Lynn Raye Harris

I’m sure I’ve talked about conflict before, but I want to do it again. Why? Because I’m judging a couple of contests right now and the one thing that strikes me the most is the lack of conflict in these entries. Some are gorgeously written, with pretty words and lovely sentences (and proper punctuation, ha) that just make my grammarian side sigh happily.

But they’ve got no conflict, which makes my impatient and time-conscious side tap mental fingers against my brain and try to rush me through the pages. I’m BORED. And bored is not good when reading a story. You don’t want to bore people because that is the kiss of death. If I’m bored, the agent or editor is probably going to be bored too.

How do you know if you’ve got conflict? Well, you can start by summarizing your central story question. I mean in one sentence too. Because if you can’t do it, then you may have a problem. Example: a burned-out former detective is forced to take one last case when the woman he’s never gotten over crashes back into his life with a killer on her tail.

Not the best example, maybe, but there is a hint of conflict there. This, btw, is for my novella that was published in serialized form in a local Hawaii magazine. What are the questions this sentence raises? How about: why’s the detective burned out? Why didn’t things work out with the woman? Who’s trying to kill her and why? Will the detective succeed at saving her?

If you can’t summarize your own story question in one sentence, then try it for your favorite novels. And then compare and see why you can’t do it for your own. A woman from an unfeeling psychic race must confront the emotions she isn’t supposed to have when she encounters a shapeshifter who claims she’s his lifemate. (Nalini Singh’s Slave to Sensation – fabulous book, btw! There is of course MUCH more to the book, but that’s my attempt to show conflict by stating the story question in one sentence.).

A woman whose husband spontaneously time travels must try to build a life with him that’s anything but normal as he unwillingly moves back and forth through time. (The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger)

A man with a secret identity must try to save a trio of priceless vases, and capture a sadistic killer, if he’s to have his criminal past wiped clean so he can be with the woman he loves. (French Twist – Roxanne St. Clair)

Maybe these sentences aren’t how the authors would phrase it, but the point is that each sentence raises a question (or several) that makes the reader curious about the outcome. The entries I’m reading do none of that (actually, one did — you can bet that one scored high, even though it’s not a storyline I’d normally purchase).

There are a lot of good writers out there. A lot of people who can string together lovely sentences that paint good pictures of settings. But if there’s no oomph, no story, what’s the point? A recitation of bland events, no matter how beautifully described, is not something that deserves to be published. The only thing getting you published is a great story question where the outcome remains in doubt until you resolve it for the reader (hopefully toward the end of the book and not in the first 50 pages). Believe me, it took me a long time to understand this concept. I used to worry about the words and the sentences much more than the what and why. Not anymore. Good writing is important, but good story is probably more so. Hone them both, figure out what conflict is, insert plenty of it into your story. Put your characters through hell. Don’t be nice to them.

What’s your story question? (In truth, in romance, you can probably write one for the hero and one for the heroine.) Are you being too nice?

Edited to add: check out this post over at Agent Kristin Nelson’s blog. Apparently, the conflict thing was on her mind this week too.

Have a look at the pics from our booksigning in October. Then pop over to One True Media and make your own montage. Great site, and basic membership is free!

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Cue Eddie Money. He sang about a rainy night, but today is a rainy day here in No. Alabama. I don’t mind. Sometimes, a rainy day is perfect because you just want to sit inside with a book and no pressure to go anywhere or do anything.

Today, I hope to get some writing done. It’s perfect writing weather. The rain is coming down pretty steady, the day is gray, and it’s pretty. I didn’t enjoy 37 straight days of rain in Hawaii (no one did), but I’m liking it here today.

I’ve discovered that many writers I know find rainy or snowy days peaceful and conducive to working on their stories. Why is that do you think? Is it because things seem quiet to us? Because we can’t see the world passing by and we can’t feel guilty for staying inside to write on a slow day?

Maybe that’s why some writers work better at night too. It’s quiet and peaceful. When I wrote my first book, I did it at night. I worked very well that way. I worked the day job, usually a swing shift from 1 to 10, then came home and stayed up until 6 AM sometimes writing. Since then, I’ve transitioned to writing during the day, though I often get my best ideas toward the late afternoon/early evening. When that happens, I keep writing, though I don’t usually write late at night anymore. I think it’s a matter of training the mind to work when you want it to. That can be difficult at first, no doubt about it. But I can’t imagine writing through the night anymore, so I must have made the transition successfully.

So, while it’s raining and the world seems quiet, think I’ll immerse myself into the fictional world I’ve created and see what happens next. Aloha and happy writing!

I can’t help it, I’m feeling quite offended over the misuse and abuse of the poor pitiful apostrophe today. Why oh why do people believe that you form the plural possessive of a word ending in S simply by attaching an apostrophe?

