The hero and heroine must meet in the first chapter ...

Errr... says who?

 

If you think the only way you're going to be published is to have the hero and heroine meet in the first chapter, please raise your hand. 

 

Put Your Hands Down!!!  Honestly.

 

What about an enticing and fresh plot?  What about a great story?  What about sexual tension and all of the other things that go into writing a fantabulous romance?  I'm trying to remember if my hero and heroine meet in the first chapter of either of my paperbacks and I honestly can't remember.  Gonna have to look that one up.  Why can't I remember?  Because it really isn't that important.

 

The hero and heroine of your story should meet when it's time for them to meet.  If that's chapter one, great.  If it's chapter three great.  I suppose I must explain that, at SOME point in the story, they are going to have to meet.  And they are going to have to meet with enough time to fall in love.  If they meet on the last page... well... you get the idea.  But I'm not going to say that they have to meet by page 12, kiss by page 44, screw by chapter 4 or any of that other nonsense.  These are people we're talking about.  Imaginary, invented people, but people just the same.  Carry them where they need to go.  Let them carry you.  Whatever your style, don't get bogged down in what someone tells you is a hard and fast rule to writing fiction.

 

And remember, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

 

Oh, and I looked it up.  In The Lighthorseman, my newest release, the hero and heroine do not lay eyes on each other until Chapter Three.

 

Hugs,
Marjorie

 

Slobbering, my dog lumbered out of the room.

The title of this entry is a true story.  I have mastiffs, and good ol' Pistol Pete just dripped his way across my living room to promptly heave his ummm... massive self onto my sofa.  If I ever get nice living room furniture, we're going to have to break him of that.

 

Additionally, the title of this blog is an example of one of our sinister broken rules.

 

Never begin a sentence with an 'ing' word, otherwise known as a gerund.

 

To understand this 'schmule', we must first know what a gerund is.  A gerund is a verb, ending in the those three wicked little letters I N G, and used as a noun.  Simple.  Every website I visited had essentially the same definition.

 

So, take a look at the title of this blog entry.  Is "slobbering" a noun?  I don't think it is.  The more I look at it, I can't assign it a person, place or thing definition.  I suppose I could stretch it and say it's a thing, but I'm not convinced.  "Slobbering" in this instance is a verb, pure a simple.  It's an action.  So it's not a gerund, anyway.  Is this infamous rule that we can't start sentences with ING words, or gerunds?

 

Next point.  On every website I visited (and mind you, I didn't read every word on every page), I found reference to the fact that a gerund can be the subject of a sentence. 

 

Example:  Finding a needle in a haystack would be easier than what we're trying to do.

 

I stole this example from the Purdue Online Writing Lab, but you can plainly see that the gerund 'finding' and 'a needle' enhance one another.  "A needle" is the direct object of "finding".   This sentence is grammatically correct.  If its grammatically correct, then we can use it in our writing.  In this particular case, the sentence is awkward and clumsy, and I would choose to write : "It would be easier to find a needle in a haystack," but that's an awkward and clumsy choice, not a grammar choice.

 

I'm fairly sure that many of the hits we receive in contests or from crit partners, however, refer to the first example.  (Yep, Pete is still sprawled out all over my sofa.)   A writer with little or no more experience than ourselves comes along and says that we can't start a sentence with a gerund (or any ing word), and they strike out the poor slobbering dog. 

 

The fact is, you can start your sentences however you want to.  You can have gerunds in your manuscript.  Like everything else, use moderation and your best judgement.  It really is that simple.  Vary your sentence structure.  Don't start EVERY sentence with a gerund. 

 

And for heaven's sake, don't over analyze!

 

Peace,

Marjorie

 

 

 

Writing Tip #1 - Rules Schmules

Writing Tip Number 1 is more of a disclaimer.  Since this blog is dedicated to the process of writing, and I'll be filling the entries with my own writing style, techniques and knowledge, I want to begin with a few words about the rules of writing.

 

There are none.

 

There are rules of grammar, of course.  End sentence with a period or other punctuation mark.

 

There are formatting rules.  Set margins to one inch all the way around the page, indent paragraphs, don't use extra spaces between paragraphs.  That sort of thing.  I'll have a post regarding proper formatting later on.

 

But there are no rules for writing. 

 

Fiction writing is a creative process that depends on many factors.  To write well, one must blend the technical with the artistic.  Our voice, our style, and our stories must merge into a fascinating novel that will capture the attentions of our audience.  Rules, as we've come to know them, only serve to drown the all-important artistic ingredient.

 

So, what are these rules? 

 

If you have no idea I'm talking about, please, please, please, do NOT read the rest of this entry.  I don't want to be responsible for putting these rules into heads that aren't yet familiar with them.  But, if you're like me and you've been inundated with 'the rules' since you entered the topsy-turvy world of the romance novelist... read on.

