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 For years I struggled with story. I had great ideas, but somewhere in the process I’d get stuck. The plot points I used to get unstuck would leave holes so big the story would resemble Swiss cheese. The more I tried to repair the damage, the more convoluted the story became. I keep thinking about…
 By Susan Carlisle If you read my post last month you saw all the projects I was working on. I promised to show you my grandkids all dress up. So not to disappoint here they are. I will have to say this wasn’t my best smocking effort but their outfits turned out pretty cute just…
Congrats on getting such a cute project done! Such a pleasure to see baby pix. 
So absolutely gorgeous!! 
Susan, those outfits-and babies-are gorgeous! So cute! You just have all sorts of talents. And congrats on the new book contract! 
Congratulations on the four book deal, Susan. The twins are so cute as well as their outfits! 
There is so much goodness in that post I hardly know where to begin, Susan! Your babies are adorable as are their smocked outfits. I did English smocking when my boys were little and have hung onto all my smocking plates, embroidery floss and pleater. Maybe someday in the far-flung future I too will have grandbabies! And congrats on the four-book deal. You are amazing! 
Laura,
Mary,
Maxine,
Connie,
Pam, 
Ooh, such cuteness! Wish I could give both of them a hug. You did a great job with their outfits. I know I’ve congratulated you elsewhere on the 4-book contract, but that deserves a follow-up KUDOS. Great progress all around. Between the garden, flower gardening and a new puppy, daily pages and a few small crochet projects are the only thing on my radar. I did finish crocheting a cute baby blanket last week.
Carol, 
Susan, I’ll be leaving in a couple of weeks to spend a bit of time with my granddaughter…working together on her short story that she hopes to enlarge into a full-length book. Sewing, traveling, writing, (to name a few of your activities) …honestly, I don’t know how you get so much done…I’m in awe. Guess we need you Type-A’s in this old world. 
Those two are just so stinkin’cute! Plan for summer. BWAHAHAHAHA! 
Susan, the smocking is adorable, but not half as ADORABLE as your grand babies!!! Have a wonderful evening, 
The grand babies are beautiful and the outfits are adorable too! Good job on both!
Sandy,
Thanks Debbie. I’m already plan something for them to wear to the Nationals book signing. I’m going to work on those over the 4th of July. 
Susan, I read your post yesterday and was so enchanted by the pictures, I forgot to comment.
Tamara,
Hildie, Thank you.
Linsey, You are too sweet. As busy as you are I’m not surprised.  By Susan Carlisle Today we are off to visit Saipan and Tinian. Where are they you might be asking? I have to admit that I knew they were in the South Pacific but I had to check my atlas to actually orient myself. Saipan is a small island about forty-five minutes north-west of Guam. Not…
My Father served in the Pacific during WWII. He never talked about it much. Not pretty stories I imagine. 
What a fascinating post. I had no idea about any of this. My father served in Europe during the War so I didn’t know that much about the Pacific theater except what I saw in movies. Looking forward to next week’s post.
This is wonderful, Susan. I know the trip was wonderful. It seems so serene now compared to the past. Would love to be there one day. Thanks.
Wow, not your typical vacation, Susan. What was the tank sitting in the ocean for all that time? Did it originally hold something? Can’t wait to hear more about the WWII aspect of your trip. As a Marine, my father served in the Pacific. I have pictures of him in Japan after the surrender. My uncle survived the Bataan Death March, something he rarely spoke about in later life.
I needed a little getaway today, thanks for being my tour guide! Love it.
Hi Susan, And I can’t wait to read next week’s article about the small plane trip. 
I had forgotten about your World War II trip. I found your descriptions fascinating! My father-in-law was a paratrooper in Europe during the war. I don’t know anyone who fought in the Pacific Theatre. Can’t wait to hear about the plane ride!
Hey everyone. Thanks for stopping by. It was a cool trip. Truly a half a world away from home. Debbie, the tank was coming in on a Higgins boat. The ones that the front lets down on. The boat was swamped and the tanks fell out. They were never removed. One of the many neat things we saw on the trip. The Pacific was a particularly horrible place to serve during WWII. The battles were awful because the Japanese didn’t believe in giving up. Some of the place we saw were sad for this reason alone.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, Susan. Saipan looks like a beautiful place, despite the history. 