My husband is working with a recruiter on a document detailing his experience. I helped him write it. I wrote it correctly: “Mr. Harris’s extensive experience blah blah..” The recruiter sent back an edited document (some of his edits were quite amazing, really, and I learned something about business writing just from reading the way he phrased some stuff) where he’d changed it to Mr. Harris’. Excuse me?

Would you say “Mr. Harris car”? Or is it “Mr. Harris’s car”? Just say it aloud. Forget the apostrophe (which I did not attach at the end of the first Mr. Harris on purpose). I mean, puh-leeze! One makes no sense whatsoever. The other one denotes possession. It isn’t that hard for pity’s sake.

Who’s robe is it? It’s Jesus robe. Or is it Jesus’s robe? Jones hat. Jones’s hat. Which one sounds ridiculous when stated aloud and which one sounds correct?

Strunk and White are turning in their graves, I am sure. If that isn’t enough, I see it in newspapers too. Major newspapers. Drives me crazy! I am offended for the poor pitiful apostrophe who can’t speak up for itself.

Wasn’t it Lynne Truss who envisioned an army of punctuation warriors gleefully correcting signs? Well enlist me in the cause. Someone must defend the dignity of the apostrophe.

What’s your grammar peeve? I can stand almost anything, and really I am not nitpicky at all, but that apostrophe business drives me batty. Think I’ll go sit cross-legged somewhere and say some ohms……

I was doing my usual surf from site to site while my brain is percolating my story (yes, really, I’m not avoiding it for once — it’s really brewing!) when I ran across two different author explanations for blogging. First, here’s Tess Gerritsen:

When I began the blog, I wasn’t really sure what I’d write about. As it turned out, I’ve never been at a loss for topics — my only problem has been finding the time to do it. I also wasn’t quite clear about why I should blog. Since then, I’ve realized that this blog isn’t about self-promotion. It’s not about selling more books or getting my name out there or making people like me.

It’s about catharsis.

The ever entertaining and informative JA Konrath has, naturally, a different take on blogging:

Think about why you blog, and what purpose it’s serving. Look at your last fifty entries. Will they be of any interest to someone in 2017? If not, why do you think they are of any interest to anyone now?

That’s why I don’t do memes. That’s why I don’t blog about personal stuff. That’s why I don’t push my own books constantly—no one ever seeks out ads. And that’s why, except on rare occassions, I don’t blog about events, peers, friends, family, or what I watched on TV last night.

Your blog is a tool. But too many people are using hammers to scratch their asses rather than drive nails. If you blog as a form of entertainment, that’s no problem–have fun. If you blog to increase your name recognition, you may be doing more harm than good.

Both writers make good points. Both are worth listening to. And yet there’s another lesson here too. The ultimate lesson, maybe: no definitive answer exists that is correct in every circumstance.

You can argue that Tess Gerritsen is so successful that it doesn’t matter what she blogs about because people will read her anyway. You could also argue that Joe Konrath is so entertaining and controversial (when he wants to be) that people would read him even if he did memes because he would no doubt make the meme entertaining and controversial.

Maybe it’s all about Voice. Joe’s blog Voice is businesslike and informative. Tess’s blog Voice is like your best friend/sister/trusted family doctor who knows a lot of interesting stuff and wants to tell you about it over a nice cup of tea. Same thing, and not the same thing.

If these two posts taught me anything, though, it’s not to worry too much about it. Yeah, you shouldn’t say things you’ll regret later (like dissing fellow writers or agents, editors, etc) or expose all the deep dark details of your personal life, but don’t sweat it otherwise. Write your blog in your Voice. Some will be interested, some won’t. Just like writing books, really.

What a great day! I attended my first Heart of Dixie RWA meeting in Cullman, Alabama, and learned all about Tactical Units (otherwise known as SWAT). I also met the greatest group of ladies (and a couple of gentlemen) who made me feel so welcome and excited about being a part of the group. You couldn’t possibly find a group of nicer people, I am certain. And that’s going some when I just came from the land of aloha.

But, I do believe Southern hospitality might just edge out the spirit of aloha by a slim margin. Hard to believe, but true. I don’t mean the difference between this chapter and my Hawaii chapter, but rather the difference in the population as a whole. Folks are just friendier than heck in the South. And that’s a good thing, especially since I learned that one can pack a concealed pistol here in Alabama (with a permit, of course). Not happening in Hawaii. Ever wonder why the Dog uses mace? Cause he can’t carry. No one but the PD can carry in Hawaii. I kind of like that, really.

Anywho, feeling good and inspired and ready to write. Now if I could just get some free time….

