5 Quick Fixes to Make Reader Love Your Villains

I read a great blog by RITA nominee Shannon Donnelly – 5 Quick Fixes to Make Readers Love Your Villains. Shannon made it sound so simple. When I took a close look at her post I realized all her suggestions demonstrate the hero’s humanity.

1. What does the character’s mother love about him?
2. What does this character love?
3. Why does this character do bad things?
4. What would make this character a hero?
5. Give the villain a trait you’d love to have.

I get it! 

I'm working through my edits on my new story, working title Mine Forever, with Denise, my editor. Throughout the story I've portrayed my villain as a totally bad guy- Snidely Whiplash. However, the more I thought about some of Denise's comments and Shannon's post I clearly see if I give him some humanity even a streak of goodness it will create more conflict and a more powerful character.

Bravo to Shannon Donnelly for putting into words what I was struggling to achieve and for giving me one more outstanding tool for my author tool kit. Her workable questions produced answers that moved my villain from cliche to credible.

Who is your favorite villain? What tools do you use to write your villain?

Open Letter to My Editor

Dear Denise,

I finished my edits a little while ago and I will be sending them back to you tomorrow. I want to do one final read and make certain everything is just right. I see what people mean when they say you must love your story because you have to read it over and over. I’ve spent more time editing and re-editing than it took to write. *smiles*

I started editing the story before I finished it. I usually read what I did the day before. It sets me in the mood, gets the creative muse moving, and gives me an opportunity to tighten things up.

It seems whenever I read the story I see opportunity for changes. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. But there comes a time when you just have to stop tinkering with it and call it done. I thought I was in that happy place until Carina Press decided to publish Knight of Runes. *big smile* You’ve help get rid of the clutter which made the pacing so much better.  

I think you’d agree that point of view is my challenge. Since this story is about a Druid knight and the magical powers I give him, I was tempted to give him the power of mind melding just so he could read the thoughts of others. I thought that would do away with my problem *really big smile* but decided against it but only because it wouldn’t fit into the story.

Then there are those echo phrases and favorite words. You got me on ‘slow.’ I hadn’t realized how many times I had slow in the story. Although eye has it beat. It’s there 493 times. Thanks for helping me vet that. With this last round of edits even I was tired of hearing about eyes.

I’ve fix the grammar issue, the split commas. I must have an aversion to ‘and’ that it seems to get left out often.  

I’ve put back the exposition, mainly set up, that I took out a few drafts ago when someone told it wasn’t needed. I should have gone with my gut. I thought the reader would be a bit lost not having the background so it’s great to know you concur. It didn’t take me too long to re-write it. Next time I’ll definitely take your suggestion and save the deleted scenes.

I took a peek at my first draft and compared some scenes. I couldn’t believe the difference. I read the first couple of chapters before putting this together for you and couldn’t believe it was my work. I really love this story. Thanks for helping me make it wonderful.

Well, I’m off the sleep. I’ll finish reading tomorrow. Enjoy what’s left of your weekend.

By the way, I have a great idea for the next story. I’ll fill you in on that in a week or so.

Hugs,

Ruth

My Journey to Publication ~ Knight Of Runes

I'm just sitting here looking at the cover of my debut novel, Knight of Runes, scheduled for release, November 14 by Carina Press. Okay, so you may think I'm sitting and staring at it because he's a really hot guy. Only for a little while. I have one in residence, hot to me that is. The picture of Lord Arik may not be real but I realized that my novel is. 

I started this project March, 2009 with an innocent excitement to help a friend write her book. It quickly escalated into creating a series of romance novels. We each had stories in our head and made plans to connect them. After a few months of hard work and several tens of thousands words on each of our stories, we found that our idea of tying them together wouldn't work. The stories would work well independently so we decided to critique each other's stories and finish our books individually. 

Her life was filled with a beautiful daughter getting ready for high school graduation, college tours, New York marathon training, and a job that took her all over the country (and sometimes the world). My situation is very different. My three extraordinary children are independent and on their own. I use my treadmill as an extension of my closet, and my job is an ninety minute commute to New York City. 

I had the time and I had the story so, I went full out. I researched the renaissance, manor life, herbs, poisons, karate moves, survival training, field medical procedures, druids, magic, warding, myths, and knights. Then I wrote, and wrote, and wrote. By August, I had 105,000 words and a completed story. Now what? I looked for a support group and found Romance Writers of America. I spent the next fourteen months learning about craft, research, publishing, and career building. I pitched to agents and editors and kept on polishing my manuscript, my pitch, and my synopsis.

In October, 2010, I participated in an online pitch sponsored by Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal (FFnP), an online RWA special interest chapter. Carina Press requested my full manuscript. I gave it one more polish after taking Eliza Knight's, Edit Your Book in a Month, and sent it off January 2011. February 3rd, I got a call from Carina Press. They wanted to publish my story.  

