Writing Tip Wednesday--Internal & External Conflicts

I considered posting about character-driven vs. plot-driven stories, but romance technically has to be a combination. The happily-ever-after component is plot-driven, in that it's the end goal. How the characters arrive at their HEA is mostly character-driven. The plot requires external conflicts to help move the story forward, while internal conflicts drive the characters toward resolution.

What are external conflicts?

External conflicts are outside influences that can directly or indirectly affect the hero/heroine's path toward the goal and are often beyond the character's control. They force the characters to take action. Although they can cause/influence internal conflicts, external conflicts are separate from the romance itself.
Examples:
A storm causes a tree to fall on the hero's house.
A new city ordinance prohibits the heroine from having camels on her property.
A huge conglomerate is buying up all the available real estate in the heroine's neighborhood to build a mall.

What are internal conflicts?

Internal conflicts provide the character with room to grow and struggle against himself. They force the characters to make decisions about the relationships in their lives--with self and others.
Examples:
Can the hero trust the woman who might've stolen an Mayan artifact from his collection?
Will the heroine serve as a surrogate for her best friend, even though they suspect the friend's husband is cheating on her?
Does getting married mean the hero has to give up being a cop?

By using a combination of internal and external conflicts, you can create a well-balanced story with a strong plot and character arcs through GMC.

I love the way the elements of writing are all connected. :)

Next week, we'll take a look at Foreshadowing!

Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With A Kick!

Writing Tip Wednesday--Worldbuilding

Many writers hear the term Worldbuilding and immediately dismiss the chance to learn about it because they don't write sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal, etc. Although creating a believable world that doesn't actually exist (that we know of) is vital for those genres, every story requires some level of setting that goes beyond what we see.

Cheryl Brooks' Cat Star Chronicles books are great examples of worldbuilding. She's written a fictional world in space, with numerous species of humanoid and non-humanoid creatures, each with unique cultures and physical characteristics. Each planet has its own type of society. All the "rules" associated with those characters and worlds help build and support her stories.

The same can apply to vampire-, werewolf-, shifter-, ghost-, demon-related stories. The characters and their communities become part of the setting--part of that unique world. Lynsay Sands' Argeneau vamps don't fit the traditional Dracula mold. With their nano-blood, blood banks, and interaction with "normal" humans, they help form a new world that operates under different conditions.

What about historical and contemporary stories? Do they need Worldbuilding?

Some may disagree, but I believe every story uses worldbuilding to a certain extent. In a historical setting, the writer can use time period and location to define how the hero and heroine interact. The social norms of the setting can easily make the heroine seem like an outspoken, overly independent woman. Family dynamics or a non-traditional occupation in a contemporary book can push the limits of what's socially acceptable in Amish culture or small-town America. Use those challenges to make your reader more invested in the outcome.

The combination of physical setting, characterization, GMC, and character arc create your world, whether it's in present-day Texas, medieval England, or the Klingon Empire. Your readers live in that world while they're reading your stories.

Now comes the tough part--building your world without backstory/information dumps. Instead of using several paragraphs to describe your aliens, shifters, etc., add small bits of description at a time. Compare their features to familiar objects. Use color and size to create an image. Work these details into an active scene for good pacing.
Example: Rumbling snores assaulted my ears as I carried the first crate into the cargo hold. My chief engineer was passed out on the floor near the entrance, forcing me to step over her tail. Gorba's scales seemed more orange than usual and her snout was swollen like an over-sized gourd. Had she tried to drink a band of Norwellian Habiks under the table again? She'd never been able to handle more than half a flagon of the fermented mugfruit they passed off as wine.

You can do the same for physical settings by using the senses as your character passes through an alley or marketplace. Smell can be especially effective at helping draw the reader into the scene. Which is more interesting--a paragraph that describes the buildings or an active scene where the character ducks into the doorway of a gambling den for a moment before moving on to an alley that reeks of rotting garbage?

If you're a plotter, make a list of details you want to include and then add them as needed. If you're a pantser or plantser, be the character and see, hear, smell what he sees, hears, smells as it happens. Keep the action moving, show rather than tell, and use careful exposition to reveal your world.

Next week we'll take a look at Creating Sexual Tension!

Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With A Kick!

Writing Tip Wednesday--Character Arc

An important element of writing related to GMC is the Character Arc.

During the course of your story, at least one main character should grow, evolve, and/or change. This is defined as a Character Arc.

Does your hero distrust the police? Was he was framed by a crooked cop for a crime he didn't commit and recently got released from prison on a technicality? If the heroine is a detective, your hero has to learn to trust her or the romance can't develop. The path he takes to overcome his distrust is his character arc and his love for the heroine motivates him to learn to trust her.

Is your heroine shy, but she has to stand up for her learning disabled child against the school's uncooperative principal? Her character arc will involve educating herself about her rights and learning confidence in her ability to speak her mind about what she believes. Her child's well-being is her motivation behind this change.

Is your hero plagued by guilt over not being able to prevent his younger sister's drowning death when he was eight years old? Now his best friend and his wife have died, and the hero has been informed he has custody of their three-year-old daughter. The process of taking responsibility for the child and healing from his past experience are a large part of his character arc.

Every character has at least one weakness, even if he's a claymore-wielding Scottish laird or a high-profile district attorney with great legs and perfect hair. No flaws equals not human, and readers want to be able to relate to and sympathize with your hero and heroine. Help them move on, heal, learn, grow, etc. to become more confident and accepting of who they are.

Isn't that what we all work toward in the real world? :)

Next week--Author Intrusion!

Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With A Kick!