The following article first appeared in the Feb
issue of the Midwest Romance Writers newsletter, MRW Impressions. It may be
used with proper credit to chapter and author. Bloggers may link to the article
but not republish it.
I recently gave a friend a
clock with a saying on the face: ‘Time is a poorly crafted plot device’. When I
first decided I wanted to see a book with my name as author on a library or
bookstore shelf I wasn't sure what a plot device was. What else didn’t I know?
I knew how to weave a rich story, but doing it was so much more than just
putting words on the page. How would I accomplish this? Where did I start?
This same friend also
recently defined the difference between a goal and a dream in such succinct
terms, I’m sure it will stick with me the rest of my life. A dream is something
you have no control over. Being published is a dream or I’d like to be
president of…is a dream. A goal, on the
other hand, is something you establish a workable plan to achieve. I’ll write
3000 words each week, or I’ll improve my physical well-being by walking two
miles every other day. This made me think about my early goals for my writing.
My first goal was to learn
everything I thought I’d need to know to write a truly readable story, one that
my book-buying self would be so enchanted with, I’d pull it out every year or
so to re-read. I knew how to achieve my education goal. I decided to start with
online classes. Many wonderful RWA chapters offer these courses and other
resources. But when I started looking into which ones to enroll in, I realized
the choices were too diverse. I found myself mired in choice. Should I take a
course that would instruct me in the best weapon to create murder and mayhem,
or perhaps something on building a believable world through my words?
My over-stimulated brain
screeched I needed to identify my weaknesses and prioritize courses to overcome
them. Since I was last in school when God was a boy, I decided to start with a
refresher course on grammar. Readers are pulled out of a story when you mix
tenses or write a sentence fragment. Even when they can’t tell you what is
wrong with your paragraph, they’ll know something is.
My second priority--I had to
find a class to help me fix my bad habit of ‘head-hopping’. People I trusted to
read my work and tell me what needed fixing always, always came back with “I
don’t know who was saying or doing the action…” I needed classes on POV.
My chapter mates traded
suggestions for classes to take in pursuit of my goals. And they reminded me
that all these classes were only good if I used the techniques and knowledge I
learned to continue improving my writing. It’s hard for me to not get so
wrapped up in building my skills and forsake my purpose, which is to write, so
I appreciated their suggestions.
Along
the way, I’ve identified issues with my work, and prioritized my education
goals. One thing is clear--the process will be ongoing. I’m still in the basic
craft classes, but eventually I’ll graduate to agents and editors, business and
marketing. I’m thrilled to report that with each educational goal I achieve, I
give myself a powerful rush of endorphins as I check it off. And that’s enough
to keep me writing.
Heidi Senesac writes contemporary
romance as Gemma Brocata. She is the new Vice President in charge of programs
for Midwest Romance Authors.
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