After making her repeat her name, I must have heard it wrong, it sounded like she said Angela James, it finally sunk in. This was THE CALL. All that practicing in the shower going over and over what I would say, how sophisticated I would sound and the brilliant questions I would ask, must have floated down the drain. I sounded anything but coherent and witty.

For days I thought, Angela must be mistaken or she must be calling everyone that pitched. So many agents and editors told me that time travel romance wouldn't sell. I was certain Carina Press would change their minds. When the contract came I had to admit that it was real.  

My family, day job colleagues, and friends (writers and non-writers), all celebrated with me as the project moved into its next phase, ready for production. With my editor, Denise Nielsen, we've worked through the edits,  cover fact sheet, and back cover blurb.

So, I sat and looked at the cover and realized that all that hard work, the disappointments, and even the doubts were so worth it. I look at the cover, a symbol of reality to me, and get goosebumps. The excitement bubbles up all over again. And that hot guy, the one in residence, told me he knew it all along. 

The Top 10 Things I Learned From My First Round of Edits

For a new author, the thought of publisher edits can be intimidating. Review, re-write, re-plot, re-align subtext, and forget if you have action scenes.

My first round of edits reached me while I was getting on a plane at the Las Vegas airport. Paul and I were from a great vacation. The shows were spectacular. I was excited to see what my editor, Denise Nielsen, had for me. I tried, without success, to read her edits on my android phone before I had to turn off my phone. I would have to wait another five hours.

Once back home, I read the message and instructions, made a large pot of coffee and dug in. To start, I read all the track changes and comments to get an idea of what lay ahead for me. After 13 days (one day ahead of deadline), I got the edits back to Denise. I found I worked hard, got frustrated, made changes, had several aha moments, and fell in love with Arik, Rebeka and their story, Knight of Runes, all over again.

Here are the top ten things I learned from my first round edits. Go get your coffee and enjoy.

10. Well meaning friends, who are ‘in the know,’ sometimes don’t know. The advice of a good friend and published author was to remove irrelevant words in order to stay in the action and make things sound crisp and immediate. It’s the way to hold your reader attention. Not, however, when you splice commas. Words such as and, but, are essential, not extraneous.

9.  Cut extraneous exposition and let the reader see it. What some people see as extraneous exposition (which I went through and deleted) my editor said was necessary to set up the next scene or action.

8.  Don’t give your editor (and reader) a headache by head hopping. Head hopping, I mean real leaps in the same scene, may work for Nora but not for Ruth. Ever.

7.  POV is an art. If your POV character can’t see it, hear it, and doesn’t know it then it doesn’t exist. Unless, the other POV character says it or (this was an eye opener) thinks it in his head. Cool heh.

6.  Edits are a learning experience and my editor is a fabulous, and patient, teacher. I learned to see patterns, hear echoes, and feel rhythms. It only took the first 100 pages to get there.

5.  Immediate voice is much more powerful and compelling than passive voice. Chopping ‘ing’ to makes the action sound immediate. It’s is essential, although, passive voice has its place, but only occasionally.

4.  Filler words do not move a scene along. These words can usually be eliminated without changing the meaning and will also make it more immediate.

3.  Questions in the readers mind can be provocative. Some of Denise’s comments were questions that were answered in the next paragraph or scene. I made my reader think. Not bad!

2.  My deepest apologies to Mrs. X. My high school grammar teacher must be spinning in her grave. I won’t embarrass her by mentioning her name.

The number one thing I learned from my first round of edits…

Call me crazy, but I enjoyed working through Denise’s track changes and comments. She made me think, make decisions, see opportunities, and ultimately she helped me make the story the best it can be and isn’t that what we both want.

Come on Denise, I’m ready for round two.

Happy Birthday

 I’ve seen more birthdays than I want to admit besides, at my age one is much like the last. Now I watch the children get excited about their special day. But this past week I’ve been excited about one particular birthday. On June 7, Carina Press will celebrate its first birthday.

Smart Bitches had a wonderful blog when Carina Press launched.

“Carina is a constellation in the Southern sky, and is Latin for “keel” - as in, the fins and structures operating below the surface of the water unseen yet keeping the ship balanced, and on its course. Here’s an interesting bit of physics I didn’t know: the keel’s job is to convert a sideways force to a forward force, sort of like trying to figure out how to convert a changing tide or market to keep your industry moving forward. 

Nice name. 

It’s even more awesome when applied to Harlequin, who launched Carina Press today, a digital-only publishing house. It is a division of Harlequin Enterprises LTD but because it is digital only, as in, no print, it operates separately.”