 

Rule #1 : You can only have two Points of View : Hero and Heroine.  Maybe the Villian, but you better have a damn good reason.

 

Response:  Bunk.  Bunk.  Bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk, bunk.  Keep in mind I'm a "Single Title" author, so I have more words and pages to play with than a category author, so this may be a publisher's guideline for certain lines, like the Harlequin Series books.  I can't speak to that, because I've never submitted anything to Harlequin, nor have I ever spoken with their editors or followed their series books.   However, when speaking to the single title romance, you can have as many point-of-view characters as your story calls for!  I once read a book where one short scene was in a sub-characters point-of-view, and it was the only scene in his point-of-view in the entire book.  But it gave insight to that character that the author believed was needed.  I was happy to read it.  It entertained me as much as the rest of the book. 

 

Rule #2 : No Passive Voice.

 

Response: Okay, this one isn't ALL bad.  It's the "NO" that I have issues with.  Certainly, the active voice in writing is more emotional, more ... well ... active.  It draws the reader into the story better.  But absolutely nothing is absolute.  Passive voice is a part of our language, therefore, eliminating it entirely from a manuscript can weary the reader.  Passive voice, used correctly, is perfectly okay ... and here's the kicker ... in moderation.

 

Rule #3 : Eliminate 'THAT'

 

Response: The problem with this rule is that it isn't even a grammar rule.  Listen to how we talk to each other.  We use 'that' in sentences all of the time.  There is nothing wrong with it.  Strunk and White, as well as Stephen King, mention in their writing books that superflous words have no place in books.  Just like this blog is full of my opinions, so are their books.  It's their opinion.  If you agree with it, great.  But the hard and fast rule regarding 'that' is one of the writer's voice.  If you write a sentence that includes 'that' and it sounds good to you ... keep it.  Don't let well-meaning crit partners remove them.  You might be making extra work for yourself if your editor puts them back in, like mine did.  (The first 'official' writing tips post will concern this very issue)

 

Rule #4 : "Was" is a four letter ... errr... three letter word.

 

Response : Was is not bad.  Was is a part of the English language.  Certainly, if one can find a more powerful verb to use in its place, go for it.  I do.  But if the sentence calls for 'WAS', don't be afraid to use it. 

 

These are just a few of the "rules" I've come across.  There are plenty more.

 

So, it's your turn.  What are some of the rules you've found?  Do you have questions concerning these rules?  Opinions?  Shout it out!

 

Peace,

Marjorie

 

Philosophy 101

Before I post an endless list of my own writing tips, I figured I'd toss in a bit about myself. First, I'm not a snob. At least, I try not to be but the fact I feel compelled to actually tell you this leads me to believe I may have some pride issues. Don't we all? So I'll start out by saying that the tips I include on this blog are my own opinions, things I've learned over the years, things that work well for me (they may not work well for you), and given with the best of intentions at heart.

That said, this is my blog and I can say what I want. Ohhh... shades of Miss Snark! No, I'm not her.

I do encourage a bit of debate. I welcome questions and comments. No flaming, of course. That's my job. Juuust kidding.

So on the off chance anyone stops by my little internactive home on the web, those are the ground rules.

And now, we're off to the races!

Peace,
Marjorie

Philosophy 101

Before I post an endless list of my own writing tips, I figured I'd toss in a bit about myself. First, I'm not a snob. At least, I try not to be but the fact I feel compelled to actually tell you this leads me to believe I may have some pride issues. Don't we all? So I'll start out by saying that the tips I include on this blog are my own opinions, things I've learned over the years, things that work well for me (they may not work well for you), and given with the best of intentions at heart.

That said, this is my blog and I can say what I want. Ohhh... shades of Miss Snark! No, I'm not her.

I do encourage a bit of debate. I welcome questions and comments. No flaming, of course. That's my job. Juuust kidding.

So on the off chance anyone stops by my little internactive home on the web, those are the ground rules.

And now, we're off to the races!

Peace,
Marjorie

Writing Tips ... I surrender

I haven't blogged in a while.  I know, I know, I'm a bad, bad blogger. 

 

I've tried to find interesting things in my life to share with others, but I've come to a conclusion that precludes that particular blogging manuever.  I am really, really boring! 

 

I don't go anywhere or do anything terribly exciting.  I rarely watch movies I can brag about.  I suppose this is why I am a writer.  I can create exciting (hopefully) places and people who live much more interesting lives than I do.  And I've been told I'm fairly good at it. 

 

So this blog has a new focus.  Writing.  I'll talk about one of the things I love most in my life.  I'll pick a topic and write my little dialogue (I'll try not to write a diatribe) and open the issue for debate.  Sounds like fun.

 

My next post will concern the use of the word "that" or other superfluous words versus writing style and telling a good story.  Hopefully, this post will come later today.  But I've posted once, so I may need a nap.

 

Peace,

Marjorie