The Man Who Changed My Writing
Writing is a constant learning experience. At least it has been for me. Each MS has taught me something new, has added another skill to my arsenal.
One MS in particular really pushed me, really taught me, and in that MS it was one character in particular who changed the way I looked at my writing.
Adham al bin Sudar, hero from The Inherited Bride, changed the life of his heroine, and he changed my writing for the better.
Do I sound crazy yet? Really! It’s true.
Adham taught me to avoid cliche in a real, meaningful way. Because of him, I had to try and look at things differently, to really think about what I had to do to serve his character in the best possible way.
I wrote The Inherited Bride three times. The first time before I was published. My editor read the partial and gave me some revisions that inspired me to rewrite the whole MS. I was feeling confident in that version, and after she signed off on the new partial, I sent in the new full.
It was not good. Mainly because I was doing Adham’s character a disservive. I’d said he was honorable. I’d said his situation, his love for the heroine, was impossible. And yet he cast his honor off too easily, and the impossible situation was solved far too quickly.
This was an example of me going with what had worked for me with the previous two books. I was following that structure because it had worked before. But it wasn’t right for Adham.
To handle his character, a man of such honor who fell for the one woman he should never have looked at with desire in ther first place, was going to require some work.
My editor had a very long phone conversation about him. She said, I don’t even know if you’ll be able to have a love scene in this book. I said, how will they ever be together if I don’t throw in this contrivance? She said, I have no idea.
We couldn’t see their HEA. I didn’t see the HEA until I was nearly through with the book. And in the end, it’s one of the books I’m most proud of.
I created a hard situation, and I had to learn to play by the rules I established. To have my hero stand firm in who he was, and not change just because I thought it was the point in the MS that he should, but to push him, time and again. To break him.
This was the first book I sat and cried over while writing. Because I created a strong hero that I fell in love with, that I wanted to see happy, and I had to destroy him to help him find it.
This book, that character, changed the game for me. Writing him taught me to reach deep, to let my characters lead, to chase the hard stuff instead of running from it.
Another thing I learned from him, if you find yourself avoiding something because it’s too painful, it probably means it’s the real ‘truth’ of the MS. It’s probably the thing you really have to attack head on.
Have you had a ‘game changer’ MS or character? Either one you’ve read or written? Tell me about it!
And remember you can buy The Inherited Bride in stores in North America for just a few more days. And online in print and e in the US, UK, Australia and India!
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Interesting post! This very thing is one of the aspects of The Inherited Bride that I really appreciated. I thought as I read, “This is an impossible situation she’s put them in. How will she get them out of it?” And then it seemed that a third party would fix the whole situation for them (I’m avoiding spoilers), and I went, “aah,” but the new set-up didn’t fix the situation for Adham — you still made him struggle until he really faced up to his internal conflict, which was an honest approach. Head-banging-against-the-wall frustrating, but honest.
P.S. Not sure if I’ve had a “game-changer,” but I do love that process of forcing yourself to really think your way into your character’s internal struggle and then help them think themselves back out of it. It’s painful every time, but so worth it, and it offers such interesting insight into human nature! Another thing romance is really good at and gets absolutely no credit for…
Ruthie, trying to avoid spoilers myself, my ah-ha moment was that I *was* using a third party to solve it, seeing marriage as their ‘solution’. Then I thought…what if it’s just another problem? I’m glad it felt honest to you, even if it was frustrating. 😉 That’s the best I can hope for really, is that it’s honest and true to the characters.
Well, I keep thinking I’m reaching a “game changing” moment, but then find I haven’t gone as far as I thought.;-) I will say when I sat down and consciously thought about turning points and plotting, and what my characters had to learn, my drafts of novels read more smoothly. I used to fly into the mist and by Chapter 6 I was done and bringing in alien monkeys to my Harlequin Romance to keep the story going (Only half kidding).
Right now I’m writing something just for fun for me and Not For Publication. I am doing NOTHING from the hero’s POV and he’s not a mushy or talkative guy so I’m trying to convey as much as I can in his actions. It’s only a couple of thousand words (on purpose) and it’s a very fun exercise.
Now you’ve made this story all the more attractive for me. I have to hunt down or wait for The Inherited Bride to release near me!
Jill, while IB totally changed my game, my game keeps changing. LOL. I seem to keep learning with each MS which means…there’s always farther to go. Which is a good thing really.
Sounds like a great exercise and I like the way you’re thinking about your hero!
Nas, it was out in Australia and NZ already. But since it took a while for Mistake a Prince and a Pregnancy to appear in Fiji, Inherited Bride should be coming soon!
I do think I learn something new from every book. Even still from most of the books that I read. I don’t know that I can look back at a single game changing moment. I feel that right now I know everything I need to know, more or less. The real challenge is figuring out how to do the things I want to do. How much description is enough at a certain moment. How little internal dialogue do I need to make the reader understand what is going on. How soon do I have to include some tidbit of backstory so the reader doesn’t get confused.
I know the direction I want to walk, but I keep wandering a bit .
I fully relate, Maisey, for my own tortured sheikh was the same way! In The Sheikh’s Forbidden Virgin I felt like Aarif would never actually get together with Kalila, and if he did, it wouldn’t ring true with his character. I’m so glad we both figured out a way to make it happen for our heroes 🙂