Angela James, the Executive Editor of Carina Press, called me February 3 to tell me Carina Press wanted to publish my book. The call was exciting for many reasons. I would be part of a forward thinking, major publisher. Many of us have our dream publisher, Carina Press was mine.

Carina Press, a division of Harlequin Enterprises the largest publisher of romance books, publishes books weekly across many genres, not just romance. There are currently over one hundred Carina authors and the number keeps growing.

 I lift my virtual glass and salute Angela, her team, her authors, and Denise Nielsen (my editor extraordinaire).

Letting Go

Good, bad, or indifferent, I’m a nurturer. Even though my children are all grown and on their own I suppose I will always be involved in their lives, by their design as much as from my desire. Our son is off cross country to California on an inter-office job interview. It’s a wonderful opportunity for him and one I wholeheartedly support. Like his older sisters, he is ready to strike out on his own. Perhaps it’s because he’s the youngest, the only boy, I don’t know the dynamic, whatever it is his separation seems to be the toughest. Our family constellation is small and thrives on our close relationships. When everyone’s together there’s lots of laughter, tumult, of course the family dinner, sometimes everyone sleeps over (at our house), and usually a delicious Sunday brunch.

Our son, like his sisters, is more than capable and ready to move on. It’s so difficult to let go but now is his time to shine, stand on his own, and show the world the stuff of which he’s made. As with each of my children, I look on with pride, and sometimes misty eyes, as they take the lead and move forward in their own adventure. They each know I am always here and ready to listen.

Is it any wonder I have the same problem letting go of my manuscript.

 I’ve tended it from conception through to completion. I nurtured and breathed life into each character crying with them, laughing with them, feeling their passion and disappointment. I’ve shaped the plot, delivered a cohesive story, while staying true to the values and ethics of my genre.

However, as ready as it was I hesitated sending it out. Just one more rewrite, one more edit. It had been a part of me for over a year, how could I let it go.

Finally, after some prodding from my dear writing friends, I sent it out and had great results. Now it’s in the very capable hands of my awesome editor, Denise Nielsen at Carina Press, getting ready for publication.

I feel the pride in my accomplishment and the excitement builds as I move toward the next step of my journey. When I speak to the kids I find eager ears listening as I recant plans and ideas, enthusiastic voices chiming in with encouragement and suggestions. My younger daughter startled me when she mentioned it was time for them to let me go. That they all watched on with pride at my drive, creativity, and accomplishments. She also said I make a mean brisket.

How do you feel about letting go? And let me know if you want a great brisket recipe!

What's In a Name?

Or a title for that matter.

I had this wonderful idea for the story. I brainstormed with my friend Maggie and outlined, diagramed and researched. Finally, after a few months, I was ready, eager actually, to write. My heroine’s name came to me quickly. Rebeka, yes with a ‘k.’ It’s a name I’ve always liked. It’s strong, yet romantic. It just fit my character.

My hero was another story completely. I inserted one name after the other into the text. Sometimes I’d go several chapters before I’d know it wasn’t working and start the name search all over again. There was Jason, Andrew, Michael, and on and on and on. None of those seemed to fit, that is until I tried Arik. I did a global replace and reread the chapters. At last, a story about Rebeka and Arik.

My working title was Rebeka’s Story. I knew it wasn’t the finished title but I thought the title would evolve as I wrote. At the end of 105,000 words, it was still Rebeka’s Story.  I called Maggie. Again we did some brainstorming.  As we talked through the story, I realized I had a recurring phrase/idea, to hearth and home. So, almost satisfied, I titled my story, To Hearth and Home.

I wrote my synopsis and query. I was ready. I pitched it. In February, I got a wonderful call from Angela James. Carina Press wanted to publish my story. It was a wonderful exciting call. I had to sit and think hard afterwards to remember all she told me. One thing that was clear, there would possibly be a title change.

I had to admit I wasn’t surprised with a title change. It did sound like a cozy contemporary and not an adventurous historical time travel. My editor, Denise Nielsen, worked with me and asked for suggestions, words and concepts. The team was ready to work on a new title. 

Earlier this week, I saw a post on the Futuristic, Fantasy and Paranormal (an online chapter of RWA) blog about book titles, Creating Compelling Titles. I was in the same boat as Anne Marsh, I didn’t know squat about titles. It’s a good read. I’ve included it below.