I grew up on Guam! Never made it over to Saipan, though. Am definitely thinking I might have to do that on my next trip. Great post, Susan! -Melia  By Debbie Kaufman Tuesday night my husband, my granddaughter, and myself headed off to Senoia, Georgia, the location of the new Southern Ground Social Club. The club is the brain-child of country music star, Zac Brown, bringing together a lot of his ventures, hopes, and dreams. Atlanta’s Lifestyles Magazine recently wrote a short, descriptive article…
Hi Proud Mama! How great this moment was. Congrats to your son!
Thanks, Laura! Now if someone would only sign them to a label
How cool! I guess we’re both proud Mama’s now.
Wow, Debbie, talent runs in your family. Thanks for sharing the video, very nice. 
Kudos to Dave and Melodie!! You should be a proud momma. If we weren’t out of town this week we’d love to have been there. I had no idea that was in our backyard. Thanks for sharing and I hope this opens doors for them.
Thanks, Marilyn! I think we all have our own version of creativity. His is definitely music.
Dianna: I started to invite you and then saw the Facebook post about you and the new Lady Jane Salon in Illinois. I was pretty sure that the motorcycle ride back wouldn’t get you there in time, LOL! Hope that the reading went well for you. And yes, I certainly hope this opens some doors for him.
Hey Carol, absolutely! I was so excited to read about your son not only getting accepted, but surviving and thriving in the fire academy. All that preparation even before he applied! Hmm, maybe some common elements here: both had lots of training before and both have situations that take nerves of steel. Fortunately for David and Melodie, no one wants to see them in a burning building. On fire metaphorically, maybe, but definitely not putting it out! 
I’m so glad you shared! Publishing, the music industry–we have a lot in common, don’t we? Keeping my fingers crossed for your son!
Chris, I think you’re right. We all had to hone our craft, learn the business end of things and then network and wait for our break! Say, do you have any publishing news? Email me if you have a chance.
Congrats to Dave & Melodie….and congrats to you, Mom…know you were busting your buttons with pride. It’s always nice to see our kids having fun…and you know he was since he was smiling so much. Talented young man.
Hey Sandy, I know he was a bit nervous beforehand, but did seem like he was in his element once he was on stage!
This is official cool. You should be proud. I can’t wait to hear about their star raising.
Oh, how fun! Very nice video. I know you’re proud, Debbie. Congrats to Dave and Melodie. Good luck in their new career?
I agree, Susan. Thanks, Linsey, yes I am
Congratulations Debbie to you David and Melodie. Fantastic! I did not know that about Senoia. I’ve been throught he “side” of Senoia on my way to Newnan, Carrollton . . . and I’m dying to go see “all” of it including the Southern Ground Social Club. Thanks!
Thanks,Maxine. Senoia is becoming quite the little destination. You’d enjoy it.
You should be proud, love the song and love his voice. It’s great when our kids have talent and we can share it with others. He’s a total cutie! Congrats.
Debbie, they are awesome! You should be a proud mama! You’ll need to keep us posted if they are playing in North Georgia!  I’m so happy to be here at Petit Fours and Hot Tamales to share a behind-the-scenes look at continuities. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, continuities are multiple book series, with each book written by a different author. They are set in the same location and have a common storyline that develops and…
No doubt I have read books that were part of a continuity, but I can’t recall any titles. I like this idea and it’s a great way to discover other authors as well.
I love the idea of continuity books. I mean, haven’t you ever read a book and hated to leave the characters because you learned to love them? After all, isn’t that why shows like NCIS or SUITS become so popular? Isn’t it the characters that you want to spend more time with? Thanks for being with us today.
Wendy, I’ve read series books but I don’t recall ever having read a continuity. Thanks for clarifying what they are and how they work. Like Mary, I really like the concept. At Petit Fours, we’ve written several books offered free to our readers at the end of the year, where one writer starts the story and each one takes a chapter. Examples of those books are under our For Readers (Free Reads)heading in the top navigational bar on this blog. It’s really fun to work together like that with other writers. Thank you for visiting our blog. 
Hi Mary! Yes, continuities are a great opportunity to experience authors you’ve never read before. I hope you’ll check out NYC Angels! Or at the very least, Tempting Nurse Scarlet, my contribution! Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Sandy! I LOVE NCIS!!! And you’re absolutely right, it’s the characters that keep me coming back for more —- and that make me choose NCIS over other crime dramas. I enjoy series where the same characters pop up over and over in subsequent books, giving the reader the chance to see how their lives are going. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Marilyn! What a great concept! I’ll have to check out your free reads. I think adding different voices and writing styles to a project makes it all the more interesting. Thanks for stopping by! 
