{"id":30936,"date":"2017-04-20T08:47:11","date_gmt":"2017-04-20T12:47:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/?p=30936"},"modified":"2017-04-20T08:47:11","modified_gmt":"2017-04-20T12:47:11","slug":"elizabeth-vaughan-five-things-i-learned-by-writing-wardance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/2017\/04\/20\/elizabeth-vaughan-five-things-i-learned-by-writing-wardance\/","title":{"rendered":"Elizabeth Vaughan: Five Things I Learned By Writing Wardance"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Wardance-Cover700pxW\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Spring returns to the Plains, and with it, the Time of the Challenges, when warrior fights warrior in a contest for rank and status. For Simus of the Hawk, now is the time to raise his challenge banner, to fight for the chance to finally become Warlord.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

But his deadliest challenge does not come from other warriors, or even the sundered Council of Elders. For on the first night of the Challenges, a mysterious and deadly pillar of white light scorches the night sky\u2014instantly changing everything for the People of the Plains.<\/em><\/p>\n

Now a warrior-priestess, Snowfall, stands before Simus, who dares to speak of peace, of reconciliation. Her knives are sharp, her tattoos alluring, and her cool grey eyes can look through Simus and see\u2026everything.<\/em><\/p>\n

Now Simus and Snowfall must solve the mystery of the pillar of white light, and protect their people from all the destruction and chaos it brings. Snowfall fights for her place beside Simus, despite resistance from friend and foe.<\/em><\/p>\n

The warrior-priests have abused their power for many years. Can Simus face the challenge of trusting Snowfall with his honor? And perhaps . . . with his heart?<\/em><\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 Persistence is the name of the game.<\/h2>\n

Yeah, butt in the chair, fingers on the keyboard.\u00a0 I have to write and write and write some more to get words on the page that I can fix.\u00a0 And sometimes sitting with the laptop on my lap and staring at the wall is writing.\u00a0 So are all the little scribbled notes that I stick in my purse.<\/p>\n

Thinking about the book, the story, the characters every day.\u00a0 Not letting myself get distracted by TV, movies, video games and other people\u2019s books.\u00a0 Because it is so much easier to consume rather than produce.\u00a0 And creation is hard.<\/p>\n

And while I know that – knew that from experience from all my prior books – it seems I have to be re-taught this lesson every single time I sit down to write another book.<\/p>\n

You would think I would learn.\u00a0 But noooooo.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 OMG, I am waaay too nice to my characters.<\/h2>\n

I take them out for long walks, and picnic lunches where everyone talks over their problems and after a bit of discussion, come to an agreement.\u00a0 They tell jokes, make sheep eyes at each other, and express concerns over their issues.<\/p>\n

Bleh.<\/p>\n

I usually have to stop myself, take a deep breath, then set the picnic basket on fire, throw rocks at the characters,\u00a0 run them up a tree, and then set fire to the tree.\u00a0 Drama, excitement, suspension, those are emotions that make a book.<\/p>\n

If the characters are going to declare their undying love for each other, it is far more interesting and satisfying if they do so while under the threat of death, dismemberment, or being ripped from each other\u2019s arm by some other really bad thing.\u00a0 But dang it, I usually only figure that out in the 2nd<\/sup> draft of the book.\u00a0 See paragraph 4 below.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 My sub-genre may require a HEA for the main characters, but secondary characters are subject to RIF without notice or hearing.<\/h2>\n

True story – when I was first published I went to a meeting of our local romance writer\u2019s group.\u00a0 Someone asked me how the latest book was going and I said.\u00a0 \u201cGood, but I don\u2019t think I have enough red shirts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dead Silence.\u00a0 Blank stares. (Mind you, this was in 2005)<\/p>\n

So I explained the concept of red shirts; ie: Not a big enough body count.<\/p>\n

Dead Silence.\u00a0 Blank stares.<\/p>\n

Then someone broke the silence and asked \u2018you are writing a romance, right?\u2019<\/p>\n

Yup.\u00a0 But that doesn\u2019t mean that heads aren\u2019t gonna roll.<\/p>\n

Understand that in romance there is a contract with the reader that at the end of the book there will be a HEA.\u00a0 Happily Ever After.\u00a0 And I love happy endings.\u00a0 Which is why I write romance.\u00a0 The hero and heroine will be in love, and in each other\u2019s arms, and while facing challenges will do so together, forever.\u00a0 Smoochy-smoochy.<\/p>\n

Secondary characters?\u00a0 Not so much.\u00a0 No contracts.\u00a0 No promises.\u00a0 Off with their heads, and such other body parts as to make the story interesting.\u00a0 See paragraph 2. above.<\/p>\n

Now, if the secondary characters live long enough to get their own books in the series, well, okay.\u00a0 They are granted immunity and their own HEA.\u00a0 Still might hurt them a little bit, tho. Just to keep things interesting.<\/p>\n

Oh, and the world behind the hero and heroine?\u00a0 Turmoil, chaos, a ripping apart of the old ways and traditions.\u00a0 Yup, that\u2019ll do \u2018er, as I like to say.<\/p>\n

So.\u00a0 Hero?\u00a0 Safe.\u00a0 Heroine?\u00a0 Safe.\u00a0 All the other characters?\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t trust me, if I were you.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0 The story is not about how my monsters breed.<\/h2>\n

Wyverns!\u00a0 Big, nasty creatures with teeth and claws, a wicked stinger and a bad attitude.\u00a0 I spent lots of time designing my wyverns, their mating habits, their migratory patterns, their . . . .<\/p>\n

Except that is all back story, dang it, and since it doesn\u2019t matter for the plot I shouldn\u2019t spend two weeks agonizing over their mating habits.\u00a0 Because doing that research, watching Youtube videos of reptiles eating their prey, that is not advancing the plot, it is not getting words on the page, it is not getting the book written.\u00a0 Dang it.\u00a0 See paragraph 1. above.<\/p>\n

But I kept all my notes, because you never know when a wyvern might swoop in and bite someone\u2019s head off.\u00a0 Just sayin\u2019.\u00a0 See paragraph 2. and 3. above.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0 I learned how much I love writing.\u00a0 Even the painful, horrible revision bits.<\/h2>\n

I normally do four drafts.\u00a0 The first draft, wherein the characters picnic and are nice to each other.\u00a0 The second draft, based on my writer\u2019s group comments, wherein the characters suffer more and the plot really gets knitted together.\u00a0 Then the third draft, based on the editor\u2019s comments, wherein the book becomes sparkly and worthy of publication.<\/p>\n

This book went through three extra editorial drafts.\u00a0 Thank God above for editors who push and push and push until the book is everything it can and should be.\u00a0 Editors who tell you that you are wonderful even as they are pointing out all the flaws.<\/p>\n

I will be very honest here, and I am not the first person to voice this thought.\u00a0 No one wants to write a book.\u00a0 Everyone wants to have written a book.\u00a0 Because it\u2019s hard and while there is joy in the creation, there are painful bits to the process.\u00a0 But when the labor is done, and the book is printed out and sitting on your desk, there are no words to describe the pride, elation, joy and pure relief an author feels at that moment.<\/p>\n

At least, until the copy-editor gets their hands on it.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Vaughan: Website<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Wardance: Amazon<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spring returns to the Plains, and with it, the Time of the Challenges, when warrior fights warrior in a contest for rank and status. For Simus of the Hawk, now is the time to raise his challenge banner, to fight for the chance to finally become Warlord.\u00a0 But his deadliest challenge does not come from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-30936","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"hentry","6":"category-theramble","8":"no-featured-image"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pv7MR-82Y","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30936"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30985,"href":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30936\/revisions\/30985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}