Things to Come

On Friday, July 10 at the We Love YA blog, some of my fellow YA finalists in the 2009 Golden Heart Awards are popping by to talk about their nominated manuscripts. Leave a comment over at We Love YA for your chance to win a copy of HEARTBREAK RIVER, by 2007 GH winner Tricia Mills (aka Trish Milburn). Trish had the happy task of ringing each of us back in March to tell us we had finaled.

One of my dear critique partners, Stephanie Kuehnert, is gearing up for this month’s release of her sophomore book, BALLADS OF SUBURBIA. In this powerful story, the main character, Kara struggles to find a way to cope when her family breaks down and friendships go awry. Steph has a very personal story to tell about what inspired her to write the book here.

And in other news…
One of my other dear CPs, Anna Campbell, features in the Sunday Telegraph’s Sunday Magazine supplement today. The article talks about how romance novels are back in fashion and that the women who write them aren’t stereotypical, champagne-swilling, bon-bon-eating, feather-boa-wearing hacks. (Although, I’m partial to champagne and chocolate, so the cliche is not far off in my case.) They’re smart, savvy, and enthralling millions of readers. Overall, it’s a nice article that acknowledges the good work of our nation’s internationally bestselling romance authors.

Happenings

Join me on Sunday, June 28 at my other blog home, We Love YA, when Walker Books author Dee White drops by as part of her cybertour.

In Dee’s latest YA, LETTERS TO LEONARDO, fifteen-year-old Matt dreams of being an artist, just like his late mother. But when his supposedly dead mum sends him a birthday card, Matt’s life becomes as complicated as a Pollock painting. He finds solace in writing to the only person who could possibly understand what he’s going through – Leonardo da Vinci.

Dee’s got a spooky story for us to kick off our dream theme this week. Be sure to comment at We Love YA for your chance to win a copy of LETTERS TO LEONARDO.

In other news, my fab critique partner, Stephanie Kuehnert, is just weeks away from launching her second novel for MTV Books, BALLADS OF SUBURBIA. It’s an intense read about a bunch of kids whose stories resemble a ballad. The choruses echo mistakes they make again and again, while in the verses they try to make sense of it all. In July, I’ll be guest blogging at Steph’s place, and you could win new music and a T-shirt from one of my fave bands. Please check back for an exact date.

Subplots

I’m tearing my hair out over subplots right now. Since highlights at Toni & Guy don’t come cheap these days, I thought I’d count to 10 and do some research to get myself out of this mess.

First of all, what is a subplot? Well, it’s a mini storyline that runs alongside the main plot. While it shouldn’t outshine the main story, a subplot is a story in itself and serves to reveal more about the protagonist. It can add depth and realism to characters. Subplots are generally introduced early in the book and they’re resolved before the climax of the main plot.

I’ll use Christine Wells’s historical debut, Scandal’s Daughter, as an example of expert subplot wrangling. At the heart of the novel is the main plot: a romance between Gemma, whose mother has a reputation to rival certain Hollywood starlets, and her childhood friend, Sebastian, an earl who’s allergic to marriage. Gemma would like nothing more than to take charge of her beloved grandfather’s estate. Unfortunately, it’s not a task for a woman (It’s the year 1814, you see.) Gemma doesn’t know it, but grandad Hugo is dying and he wishes to see her to marry well. He believes Sebastian is The One for Gemma. Sebastian, meanwhile, has sworn off marriage as he knows it would’ve pleased his dead but detested father. So he promises to instead find a good match for Gemma. But as the story unfolds, it seems the only man fit to marry Gemma is Sebastian himself, an option neither wants to consider at first. Gemma craves a peaceful, rural life, and hedonistic Sebastian doesn’t fit into that paradigm.

One of the subplots tracks Gemma’s awkward relationship with her notorious but misunderstood mother. Rumours and innuendo underpin Gemma’s shaky position in society. Another subplot is the on-again/off-again courtship between Sebastian’s sister and her beau. This was handled in a fun and flirtatious manner that contrasted with Gemma’s own romantic woes. There are a few more subplots that provide additional conflict/complications, each with a purpose and each intersecting with either Gemma or Sebastian, or both. By the closing chapters, you’ll see how seemingly unrelated details in the subplots gradually lock together and go toward solving the main conflict.

