A Proffesional's Opinion

Are any of y'all interested in the Writing for the Soul conference?

Brandilyn Collins is a bestselling novelist known for best-selling novelist known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense™. Brandilyn's first book, A Question of
Innocence, was a true crime published by Avon in 1995. Its promotion landed her on local and national TV and radio, including the Phil Donahue and Leeza. She is currently working on a seven-book contract with Zondervan, which will complete in 2009 with her 21st title.

Her latest book is Amber Morn.



Here's what she said about conferences when I asked for her opinion:

The networking is invaluable. Where else can you sit down with editors and agents and talk about your project? Also the networking with published authors is very important—in a way, more important. These are the folks who can help teach new authors and bring them along in their craft. In addition to the networking, of course, is the learning of the craft. Learning how to write fiction in order to reach the publishable level takes years of work. You’ve got to work hard, and you have to have determination. A good writer’s conference packs a lot of learning into a few days.



At the 2008 CWG writers conference I’ll be teaching a course called “Decked Out Fiction.” I’ve learned to pack a lot of teaching in an hour’s time, and in this class we’ll have a total of four. For this article I can only give you a quick overview.

So what’s decked-out fiction? A story that grabs attention, that makes readers go “wow!” A story that zings. Everybody wants it. Too few write it. Decked-out fiction can be written in any genre with these components:

Desire
Emotion
Conflict
Kick


Desire

No, I’m not talking about your desire to write. I’m talking about the character’s Desire to do. What does your character want? Do you really know the answer? (Many novelists think they do—until their story starts to sag.) You need to understand this concept fully. What your character wants—what deep down drives his actions and reactions, his thoughts and dreams—will catapult him through your story. A weak Desire equals a weak novel.

In a nutshell, here are the components for an effective character’s Desire. It should be:

1. Stated in the form of an action verb. (“To be” verbs are too general.)
2. Very precise. (The smallest bit off is like an angle a little off. The farther out you follow the line, the farther you’ll find yourself from your intended destination.)
3. Multi-pronged. (Each “prong” will give you ideas for conflicts that fight against the character achieving that aspect of his overall Desire.)

Emotion

Emotions are interconnected and multi-layered. Emotions force action, which in turn produce more emotion. Novelists need to understand human passions and the way they act upon each other. All too often, authors don’t go far enough in this area. The result is a shallow novel, a story that fails to move the reader.

Imagine a necklace made of tiny beads. From far off the necklace looks yellow. But as you come close, you can see beads of yellow in various shades, plus many other colors—blue, green, red, even a few black. An emotion can be compared to this necklace. Each emotion is multi-faceted. Take anger, for instance. Do you know that anger is a secondary emotion? Anger arises from such emotions as disappointment, pain, betrayal, jealousy, relief, and many more. Relief? you ask. Yes. Picture a mother whose young child has wandered off in a store. What does she do when he’s found? First she hugs him in bottomless relief, then she shakes him—“Don’t ever do that again!” In that context, the anger shows a different—and deeper—side of her love for her son.


Conflict

How do we dig into conflict’s deeper layers? We have to understand conflict as it springs from and works against a protagonist’s Desire and emotions. Conflict is not always something out of left field that knocks our characters around. Many times it’s driven by our characters’ choices.


Kick

Here’s where novelists can add extra zing to their stories. Don’t forget techniques such as:

1. Chapter hooks. No, they’re not just for suspense. Chapter hooks keep readers turning pages.
2. Tone. Tone can add tension, create an aura. Tone is set by the words we choose.
3. Book title. The right title has rhythm, is provocative and reflects the surface story as well as the underlying theme.
4. Effective use of backstory.
5. Compelling opening sentence.

For further teaching on these topic, join my class at the conference. You can also read about more in my book Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors.

Here is her blog, which contains a lot of useful information about writing.

Does anyone have questions?