June 2nd, 2010 | by PJ Mellor |
I can’t believe I almost forgot to blog today! Well, what can I say? It’s been that kind of summer for me—and it’s barely begun!
I am now out of “deep lurkdom” and recovering from my recent bout of deadline dementia. I turned in ISLAND NIGHTS at the end of April and breathed a gigantic sigh of relief when I was told no revisions. Yea! ISLAND NIGHTS will be a March 2011 release.
Then I had to get to work and cut w-a-y back on my last firefighter novella, HEAT WAVE, which I’d turned in way back in January. What a job! Now I’m just holding my breath while I wait to see if it was enough.
Now on to the fun part—plotting my option book. What do y’all enjoy reading (besides very hot books)? I have a special fondness for best friend books. I just love it when life-long friends suddenly look at each other in a whole new way. Maybe it’s partly because I’m married to my best friend—although we didn’t become friends until way after becoming lovers and getting married. But I digress. . .
I thought it might be fun to discuss the plotting process. Especially since it’s so close to me right now, it’s pretty much all I can think about.
No plot? No problem! I actually have a reference book by that title. I tried to read it. Really, I did. But you know what? For me, anyway, not having a plot is definitely a problem! But the one thing I brought away from reading this book was that in most instances, writers do have a plot—they just haven’t found it yet. The answer is to dig and analyze what you have until you uncover it. Yeah, right. Easier said than done, you say. Well, okay, I say it too.
Back to my burgeoning plot. What do I have? A hero. A heroine. Well, duh. Heroine returns to the small town she grew up in and left right after graduation. Yawn. Been there, so done that. Okay, now what? A title! I need a title. At one time, I was “known” for my titles. I was thrilled to be able to keep my original title of my first Aphrodisia book, PLEASURE BEACH. Unfortunately, that was the only one I’ve kept, other than the titles to all the novellas I’ve written. But, like a lot of writers, I have a difficult time getting to the actual story or even plotting it without a working title. Let me tell you, having titles changed has really given me a complex! My brain was totally blank. I tried uncounted titles on for size before settling on ONLY YOU. It’s good, but I also know my editor wants it hot/edgy/sexy. Oh, yeah, this puppy will probably be changed, but at least I have something to type into my header besides “Untitled Novel #12”.
Next, I try to come up with a setting and town name. Setting, no problem. Even though I was born and raised in Michigan, I had Southern parents. I practically grew up around small rural towns. Trust me, I know about town squares and store fronts etc. Naming them, well, that’s more of a problem. Usually, I try to come up with something that sounds “Texan” without it being an actual town/city in Texas. This is where the internet is invaluable. For ONLY YOU, I used the name Pine Knot, Texas.
Of course, the hero has loved my heroine since first grade and they have a long history, which makes it so much easier to write a believable closeness. But now what? How does this play out? Why hasn’t he told her how he felt many years ago? Heroes are, allegedly, stand up kinds of guys. A secret. I need a secret that kept his gorgeous mouth shut for all these years. This is where I get stalled.
How about something really jaw dropping, like he slept with her mom? Ick! My heroes would never do something like that. But wait! What if he didn’t know it? No, that doesn’t work either. I can’t help but feel it’s got to be sex-related in an erotic romance. But, truthfully, I don’t do the ick factor very well.
Wait. How about if one of the things the heroine has always loved about him is his honesty with her? Ah-hah! Now we’re getting somewhere. Maybe this guilt about not sharing has kept him silent and away from the very thing he wants most, a loving relationship with the heroine? But what would that be?
I have the title, the setting, the characters, the “villain”. I have the beginning, the sex, the evolving love, the happily ever after. What I lack is motivation for not telling the heroine his deepest, darkest secret. A really great secret would be good, too. I need help!
Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! If I choose your suggestion, you will win a book as well as an acknowledgement in ONLY YOU. Due to high postal rates for international mailing, and my meager income, I can only send books to commencers from the United States and Canada, at this time. Of course, the offer of acknowledgement goes for anyone. Please, please send me anything you can think up! Send your suggestions to me at pj@pjmellor.com
Thanks for reading today’s ramblings! I look forward to hearing from you.
PJ Mellor