Oh, before you go, yesterday, Denise emailed me with the team’s result which hit all of Anne’s points.  Knight of Runes, it’s perfect!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at the FFnP Blog

Creating Compelling Titles

Guest blogger Anne Marsh

Titles were originally an afterthought for me—a handful of words that got slapped on my book right before I shipped it off. At best, the title was a convenient shorthand for picking out my current WIP from its fellow computer files. I wrote the Cat book. Next, I wrote the Goblin book. And the Amazon book. When, as an unpublished author, I decided to send a handful of manuscripts off on the RWA contest circuit, I simply had to give the blasted manuscripts better titles, so I sat down and considered the key elements in the book: my Cat book was sexy, with a big, shapeshifting hero. Plus, an erotic hunt figured prominently in the book. I came up with ”Caught by the Cat” and patted myself on the back. As titles went, it was marginally better than “The Cat Book” (which sounded like it should be coffee table fare filled with pictures of the African savannah). And, alliteration had to count for something—right? Since “everyone” knows that New York always changes your title, I figured the title didn’t really matter (besides, I had this fabulous midnight epiphany that I’d call the next books in the series “Claimed by the Cat” and “Charmed by Cat,” although, after that, I’d probably have to end the series as I’d already run out of words that began with the letter “C”).

I was wrong.

I didn’t know squat about titles.

“Caught by the Cat” sold to an editor juding the Orange Rose contest. Soon after I sold, however, my editor gently asked how I would feel about changing the title. She wanted to find something edgier, something that packed an erotic punch. That sounded great to me—right up until she asked me to brainstorm a list of possible new titles. Fortunately, I was able to brainstorm with both my agent and my editor—and we ended up going with one of my editor’s ideas.

Why do titles matter? First and foremost, a title makes the reader look. A good title conveys the flavor of a book in just a few words. My agent said that “The Hunt” jumped out at her and would make her pick the book up from the shelf (score!). It also shrieked “Alpha male!,” which was our goal. Strong. Forceful. Sexy. Just like my hero.

A successful title also connects the books in a series. Repeated words, elements, or themes work well. For example, we could have called a trio of shapeshifter books: The Hunt, The Game, and The Breakpoint. Instead, we decided to play with variations on a hunt: “The Hunt,” “The Pursuit,” “The Capture. Always think ahead: how would you pitch the next book in the series? How will you tie them together.

Things to consider when you’re coming up with a title for you book:

• The title needs to be short and to the point—it has to fit on the cover of a book and the graphic designer creating your cover doesn’t need the challenge of a five-line, polysyllabic tongue twister.
• The title should hint at the tone of your book. Is the book dark and sexy? Sweet? Hero-centric or focused on the heroine?
• The title of the book should also serve as a hook for the series (unless you’re truly planning just one standalone book). You may also want to brainstorm a series name -- especially for FF&P-ers, this is a fabulous place to introduce your world-building.
• Keep an open mind and get feedback from as many folks as possible. A truly successful title is marketable and hooks in as many readers as possible… so you want to get impressions from as many people as possible. What do they think of when you say your title? What kind of book would they guess the book is? What adjectives come to mind? If your beta readers are thinking “Oooh! Dark and sexy!” but you’re writing light paranormal—or vice versa—you need to rethink the title.
• Search (Amazon is a great tool). Has anyone else used that title? It may not be a deal-breaker if someone else has used “your” title (the title I proposed for my forthcoming sexy contemporary, for example, was apparently used by an anthology a few years ago, but my editor wasn’t too concerned as the other book was an anthology).

There are lots of great titles out there, titles that make me go “Wow. Wish I’d thought of that!” The titles for Jacquelyn Frank’s Nightwalkers series, for example, let you know loud and clear that, when you crack those covers, you’re going to read about strong, forceful alphas. Jacob, Gideon, Elijah, Damien—these are forceful, honorable, no-nonsense Biblical names. Kathy Love, on the other hand, writes fabulously funny, sexy paranormal and her titles convey that message clearly– “Truth or Demon”, “What a Demon Wants”, “Fangs for the Memories.” Rebecca Zanetti’s two books—“Fated” and “Claimed”—use strong adjectives describing the relationship between the hero and the heroine in some very sexy terms. And, Karen Kelly’s books (“The Jaguar Prince,” “The Falcon Prince”) are tied together by the fact that her heroes are princes and shapeshifters.  

Each title reflects the different stories we’re going to find between the covers and draws us in, hinting and promising at what we’ll find. I’ve picked up more than one book based on the title alone because I love the kind of story line the title hints at (cough—Karen Kelly—cough). The next time you’re naming your book, think about what kind of story you’re promising your reader—and what message you want to convey. 

*****
A professional technical writer, Anne discovered that getting laid off was actually A Very Good Thing. While looking for her next writing gig, she picked up her pen (well, okay, she used her writing as an excuse to buy a new Apple laptop) and started writing. She soon discovered that writing was uncomfortably similar to sit-ups: add a few more crunches each day, wake up sore, but, by God, you will fit into that bikini. Or finish the book (she’s still working on the bikini). Now she cranks out software manuals during the daylight hours– and writes about alpha shapeshifters the rest of the time.