Guest Post by Patty Froese
University
English classes look down on romance writing. When I was taking my
English degree, I looked down on romance writing, too, until I figured
out how much fun it was, that is. I learned a lot about writing from
reading the greats, but when it comes to learning how to write a great
romance novel, I have to learn through trial and error. I do my best,
and then get hacked apart by editors. It hurts, but it's good for you.
While
working with a Harlequin editor on a book that didn't quite make it to
print because of a marketing hitch, the editor pointed out something I
could improve upon as we polished the manuscript up
together--conversation.
Now,
a plot driven novel keeps the pages turning because of the rollicking
plot. You want to see what happens next, and each chapter leaves you on a
cliff hanger. In my opinion, there had better be a good plot in a good
book, but a character driven novel keeps you turning pages for a
slightly different reason--findingout what happens with the characters
in their relationships.
The
character driven novel uses conversation to do more than propel the
plot forward. In a plot driven novel, a character announces a vital
piece to the puzzle. In a character driven novel, we want to know how
the character feels about it, and how that is going to factor into
relationships around them. In a character driven novel, there is a
higher expectation in character development. Conversation serves to give
that character a unique voice, deepen relationships, and draw the
reader into a scene. It's about a lot more than just revealing a piece
of information.
I've discovered a few tricks to use when writing conversation in a character driven novel:
- The conversation has to sound like a real conversation. That means, they can't always say the right thing or have the right words on the tip of their tongues.
- Real people interrupt each other and misunderstand each other. Characters do that, too.
- Keep the "he said" and "she said" tags to a minimum. If you can make it clear who is talking without them, leave them out all together.
- Try writing longer conversations, describing things the characters are doing while they talk. Take a realistic amount of time to get to the point and let your characters discuss. It helps to deepen the reader's understanding about who your characters are.
- Sprinkle your conversation with description so that you have a break between parts of conversation. Write a few lines of conversation, and then describe something for two or three lines, such as something the character is doing, something applicable in their surroundings or how the character (from whose point of view we are seeing the conversation) is feeling about what is being said.
There
are no hard and fast rules about good writing. Most rules are made to
be broken, or least bent from time to time. Go with your instinct and
give some of these ideas a try if you think your written conversations
could use a little boost. In my opinion, there is only one rule that is
paramount in writing: if you want to get published, the editor is always
right.
Patty Froese's most recent novel, Perfect on Paper, was released in April 2011. You can find her at her personal blog (http://pattyfroese.com) or on Facebook. (http://www.facebook.com/pattyfroese)
Perfect on Paper
Anne
Stanborough, a well known mystery writer, inherits her maiden aunt's
book store, Perfect on Paper. The lawyer handling her aunt's estate is
none other than the handsome Jake Harrison, but despite his attraction
to the beautiful author, his painful divorce has made him wary of a
marriage between two driven professionals. Anne can't let go of the
career she's worked her entire life towards, and he isn't willing to
make a second mistake in marriage. It looks like they should call the
whole thing off until Anne discovers that her late maiden aunt might not
have been so "maiden" after all… A love story from the past tugs this
couple back together again, but will it be enough to prove that a love
founded in God really can overcome anything? 
1 comment:
Great tips. Thanks, Patty!
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