Thirteen Things that are interesting about living in the South again After more than 20 years of living in DC, Europe, and Hawaii, I’ve finally moved back to the South. It’s an adjustment for sure, but there are some things in the South that you just don’t get anywhere else. Some I like, some I don’t. 1. Grits (properly pronounced, in Alabama anyway, as gri-yuts); nobody cooks ‘em like a Southerner (see My Cousin Vinny) 2. Barbecue. Big Bob Gibson’s Barbecue in Decatur, Al, has something like 9 world championships. Believe me, you know it too. Awesome stuff! 3. Southern hospitality. Yep, they’ll start talking to you at the gas station for no apparent reason other than just being friendly. It’s sort of startling, but kind of cool really. 4. Biscuits and gravy. 5. Fried green tomatoes. Tony’s Country Cooking makes the best fried green tomatoes! 6. Sweet tea. Dear Lord in heaven, this stuff will crack your teeth it’s so sweet. In Hawaii, McDonald’s regional specialty was spam, eggs, and rice. Here, it’s sweet tea for a buck. 7. One syllable words become two syllables. Love it! (see gri-yuts above) 8. At any given time, there are about 10 bass boats you can count on the Tennessee River as you drive over the bridge (if you drove up and down the banks, you’d no doubt get a ton more). I wonder where (and if) these guys have jobs because nothing stops those boats from going out. 9. Grown men named Junior. 10. No liquor sales on Sunday (at least in Decatur; Huntsville is more progressive thank goodness). In some places, no liquor sales ever. 11. Smoking allowed in restaurants. I hate that. Huntsville, fortunately, doesn’t allow it. Decatur does. (And, I should note, Europe allows smoking and doesn’t even segregate the sections. At least there are sections here, even if the smoke drifts into the non-smoking area in smaller restaurants.) 12. Alabama versus Auburn. I just don’t get it, but I’m sure I’ll learn. And, holy cow, how the firing of Mike Shula dominated the headlines for a few days! But that’s no different than living in DC and having to put up with non-stop Redskins reports. 13. Sixty-degree winter days. We’ve had a few cold ones, but far more tolerable ones. It isn’t Hawaii, but I’m not complaining. At least I get to wear my jackets now. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. May 2. Joely 3. Karen 4. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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I was surfing the blogs, avoiding my WIP, and hoping for inspiration when I ran across this post over at agent Kristin Nelson’s blog:

Last week I found myself in the interesting position of calling two authors but not because I was offering representation. Sometimes an agent calls but it’s not THE call. You’re probably asking yourself why I would bother if I were passing on a manuscript.

Here’s why. Sometimes the writing is just that good (and in these two instances, I was torn and seriously contemplated whether we could work on revisions with the authors), but ultimately, if I think a manuscript is fatally flawed and it would entail the author revising more than half the work, I have to pass. It’s not fair to them to say, “well, representation is contingent on XYZ first” (despite being sorely tempted).

I got one of these calls once. I was too dumb to realize how good it was. I was crushed, heartbroken, downtrodden, etc. I was convinced I was a bad writer. Never gonna write a good book, never gonna get there, blah blah blah.

Did I mention it was the first book I ever wrote? Did I mention I was in my twenties, hated my day job, and terribly convinced I was on the cusp of making it? Sheesh, I would so love to have a talk with the earlier me, to tell her to cheer up and keep going and to never, ever give up.

Something I’ve learned in the past few years of living is that, in the words of Yogi Berra, it ain’t over ’til it’s over. I had one book under my belt when I almost got the call. I had nothing else ready to go and no real vision for the future. You simply MUST keep writing new stories. Never pin your hopes on one story, never keep tweaking and tweaking and hoping the only story you’ve ever written will get published. You have to keep going, no matter how heartbreaking.

What would I do if I almost got the call right now? I’d probably wallow a bit, sure. But I hope I’d pick myself up in a day or two and press on. Have you ever almost gotten the call? How did you handle it? What would you do if you got it today?

Hope your celebrations were fun and safe. We stayed up until midnight, said Happy New Year, and went to bed. My parents were in bed much earlier, my mom sicker than a dog (having caught a bug from my dad who is now over it — I wonder if we’re next).

We drank our wine earlier in the evening, with dinner, and toasted friends, family, the coming year, and our lost kitties. Miss Kitty passed on New Year’s Eve 2004. Thumper joined her on Dec 26, 2006.

It is indeed a brave new year for us. We’ve transitioned from the military to civilian life, from the tropics to the South, from living thousands of miles away from family to living in the same house. It’s been amazing.

What does the new year hold? Hopefully, new opportunities — a fulfilling career for Mike, a lot of writing and submitting for me, a new home, and continuing good health.

I don’t usually make specific resolutions, so I suppose I won’t start now. I intend to write more, to submit my work, to attend chapter meetings, to go to my first conference, to work harder and become more focused on my goals of publication. 2007 is the year to put up or shut up. I don’t have to get a contract, but I should at least have some rejections to show for my trouble. This is the year I submit my work. No more letting time get away, no more saying I’ll do it later or I need to make things perfect first. Write, submit, repeat.

How about you? (Photo courtesy of bigfoto.com)