develop the perfect character. In fact, I would almost argue that the character is more realistic that the prepped out Internet version.
Looking around us is a great way to find that inspiration for the characters in our stories, and I would also argue, for the settings of your stories. You aren't taking their life stories, but simply looking at the way they act and behave, the way they talk and the way they react in different situations.
The same goes for the settings of your books. Just look around you and you might be amazed at what you see. Your characters are walking together down the street of a small town, just look at the characteristics of that small town street. Again, I am not saying to make a carbon copy of your small town, but use the template the real world has created for you.
I do have to say, there are a lot of times when I read a story and the characters or the settings come across as too stereotypical. The small town that always has the cupcake shop directly next door to the used book store and across the street is the barber shop. While that might be the case in some place, it doesn't have to be that cookie cutter in all of your books.
Take the time today, as you move around your own world, to simply open your eyes. Who knows? You might find your next hero, heroine, or even the setting for your next book.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Question from a Writer on Setting
I was working on my WIP yesterday - a contemporary romance set in West Virginia - when my husband brought up a question that hadn't occurred to me before. Would setting a novel in West Virginia deter agents, and ultimately publishers, from picking it up due to the state's unfortunate reputation? Perhaps I'm incorrect in this assumption, but in thinking about it further, the only novels I've ever encountered that are set in West Virginia have something to do with coal, country folk or small towns. None of these elements, however, are present in my WIP. Both of my main characters are well educated and live in cities - Charleston and Beckley. My husband grew up in West Virginia, both of us attended college in the state and my extended family resides there (though I'm from North Carolina). I chose West Virginia for my WIP primarily because it is beautiful, I'm familiar with it, and a part of me desires to - in some small way - change people's perception of the state and its' residents.
What are your thoughts on the matter? I love my current setting, but if it's going to cause me more difficulty in the already competitive publishing process, I'd certainly consider changing it.
Honestly, I think a lot of writers obsess over the setting of a story. There seems to be a perception that setting a story in one place will sell the book and setting it somewhere else is a certain death. This is far from the truth. In the end, the story is the thing that sells the book, not the setting.
Now, with that said, we do know that there are certain issues and themes that are less likely to sell, and many of these might be associated with a particular region. I think a good example of this is the Civil War and romance. This is just a tough time period to write in. In this case, it is the topic, not the location.
When you pick a story, you really need to find the best setting for the story you want to tell. simply plopping your characters and your story in any place you want will prove to be unsuccessful. Everything - the characters, plots, setting and theme - all have to work together.
Hope that helps.
Scott
What are your thoughts on the matter? I love my current setting, but if it's going to cause me more difficulty in the already competitive publishing process, I'd certainly consider changing it.
Honestly, I think a lot of writers obsess over the setting of a story. There seems to be a perception that setting a story in one place will sell the book and setting it somewhere else is a certain death. This is far from the truth. In the end, the story is the thing that sells the book, not the setting.
Now, with that said, we do know that there are certain issues and themes that are less likely to sell, and many of these might be associated with a particular region. I think a good example of this is the Civil War and romance. This is just a tough time period to write in. In this case, it is the topic, not the location.
When you pick a story, you really need to find the best setting for the story you want to tell. simply plopping your characters and your story in any place you want will prove to be unsuccessful. Everything - the characters, plots, setting and theme - all have to work together.
Hope that helps.
Scott
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)