Lessons in Storytelling—I need you!

Last week I reread Kiss of a Stranger by Sarah Eden for book club. If you love regency romances this book is AWESOME. I mean curl your toes great!

As I read this book a principle I learned (from Sarah Eden in fact, at a conference last year) really hit home for me. And if you write romance or even romantic sub-plots, this is the post for you.

Okay, here is Sarah’s little gem—Your characters must fulfill a need in each other. The deeper the need the deeper the connection!

You’re so hot I need to make out with you is NOT what I am talking about. I need you to jump all over me is also NOT what I’m talking about. Not to be crude, but you could get that anywhere.

No, what I’m talking about is a very specific need that only this specific person can meet. Need some ideas? I’ve been thinking about this for a while so I’ve got a list :) This list is not gender specific, because as much as men and women are different I think we have very similar needs.

The need for:

• Kindness
• Strength
• Protection
• Stability
• Unconditional love
• Freedom
• Security
• Someone to push you out of your comfort zone
• Lightheartedness
• Optimism
• Realism
• Seriousness
• Financial Security
• To be someone’s first choice
• Feeling wanted
• Feeling useful
• I could go on and on and on… 

One interesting thing I noticed in Sarah Eden’s book was that the two main characters fulfilled more than one need in each other. They both fulfilled a physical need and an emotional need.

Have you read stories where the romance felt flat? I’m convinced this is the problem (that and not knowing how the characters feel). Do you want to ratchet up the romance? I guarantee this will do it every time. I cannot think of a great love story where this is not the case.

But you have to make sure you your readers aware of these needs. Show it through situations. Show it through dialogue. Show it through internalization. But make sure we know what they need!

I promise it’s like magic! Heart speeding, hand trembling—MAGIC!

-Angie

And if your interested I'm reviewing Night Sky by Jolene Perry on Afterglow Book Reviews today :)

The power of the write word

"The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter--it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning."

-Mark Twain

I've been marinating over this quote since I took a class from Sara Eden at the LDStorymakers conference. She taught us about description and how the wrong word can haunt you throughout your entire book...lurking over your shoulder and throwing off the flow. Whereas, the right word, moves the plot forward in the direction that you want. It is liberating and gives your manuscript the crisp details that make a good story come to life.

The power of the word is unfathomable. As I've been revising my book, I have seen this first hand. It was so thrilling last night when I cut a 12 word sentence to 7 by trimming the fat and throwing out 5 non-essential words. I replaced those 5 with one word - snap. Am I a nerd to get so excited about this? It's a small thing, replacing 5 words, but it gave my plot the slight pivot and shift that it needed.

Sara

All You Need Is Love

One of my favorite classes at the LDStorymakers conference was a the class Sara Eden taught on writing romance. Here are my notes:

Romance is the MOST read genre. Taking up more than 40% of the market all on it's own. Romance is tricky to write because the story question and the answer are already determined for you.

Story question: Will they get together?

Answer: YES!

If your story question and answer are different, you are probably not writing romance, but maybe a romantic plot line.

But whether writing a romance novel or a romantic plot line the principles are the same.

1. Strong emotional connection between characters
2. Need fulfillment
3. The couple is something to each other that no one else is

Emotional connection: "Hot" is not an emotion (love that). Characters need interaction and time together for us to believe in their romance. They shouldn't be perfect but have strengths and weaknesses we can relate to. No one can relate to perfect. We need a reason to cheer for them independently and as a couple.

Need fulfillment: Your hero/heroine should fulfill a need in each other. Needs can range from shallow (I'm hot--you're hot--let's make out) to deep (someone to see through our mask, protect us, be our equal, etc.) The deeper the need the deeper the connection.

To add tension add competing needs. Example- Katniss in THE HUNGER GAMES is stuck between the two competing needs - Save Prim and Save Peeta.

Use your knowledge of human nature to figure out what your characters need in a significant other.

Couple is something to each other that no one else is: If their connection is not unique it will lack impact and not be satisfying to the reader (step in need fulfillment). This is why their connection MUST go beyond love at first sight or just the physical (because not to sound crude, but you can get that anywhere:)

A great way to prove this to your readers is to show them with other people. Example: Elizabeth Bennett with Mr. Collins vs. Elizabeth and Wickham vs. Elizabeth and Darcy. We are clearly shown who is best for her.

Last of all here are the romantic pitfalls that these three principles will help with:

1. Love in a vacuum (people have to eat you know)
2. Romantic tension that relies too much on the physical (it could be anyone)
3. Little or no romantic tension (jump into it too fast)
4. Weak sources of conflict (example: a misunderstanding that could be cleared up easily)
5. Love has no foundation

I LOVED this class. I learned so much. I knew I liked specific stories, but it is fun to see just why they work so well.