What Did Your Character Do Before?

Novels always have a lot of backstory, especially in relation to the characters, that doesn’t get into the story much at all. Each one steps onto the stage fully formed and in the middle of the on-going events. But maybe they had a job or a life before this moment that will add some interest to their speech or how they react to certain events.

Perfect Back Story

Every fan of Romance novels knows that Happily Ever After is the perfect conclusion. And the more trouble the principles involved have to work through to get there, the better. Sexual tension is important, too. In our story, however, there’s not much sex of any kind yet. But there is an attraction and there is desire. The following back story needs to be woven in to the story going forward without heavy telling and without flashbacks.

Why do We Tell Lies?

At some point in your life, you realize that the truth appears differently to different people. My memory used to above average and I can still recall the words to a song I learned in high school when I hear the opening notes. But did I learn that off of the radio or did I have the record? At least the truth there isn’t a matter of money or love or life or death.

Do Hobby Horses Come From Hobby Farms?

Perhaps you are not aware that a small farm that does not need to make a profit and that has only a few of some adorable animals is referred to as a hobby farm. In New Zealand, it’s call a lifestyle block. As more city dwellers long for the joys of a simple, country life, small farms are growing in popularity.

Happy Characters are Well-Rounded Characters

Do you know where you are? Do you know how to get to the nearest store for shoes? How about the best deal for fresh produce? I’ve lived in Southern California all of my life and in my current city for 20 some years. I know which roads will work well for travel at certain times of the day.

Settling Your Ghosts

One of the many amazing speakers I have listened to in my years with Romance Writers of America reminded us that our characters step onto the stage of our story fully formed. Like Venus on the Half-shell, any history they have must be revealed slowly and only as much as each scene requires.

A World Without Ice Makers

Writing historical novels, romances or otherwise, it’s important to have a bit of research done so you don’t look like a total noob. In Romance, there’s a fine line between total accuracy and boring technicality. We can bend the facts a wee bit, but always explain in a note to your readers what you have done.

En Media Res, or Your MC’s History

Have I mentioned lately that Lisa Cron is a wonderful gift to writers? I have a ton of notes I took from her talk at RWA-San Diego a couple months ago, and I could expand a blog post on almost every paragraph. But the one I am looking at today is her reminder that our characters do not step out “on stage” without memory, experiences, or misbeliefs. Somewhere in there is our plot, our story, and our conflict.

Locomotion!

How will your protagonist get around in your story? How far away are they from the place where the story will unfold? How do you measure the distance and time needed to travel?

Some stories take place all in one setting, and the characters can move around on foot, like my favorite werewolf stories by Molly Harper that take place in a little town in Alaska. Sure, they do travel at times in trucks and other hearty vehicles, but mostly they go from the saloon to home and back again. Easy peasy as long as the weather holds.

Almost All Greek to Me

Under the pen name of Roxanna Haley, I created and have keep contributing to an anthology called The Bowman’s Inn. The basis of the story is that Cupid or Eros has been reincarnated as a hunk named Valentine Archer, and he has found Psyche in her current life as Amanda Boone. They run the pub and hotel for which the anthology is named.