Hi Wendy,
Hi Wendy, If the locale is intriguing, then an on-going continuity would interest me. These are a bit harder than a series because of course each author’s voice is distinct and what I find happens is that some of the author’s click with me more than others. Part of that emotional response to reading! A big NYC hospital gives you a huge scope- only 8 books? Congrats on this publication!
Hi Sia! I’ve never actually been in a NICU, but as part of my research I watched The Little Couple. The wife is a doctor who works in a NICU and sometimes they show footage of her at work. Also, in 19 Kids and Counting, the youngest baby spent time in a NICU and several episodes were filmed there. (My reality TV watching really came in handy.) But it’s hard to adequately portray the emotion of parents living the day to day fight for life for their infants. Thanks for visiting and for heading over to my website. I hope you enjoyed the excerpt!
Hi Laura! Continuities are a big monetary commitment for a reader, we understand. That’s why there’s a special editor who edits all the books for the continuity storyline as well as to make sure they stand alone. And yes, being an avid reader myself, I understand how some authors may click with a reader more than others. But hopefully the storyline is strong enough to keep you reading! Our NY continuity featured mostly U.S. authors. But it kicked off with with Carol Marinelli and ended with Alison Roberts, both very popular Aus/NZ authors. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Wendy,
Hi Debbie! Actually, I was the one with a deadline glitch! I’d run over on the previous book I’d been working on which made me late on my continuity book. It put a lot of pressure on me as I saw authors commenting that their books were done and I hadn’t even started mine. Then the author writing the final book contacted me for the two continuity scenes I had to write, and I hadn’t written them yet. So, I whipped them up and sent them to her, before I’d even gotten to that part of my story. It turned out to be rather stressful for me. But luckily I have a very wonderful editor who calmed me down and in the end I’m thrilled with how it all turned out. Thanks for stopping by!
This sounds like an adventure in writing, I imagine it takes a lot of time at first doing your homework and then later keeping up with the others’ story lines. I have never read one I have learned something today!
I love series books and have been known (much to my husband’s chagrin) to purchase all the books in a series when I discover a new author (for me, anyway!) I have read a few books in continuities, and have discovered a couple of new authors that way. I’ll pop on over to your website and check out your books!
Hi Hildie! I’m glad you found the post informative! Medical romance, in general, requires a lot of homework/research. Luckily, because of the ‘story bible’ it wasn’t hard to keep up with other stories. And I kept a running list of author e-mails so I could keep hospital/neighborhood details straight. Easy peasy – once I worked out a system! Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Anna! Now my husband is the one who MUST read all the books in a series. In order. I’ve been known to pick the one with the storyline that interests me then move around in the order that suits me. Thanks for stopping by, and for visiting my website!
Hi Hildie! Don’t know where my response to your comment went, so here it is again…at least a version of it! Medical romance, in general, requires a lot of research. Thanks to the ‘story bible’ it was easy to keep the other books in the continuity straight. Once I figured out a system to keep all the e-mail information in one place it was easy peasy!! Thanks for stopping by and for visiting my website!
I love continuities and found myself nodding at some of the frustrations you related – not because I’ve done one (I wish!), but because I’m one of Susan Carlisle’s critique partners. We got to live through some of the process with her. Thanks for sharing your experience with all of us.
Hi Carol! If I remember correctly, Susan mentioned the Julliard School of music in her book. I haven’t read them all yet. I was waiting for all 8 to be available before I started. Thanks for stopping by!
Congratulations to LAURA RUSSELL !!! You are our winner of a copy of Wendy’s book. And Wendy, thank you so much for being our guest this week and best wishes for a fantastic writing career.
Hey Wendy. Sorry I’m late. I was tickled with now my story turned out also. Thanks for stopping in today.
Congratulations Laura!!! Please e-mail your snail mail address and I’ll mail you out your book. Wendy @ WendySMarcus . com (no spaces.)
Hi Susan! I still haven’t read them all, but I’ve seen great reviews on Goodreads!! Thanks for stopping by!
