tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543098270794087276.post7029322055457105161..comments2023-09-27T03:56:54.678-05:00Comments on As We Were Saying....: ANNE GRACIE: WRITING THE HISTORICAL SERIESRuby Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01030839859107760855noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543098270794087276.post-68715056431723799412011-03-22T14:00:49.055-05:002011-03-22T14:00:49.055-05:00LOVE the excerpt of The Accidental Wedding, Anne!!...LOVE the excerpt of The Accidental Wedding, Anne!!<br />AbbyAbby Gaineshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01521875731773621888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543098270794087276.post-59203177033699722512011-03-22T09:09:45.961-05:002011-03-22T09:09:45.961-05:00Wow! Thanks for letting us know how you write. It ...Wow! Thanks for letting us know how you write. It makes perfect sense. If a writer knows nothing about the time period i.e. 17th century, could you and the wenches recommend good resources where one could research the mores, clothing, manners of the period?<br />NoniAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543098270794087276.post-45344067016897148592011-03-22T05:36:40.100-05:002011-03-22T05:36:40.100-05:00Ruby thanks so much for choosing to highlight this...Ruby thanks so much for choosing to highlight this blog. Sorry I got to the comments so late.<br /><br />All the best of luck to you and your fellow chapter members. I'll be at RWA National in New York this year, so if you're there, drop by and say hi,Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02564152027118499399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543098270794087276.post-39079238313633722422011-03-22T05:34:21.591-05:002011-03-22T05:34:21.591-05:00There's a few articles around on what Jo Bever...There's a few articles around on what Jo Beverley calls the "Flying into the mist" method of plotting. Google them and you'll see quite a few that might help you understand how we do it.<br /><br />But there is NO "correct" way to plot. Some people feel more comfortable plotting a story in detail before they write. Others have a more organic process. It's really just coincidence that all the Word Wenches write in a similar way. Plenty of writers don;t work like us at all.<br /><br />It doesn't matter how you approach the writing of a book -- it's the final result that counts.<br />Best of luck with your writing.Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02564152027118499399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543098270794087276.post-54608197651545293652011-03-22T05:29:35.823-05:002011-03-22T05:29:35.823-05:00I like all my secondary characters to be real enou...I like all my secondary characters to be real enough to cast a shadow, and sometimes they do want to take over a bit. <br /><br />All I can say is, if they're taking over and they shouldn't be, prune them back. A secondary character is there to serve the story, so if the way they're taking over is starting to dominate, you have to look at their function in the story. And also the function of the main characters.<br /><br />Are they doing something that maybe the hero could do? If so, have the hero do it.<br />Is it relevant to the story? If not, prune!<br /><br />If they are more interesting than your hero or heroine, then you need to examine your main characters to see how they can be made more interesting. It all involves a lot of rewriting.Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02564152027118499399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543098270794087276.post-71549470739154874372011-03-22T05:24:10.534-05:002011-03-22T05:24:10.534-05:00Jana, we do plot, of course -- but we don't pl...Jana, we do plot, of course -- but we don't plot the story out in advance of writing. Some people do-- every scene is worked out first, and then they write. We plot as we go. The thing is, we are all very experienced writers, and we have a good understanding of the "shape" of a novel. So, for instance when I start out writing, I have a fairly good idea of the fundamental conflict (conflict is the spine of any novel) and I have an idea of some scenes to come in the future, and maybe how it ends -- or maybe not. I know I'll be heading for a black moment about 3/4 of the way through the book, though I might not know exactly what they will entail.<br /><br />The thing for me is, that when I start out writing the story, I don't know my characters well enough to know what their journey might be. About a third of the way into the book, I almost always go back and rewrite the story from the beginning, because now I know who my people are, what their secrets are, and their weaknesses and hot buttons. And exploiting those to make a good story is what writing's all about.<br /><br />Hope that helps. I'll talk about secondary characters in the next post.Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02564152027118499399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543098270794087276.post-76448312675195589712011-03-21T11:36:19.312-05:002011-03-21T11:36:19.312-05:00Anne:
Thank you for being a guest on our blog. It ...Anne:<br />Thank you for being a guest on our blog. It is interesting to see the different approaches to the story development of a series.I can't think of a single character that I would like to see in a series at the moment. Not enough coffee this morning!Ruby Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01030839859107760855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543098270794087276.post-84635941139975997702011-03-21T11:27:35.811-05:002011-03-21T11:27:35.811-05:00It seems most of the authors in this post don'...It seems most of the authors in this post don't plot. If most of you don't plot how do you develop the story lines for the characters. Also how do you make a secondary character interesting enough to develop a story for him or her without taking over the story he/she is currently in?<br />JanaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com