A few points to consider when developing subplots:
* Secondary characters are as important as main characters (MCs). Explore each character’s goals, motivation and conflict. You don’t have to incorporate all of these details in the manuscript, but it helps to know your characters well.
* Subplots can involve the MC and a secondary character, or they can be about two secondary characters. But find a way for the subplots to intersect.
* If the main story is a romance, you might like to take on a subplot involving the heroine’s career/family/greatest fear, etc, etc.
* Don’t allow the subplot to overtake the main plot. If the secondary plot is elbowing the main one off the stage, maybe you need to rethink the book’s direction.
* Desperately seeking a connection? Find a theme or motif that carries through all the plotlines.
* Agent Donald Maass says the subplot shouldn’t have the same storyline as the main plot (MP). Others emphasise it should still relate to the MP.
* How many subplots can a book have? If it’s a short category romance, you probably don’t have room to have for anything other than the main conflict. Longer novels can have four or five or more, but I really don’t have a firm figure on that. Just don’t go for the world record for greatest number of subplots and you should be fine. If in doubt, cut the subplot if it doesn’t serve a purpose to the MP.
* A subplot can show a different side to your characters. You might have a hero whose steely gaze alone could cut down a sequoia, but that same man turns into a softy who never misses his niece’s ballet recital.
* By the same token, a subplot can be used to add interest or to clarify the main story.
* A subplot, like a MP, has a beginning, middle and end. Its turning points can affect those of the MP. The difference is subplots have shorter story arcs.

Revising Your Novel in Seven (Rambling) Steps

When you finish a manuscript, first you must cheer, cry, turn cartwheels and/or eat a pound of chocolate. Celebrate it any way you want, because it’s a massive achievement. The next step is to submit the book to a publisher or agent, right? No, very, very wrong.

• Step away from the book. (Oh, okay, you can read it for fun, but then you have to leave it alone.)

• Allow the book to marinate for no less than one week. Some authors don’t even peek at their mss for an entire year. There are certain luxuries to being unpublished. If you’re not expected to have the polished ms on an editor’s desk ASAP, you can take as much time as you want before revising. Just don’t do it too soon.

Why wait? When you’ve just written the book, you’re still inside the characters’ heads. You’re head over heels in love with your work and can’t see the flaws. You really don’t know what you’re missing – like a gap in the plot, for instance. When you can no longer anticipate what’s going to happen in every scene of the book, then it’s safe to go back inside the pages.

• Now, if you’re a pantser and don’t write an outline before you write, read the book and briefly summarize each chapter or scene. I recommend you do this step even if you’re a plotter. Not only will this help you get a bare-bones synopsis down, it’ll show you where you might’ve killed off Aunt Dora twice, etc. Identify scenes that need more emotion, less narrative, more dialogue, continuity and pacing tweaks, for example.

Observe how the story “hangs” overall. Is there enough conflict? Are the characters likeable and interesting? At which points did you skim the words or let your mind wander? It takes practice to see the imperfections in your own work, but put aside your ego and this gets easier.

• In my case, I had to ditch a ludicrous subplot and clean up the debris associated with that. This left my manuscript considerably shorter. Before despair set in, I did a little brainstorming and wrote a new synopsis, expanding on other parts of the story. Then I was able to jump back into the story and make the necessary changes.

• On the next pass, address issues like awkward phrasing, redundant speech tags, repetitions (make use of your thesaurus at this point rather than at first draft stage), spelling mishaps, typos, punctuation, paragraphing, and verify names of real people, places and products, etc. Check your use (or overuse) of adverbs and adjectives. If you ever get published, your copy editor will love you.

• Try to have each chapter start and end with a hook. It doesn’t have to be explosive, just intriguing enough to keep the reader eager to turn the pages.

• By now you’ll be thoroughly sick of your book. Pass it on to your critique partner. I also have my two amazing teen readers give me a reality check too.

While you’re waiting for the verdict, work on a knockout synopsis and query letter. You’ll need a blurb for your query, no longer than 250 words. Cover all possible requests and write synopses of varying lengths – one, two, three, and up to five pages. I’ve no idea why, but no-one has ever requested four pages. Not that I’m complaining. The shorter the synopsis, the better, if you ask me. If you’re outside the US, order international stamps for your SSAEs from USPS.

• Fix any problems flagged by your crit partners. Read the book again. If you’re sure the book is the best it can possibly be, check your ms’s formatting (one-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman or Courier font), take a big breath and submit it.

There’s some debate about the value of entering writing competitions. My view is that you’ll get an unbiased opinion of your work, it toughens you up for inevitable rejection and you might win some pocket money. Even better, the final round of most RWA comps are judged by an editor or agent, giving you an opportunity to leap over the slush pile.

Quick fixes:

• Slow pace? Ditch routine tasks that have no bearing on the story (making coffee, uneventful car journeys, shopping for Lindt Bunnies…); subplots or characters that go nowhere.
• Unsympathetic hero/heroine? Show them doing something that requires strength of character, something readers can relate to. Like rescuing helpless cats </a>from cruel owners, or single-handedly saving the planet from blood-sucking aliens. Or give them an endearing flaw that readers can relate to.
• Cookie-cutter villains? Most people aren’t all evil or all saintly. Give the bad guy some human qualities too. By the same token, give your protagonists a shortcoming, preferably one that could come back to bite them (a fear of snakes, for example.)

So this method of revision worked for me. What are your revision tips?