And a VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU to @SandieElzie for coordinating this blog visit and making the post look amazing!!! |
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by Constance Gillam
I start off with characters and then I come up with a plot start point and an end point. The start and end may change, the bit in the middle is up for grabs and the characters evolve. But for me, character is what makes it work.
Mind you, the dwarf despised by his father and siblings is real and believable because of the backstory. You have to know where your characters have come from if you’re going to make their next moves convincing. I’m not suggesting that all goes in the story, but you (as the author) need to know.
I guess what I’m saying is whatever your approach, it’s worth taking the time to ground your situation and your characters in their own story. The Lord of the Rings is a great example of exactly that and it’s one of the reasons I love the book.
I almost always see the character first. She comes to me with a problem or a question. With Savage Cinderella, I was out walking my dog in the woods and started thinking about what it would have been like to grow up in the wild. An image of Brinn running through the woods came to mind. Then the questions started. Why would a young girl choose to stay in the wild? What is she afraid of? Then the kidnap story came to me. Every question I asked brought me to the next part of the story. That’s pretty much how they all start for me…a combination of character and plot.
Hi Connie,
I start with a gem idea for a story…that old “wonder what would happen if……………….” In thinking about the “what if” I usually have an idea of the “where” (large town, small town, East U.S., West coast, etc) and then the next step for me is the “who.” This is where I decide his/her personality, then lastly, his/her appearance. (short hair, long hair, blond, redhead)
When I read, I’ll reread or discard a book on the characters…do I identify with them as they’re written? Are their choices reasonable even if not the one’s I’d make. I’ve read some books numerous times over the years because I love the people in them. (kind of like watching NCIS episodes more than once.)
My favorite way to start a story is to open a blank page and start pantsing…just writing whatever comes to me. It’s scary and wonderful, but I couldn’t do it for a whole book. Once I run out of ideas, I stop and try to find the central conflict and figure out where that might lead. I don’t know who my characters are or what they’re like until I see them in action.
All my romance books are character driven. Conflict and their inter feelings make them do what they do. I try to put them in a part where they will react. Hard sometimes but I’m still learning.
Greta-
I agree with you. Knowing where your characters come from make their actions believable.
I’m laughing because my third book has a great premise, but the female character came out of the ether. I didn’t know how she’d react to certain events, which made writing the story painful.
PJ-
I’ve never had a character come to me and say ‘write my story’. I’d love that to happen.
Sandy-
I have a few books in my collection that I reread because I love the characters. They have some wound that I can identify with.
Linsey-
I’m part plotter, part pantiser. I’m with you, there’s no greater feeling than having a scene that writes itself, taking you along on the ride.
You right, Susan. It’s a hard business, writing, but it’s feels so good when it all comes together.
I start with characters and usually the plot unfolds from who they are. Great post!
Connie, I love that you used Game Of Thrones as an example.
When I start a new story I always begin with character. Don’t know why, but a person’s struggle, whether it’s life threatening or simply a hard decision to make concerning a relationship is what motivate me to write. I love to write and read character driven stories. And that’s a big reason why Martin’s work appeals to me.
Have a great writing day!!
Tamara
Connie, like Tamara, I think of a character first, then the story plot unfolds around the character. So, in my humble opinion, martin probably visualized the dwarf angle first then the rest of the story played out around him. While I sometimes forget a story’s plot and subplots, I always remember great characters.
Me, too or three or ?? I pretty much start with characters. Their problems or struggles and it just grows. Gosh, it is just great fun to “see it” happening and trying to get it on paper before I get stopped and have to really think through the steps.
Sonya-
“The plot unfolds from who they are.” I like that. Thanks.
Tamara, somehow I think George had a big concept, then thought of the characters that would make this concept work. He’s a great writer no matter what approach he takes. I’d loved to ask him this question. Maybe I’ll post to his website and see what happens.
Pam, that answer I gave in response to Tamara’s post was actually meant for you.
And you’re right, great characters stick with you.
Maxine-
Don’t you just love when it all comes together? It’s a high for me.
Tamara,
Martin writes such complex characters, doesn’t he?
Hi Connie– Great question, and so interesting to read other people’s answers. For me, the situation comes first, then the characters develop within it. Loooove Game of Thrones, too, and I’m with you. I think he must have come up with the idea first then created the perfect characters to play it out.
The first thing that comes to me is an idea, followed by a character, the plot comes as I write.