I'm Telling It Like It Is

Greetings and many thanks to Lynn for hosting me at Decadent Decisions on this fine fall Saturday! 

Lynn asked me here because an interesting shift recently occurred in my career. While writing is and will always be my first love, a few months back I landed the position of Senior Editor at Still Moments Publishing, a romance e-book publisher based in Nova Scotia, Canada. And yes, we’re actively seeking submissions, so head on over to our website http://www.stillmomentspublishing.com/ and check out our guidelines. And yes, that was a plug.

Being the forward-thinking gal she is, Lynn asked if I would be interested in writing a blog about being on the receiving end of the submissions process–rather than the submitting end. Of course, I jumped at the chance. Not to share my personal experience (how boring is that?), but to hopefully shed some light on what romance editors and their respective publishers are looking for. What makes an editor reject or accept a manuscript? 

So, during this and my next few visits, I’m going to give you the cold, hard facts about what it takes to get published. No namby-pamby sugar coated instructions here. If you’re looking for that, find a nice critique partner who will tell you everything you write belongs on the NYTimes Bestseller list. 

You should also keep in mind these suggestions are mine. Not every single editor has the same opinion. I am also going to take a leap of faith and assume you already know your work should be free of grammatical errors. Misspelled words, repeated punctuation blunders, and glaring misuse of the English language are all huge no-no’s. No editor will read past the first paragraph if your manuscript is full of mistakes. 

That being said, got those pens ready? Okay, brace yourself.

The number one most important thing in prepping a submission is character development. This is the place where everyone bangs their foreheads against the keyboard and shouts, “We already KNOW this, AJ! If one more editor tells me they are looking for great character development, I swear, I’m going to pull my hair out!”   

Okay, fine. But the harsh truth is a lot more goes into developing characters than sitting down at the computer and describing their physical attributes. And if your characters end up being flimsy two-dimensional individuals who lay flat on the page, the story will get rejected. Boom. Start over. 

Whenever characters lack motivation or act contrary their previously developed personality, this misdirection raises several red flags for the editor. 

Let’s talk motivation for a second. Nothing irks this editor more than a hero and/or heroine who are running around inside a story without any forward momentum or direction. Time to face facts. If your heroine says, thinks, or does one thing, and then completely contradicts what she just said, thought, or did with her actions, she's going to appear as if she doesn't know what she wants. Consequently, neither will the reader. I refer to this as Spineless Twit Syndrome. It is IMPERATIVE that both the hero and heroine have a strong underlying motivation, because this motivating force ultimately initiates and influences their actions, verbiage, and attitude. If your characters don’t have a motivating force, y’all ain’t gotta story.  Sorry, the manuscript is rejected.

Contrary behavior, on the other hand, usually occurs during those moments when the author is hoping to create some sort of conflict or tension between their characters. While this can be difficult, certain steps must be followed or your characters will most certainly come off like psychopaths. The absolute worst thing an author can do is try to create tension by forcing their characters to act in a different or opposing manner than what they’ve already established. So, if you’re writing and you suddenly discover you need one of your characters to take a certain action that would otherwise seem contrary, go back and insert another level of development into their personality. Don’t cheat and have them do something that doesn’t make any sense, thinking it’ll work just because you wrote the words down. You need to explain WHY they are acting in such a strange manner.

Example:  If your historical romance contains a shy, mousy slip-of-a-heroine who avoids conflict like the plague, and she inexplicably marches up to the mountainous hero and slaps his face, the story gets rejected.

Example:  If the entire plot of your romantic suspense hinges on the fact that your heroine is terrified of heights, and then one day she suddenly decides to go skydiving because it’s a glorious day outside, I gotta reject.

I’ve GOT TO. I don’t mean to harp, but think about it. These characters would never do that. (And trust me, these examples are minor compared to some of the character inconsistencies I’ve seen.)

So, how does an author achieve original, motivated, three-dimensional characters, you ask? Great question!

First, KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS! And I don’t mean imagine what they look like and how they dress. These are important decisions, yes, but I’m not talking about physical characteristics. I mean KNOW WHO THEY ARE. Let them ramble around inside your head for a while so all of you become friends. Create a past for them, a family. Envision the house they grew up in and where they went to school. Ask yourself, what is their most painful memory? Who is the person they hate the most? What actions do they take to comfort themselves? Many things go into making up a personality besides hair and eye color.

Second, and only after you know your characters intimately, create a believable conflict that will follow them throughout the story, by using their motivation as the key.    

Hero:  Motivation is Money (security). He needs to make more money and save the family business so his feeble grandmother isn’t left homeless. 

Heroine:  Motivation is Nurture (to be needed). She moves in to care for said grandmother and soon becomes emotionally attached.

With just this little bit of character definition, we can already imagine several conflicts. Maybe the heroine doesn’t understand why the hero is constantly absent from his ailing grandmother’s side. The deeper her connection to the grandmother–the stronger her dislike toward the hero. She doesn’t realize his only reason for being gone is to ultimately SAVE his grandmother. She only sees his brutal business tactics, his cutthroat determination to make a buck regardless of who gets trampled in the process. 

Embarrassed he’s in such a precarious financial situation, the hero doesn’t appreciate being judged by the heroine. Her spit-fire attitude and quick defense of his last living family member cuts him to the quick. He prolongs telling her the truth, worried that if she finds out the real reason behind his desperation she’ll judge him a fool.

With clear, defined motivations, your characters will develop, the story will flow, verbiage basically writes itself, and the reader will have an easier time connecting with the story. 

Next week, I’m diving into emotional impact. Stay tuned! 
  

Jezebel’s Wish Blurb:

Haunted by nightmares, tormented by guilt, Jezebel came to Redemption Ranch to escape the past—except now she's stuck in the middle of nowhere with no redemption in sight. When her mother pushes her into riding lessons with local veterinarian Matthias Saunders, Jezebel balks. Sure, the doctor is gorgeous, but he’s completely obnoxious and knows how to push every one of her buttons.

Only her deep connection with The Reverend, a gentle stallion who guards her darkest secrets, has her agreeing to spend any more time with Dr. Saunders. Caring for the stallion is the first bright spot in her life in months, and if being around the horse means she has to deal with Matthias Saunders, then so be it. Surely a city girl like her can handle one country vet—even one with disturbing blue eyes. Can't she?

AJ Nuest lives in northwest Indiana with her loving husband and two beautiful children. She is the author of two contemporary romance novels.

Visit her on the web at:

http://ajbooks.blogspot.com

http://www.twitter.com/ajnuest

Email:  ajnuest@yahoo.com

Facebook: Tattered Pages http://tinyurl.com/3qvxyn6

Jezebel’s Wish Buy Links:

The Wild Rose Press:  http://tinyurl.com/446f