I signed a book contract for a military romantic thriller back in September. Since then, I’ve been researching terror cells, military protocol, and the Pacific Northwest. I actually started the writing process in early October, and am now on chapter five, so I thought it was a good time to discuss what I’m doing.
My editor told me I need forty percent action, sixty percent romance in this novel. Now, I’m a word person, not a numbers person. And, forget percentages. I am good at “guess-timating,” however. And I think I need to ramp up the action.
I’ve introduced all the key players, the hero and heroine have met, and I even thought up a pretty chilling way to throw them together. I’m proud of that scene. But, what happens next? It isn’t good enough to put them together. Now they have to work together, and my heroine isn’t going to like doing that.
This is where I usually power down, as my older son jokes. I’ve hit a wall, and I normally stop writing for a while until inspiration hits. Unfortunately, I’m under contract, so write through this I must. Here's my thought process.
I’m thinking the bad guy should pop up online while the heroine is frantically searching for him before he kills again. You know, sort of like Javier Bardem in Skyfall, when he played creepy Raoul Silva. He could taunt her by hacking into her system. After all, he’s the one who taught her everything she knows. This is a possibility.
My editor told me I need forty percent action, sixty percent romance in this novel. Now, I’m a word person, not a numbers person. And, forget percentages. I am good at “guess-timating,” however. And I think I need to ramp up the action.
I’ve introduced all the key players, the hero and heroine have met, and I even thought up a pretty chilling way to throw them together. I’m proud of that scene. But, what happens next? It isn’t good enough to put them together. Now they have to work together, and my heroine isn’t going to like doing that.
This is where I usually power down, as my older son jokes. I’ve hit a wall, and I normally stop writing for a while until inspiration hits. Unfortunately, I’m under contract, so write through this I must. Here's my thought process.
I’m thinking the bad guy should pop up online while the heroine is frantically searching for him before he kills again. You know, sort of like Javier Bardem in Skyfall, when he played creepy Raoul Silva. He could taunt her by hacking into her system. After all, he’s the one who taught her everything she knows. This is a possibility.
Or, he could try shooting her, thus sending her out of her home before she can find him online. This also serves the purpose of throwing her into the hero’s arms, because he’s already at her home. This scenario advances the action and the romance. But, is it too soon? Will I run out of building action scenes by putting this here? Not sure. Back to the drawing board I go.
And you thought writing was easy. It’s fun; oh, boy, is it ever. But, easy? Nah. I sit here and agonize over scenes, until I have to get up and walk away for a while. But, that little voice keeps reminding me: deadline, deadline, deadline.
In the middle of the book, I want my hero and heroine actively on the trail of the bad guy. I want them to figure out who he’s working for. How to get there? Mr. Shakespeare was right: that is the question.
I used to read thrillers; not so much, anymore. My editor keeps hammering me to make sure the action is “high.” So, I’m back to square one. How does my heroine find the bad guy, only to lose him? The million dollar question.
If you’re a thriller reader, don’t be afraid to drop me some ideas. Even if it doesn’t work in my book, it might just spark another thought. I’m like a giant scavenger. I live off the lives of others. Remember, if you are a friend of an author, chances are you will show up in one of her books. Don’t let that stop you from commenting, though. I’m very generous with my thank yous.
I’ll let you know in a later blog post whether I went with any of these ideas, or something totally different. In the meantime, I’ll just be over here, hitting my head against the wall.
Got an idea? Drop me a line; I’d love some inspiration!
And you thought writing was easy. It’s fun; oh, boy, is it ever. But, easy? Nah. I sit here and agonize over scenes, until I have to get up and walk away for a while. But, that little voice keeps reminding me: deadline, deadline, deadline.
In the middle of the book, I want my hero and heroine actively on the trail of the bad guy. I want them to figure out who he’s working for. How to get there? Mr. Shakespeare was right: that is the question.
I used to read thrillers; not so much, anymore. My editor keeps hammering me to make sure the action is “high.” So, I’m back to square one. How does my heroine find the bad guy, only to lose him? The million dollar question.
If you’re a thriller reader, don’t be afraid to drop me some ideas. Even if it doesn’t work in my book, it might just spark another thought. I’m like a giant scavenger. I live off the lives of others. Remember, if you are a friend of an author, chances are you will show up in one of her books. Don’t let that stop you from commenting, though. I’m very generous with my thank yous.
I’ll let you know in a later blog post whether I went with any of these ideas, or something totally different. In the meantime, I’ll just be over here, hitting my head against the wall.
Got an idea? Drop me a line; I’d love some inspiration!
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