Overcoming Writer’s Block

By Sherryl Woods

The creative well has run dry. Your muse is on vacation. The computer cursor mocks you, blinking cheerfully while you struggle to come up with the first word of a new book, much less the first chapter. Writer's block hits almost everyone sooner or later, including the author heroine of "Bayside Retreat," my novella in the Sweet Talk eBook collection available through June 30 to raise money for diabetes research.

But is this curse just part of being a writer, something to be accepted, struggled through, and then overcome? I don't think so. And after publishing a whole bunch of books and novellas during a career that's spanned over 30 years, I think I can speak from experience. Ideas are all around you. Knowing how to recognize them and weave them into a solid story can come with practice.

I credit two things with allowing me to work even when my muse has taken off on an idyllic trip to the South of France, where I desperately want to be. 

First, I spent a number of years as a journalist, paying close attention to the world around me as I looked for fresh story ideas and angles that would keep me one step ahead of the competition. Honing your powers of observation and developing an insatiable curiosity are the cornerstones of good storytelling and character development. And we all have it. By the time we could talk we were asking why is the sky blue, where do flowers come from, why is that lady crying? For writers, it's just a more sophisticated set of questions that can trigger an idea for a character, a motivation for a hero or the key to solving a crime. 

And second, sometimes it all comes down to two little words Mary Higgins Clark shared at a conference I attended many, many years ago: what if? Read an article in the paper, eavesdrop on an argument in a mall food court, watch Dr. Phil, ask someone you've just met how they met their spouse, and then ask, what if? Those two words can kick your imagination into gear and send you off on a journey into an intriguing new story. 

Years ago, there was an iconic line on the TV series The Naked City: "There are eight million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them." Next time you sit in front of a blank computer screen, think about that. The world right around you is crawling with stories. Observe and ask what if. You'll be well on your way to telling just one of them.

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Sherryl Woods is a #1 New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods has published over 140 romance, women's fiction and mystery novels and novellas. "Bayside Retreat," her contribution to the Sweet Talk eBook collection, is part of her popular Chesapeake Shores series, which is currently in development for a movie and possible series for the Hallmark Channel. She divides her time between Key Biscayne, Florida and her childhood summer home in Colonial Beach, Virginia. Sherryl is happy to be part of Brenda Novak’s SWEET TALK collection for raising money for diabetes research. For more information, visit her website at www.SherrylWoods.com. From there you can also follow the link to her Facebook page.

Crafting Villains

By Cynthia Eden

I have a confession to make—I love villains.  I love their darkness, their layers, and the wonderful twists that they can add to any story.  When I write my books, I always have a goal of creating a villain who will be a perfect match for my protagonist. I want a villain who will be just as strong and just as complex as my hero or heroine. Weak villains don’t pull in readers, and they certainly won’t give a story a hard, intense edge.

So how does an author craft a *killer* villain?  Here are my two rules for a good villain: 

            1. Good villains must command attention.

            2.A good villain will shock, surprise, and keep a reader on the edge of his/her seat.

All characters have a back story, and when authors create a commanding villain, the villain should have a very compelling back story. When creating a backstory for your villain, you should consider the following:

1.     How did your villain come to be so wicked?  What turned her/him into this being? 

2.     Is your villain’s “wickedness” due to nature or nurture?

3.     What is the level of evil for this character? After all, not all villains are killers.  There is a level of evil, a scale, that you can create.

Another point to consider when developing a villain…what positive traits will your villain have? Yes, I said positive. Because it is very rare to encounter someone who is 100% evil (or 100% good). So even villains will have some redeeming traits, and it is those traits that might make your readers sympathize with a villain (if that is your intent). By giving a villain both positive and negative traits, you create a multi-dimensional character, one with dark flaws, but also a few bright points that make readers feel compelled to learn more about this individual.

A powerful villain will be a perfect counterpoint for your protagonist.  So when you write, make sure you spend as much time developing your bad guy (or bad girl) as you do the hero and heroine of your tale.

Best of luck with your villain!

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Award-winning author Cynthia Eden writes dark tales of paranormal romance and romantic suspense. She is a New York Times, USA Today, Digital Book World, and IndieReader best-seller. Cynthia is also a three-time finalist for the prestigious RITA® award. Since she began writing full-time in 2005, Cynthia has written over fifty novels and novellas. Cynthia lives along the Alabama Gulf Coast. She has authored Mine to Take, Suspicions and many more,  She loves romance novels, horror movies, and chocolate. Cynthia is happy to be part of Brenda Novak’s SWEET TALK collection for raising money for diabetes research. Her favorite hobbies including hiking in the mountains (searching for waterfalls) and spelunking.You can find Cynthia chatting daily on Twitter (www.twitter.com/cynthiaeden) or on her Facebook page (www.facebook.com/cynthiaedenfanpage). Author’s website:  www.cynthiaeden.com Author’s blog: www.cynthiaeden.com/blog  

Writing Sticks

By Molly O'Keefe

The other day I was walking my dog and a woman rode past me on a bicycle with a milk crate strapped to the back. In the milk crate, there was a whole bunch of sticks. Behind the bike, there was a beautiful yellow lab, tearing after her with a stick in its mouth. Whenever the dog would get distracted by some delicious smell in the bushes or some dead thing on the beach, the bike rider would reach back and throw another stick and the dog would once again be tearing after her.

It was brilliant.

And I realized how that’s often - exactly - like writing. I’m on the bike, the reader is chasing after me. And the sticks are questions. Story questions. And it’s fun. We’re running full-speed, wind in our hair – but it only works as long as I deal with those story questions at the right time. If I wait too long to answer one of them, the reader will get bored and put the book down. If I throw them too fast, the reader will get confused pick up a different book.

I also need the right sticks.  

Character is my best stick. Fully realized, human characters are going to keep those pages turning. Characters who behave like real people, who are flawed and unpredictable, who have the ability to be both kind and horrible are going to keep a reader intrigued.

Secrets and an emotionally charged back-story are easy sticks – effective but only for a little while. Hold onto them too long and they lose their impact.

Big plot questions will always engage your reader, but it’s not as easy you think.  Whatever your plot demands your characters have to deliver. So if your mousy kindergarten teacher has to save the world from the zombie apocalypse, you need to make that believable or the plot isn’t interesting.

I write romance and I've realized in recent years, with specific books that sexual chemistry is a reliable stick.  Page after page of sexual content however, isn't the goal.  Readers want the push/pull dynamic the attraction and the rejection. 

What about you? What are the most effective sticks in your milk crate?  As a reader, what questions keep you turning the pages to find the answer? 

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Molly O'Keefe is an award-winning author of over 30 romance novels. She lives in Toronto, Canada with her family and the largest heap of dirty laundry in North America. Molly’s Amazon author page links to all of her available books. Molly is happy to be part of Brenda Novak’s SWEET TALK collection for raising money for diabetes research.

I Hated This Book! Or, Coping With Negative Reviews

By Rosalind James

To be honest, I thought this one would be easier. I have thousands of reviews on Amazon alone, and a pretty good average. I should be able to dismiss the negative ones as outliers, or shrug and say, “can’t please everyone,” right? Alas, it’s not so easy. It’s like somebody telling you your baby is ugly. It still hurts. Here’s what I’ve found:

People love it or hate it for the same reasons. For example, JUST FOR NOW is a tender, funny story about family, without a lot of external drama. It is many readers’ favorite of my books. But other readers haven’t been crazy about it, for the exact same reason. Too much family, too much about the kids, not enough excitement. It’s personal taste.

 Is it helpful? It’s one thing to examine your negative reviews, or negative comments within positive reviews, for anything that is truly HELPFUL. Was the ending rushed? Do you have grammatical errors that need to be fixed? That’s helpful. That your book didn’t appeal to someone’s personal taste—not helpful.

Your mileage may vary. I’ve written 14 books, and just in my little critique circle, everyone has a different favorite! My readers share the same diversity of opinion, because everybody brings their own tastes and life experiences to a book. When I think about my own favorite authors, I don’t love all their books equally. Some of them I don’t even care for very much. I’ve never been a huge fan of “Mansfield Park,” because Fanny Price is kind of a drip, isn’t she? And she and Edmund seem set to have a mighty virtuous and boring life. And yet I’ve read it at least three times, because Jane Austen writes so well. 

It goes double for sex and violence. Think people’s opinions differ about your heroine? Get reviewers going about the sex or violence in your book! I’ve had people say, about the same book (that feel-good one above—the one with recipes in the back):

“Nothing but sweet gentle loving with not much described.” (and they weren’t happy about that!)

“A kinky sex-fest.”

Bottom line (so to speak), there is a huge variation in steam levels in romance, and violence in thrillers and mystery (and literary fiction, for that matter).  When your books are just getting known, people are finding out if they like the way you write. You’re finding your audience. And that ain’t everybody.

The acid test. I realized, after wrestling with the “ping-pong ball” effect, where I’d think: “It’s good!” “No, wait, it’s bad!” “No, it’s good!” after every review, that the REAL question was, “Did I write the book I wanted to write?” And in all 14 cases, I answered, “Yes, I did.” That is all I can do. And it’s all that matters. On to Book 15.

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Rosalind James, a publishing industry veteran and former marketing executive, is a contemporary romance and romantic suspense novelist published both independently and through Montlake Romance. Her first book, JUST THIS ONCE (Escape to New Zealand) is a 2015 Audie finalist for Best Romance Audiobook, and her latest, JUST IN TIME, has just debuted as part of Brenda Novak’s SWEET TALK collection for diabetes research. Rosalind started writing down one of the stories in her head on a whim three years ago while living in Auckland, New Zealand. Within six weeks, she had finished the book, thrown a lifetime of caution to the winds, and quit her day job. She attributes her surprising early success to the fact that "lots of people would like to escape to New Zealand! I know I did!" Website: http://www.rosalindjames.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosalindjamesbooks Twitter: @rosalindjames5