Just a quick post to give you a link to an interview I did for Romance Writers on the Journey.

http://romancewritersonthejourney.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/meet-debut-author-lynnette-bonner/

Blessings on your day!

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Let’s take a look at the first several definitions of Tension found on http://www.dictionary.com

ten⋅sion   /ˈtɛnʃən/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [ten-shuhn] Show IPA

Let’s face it. Tension is really no fun. But all of life is full of tense moments. Moments where we wonder what is going to happen to us, or a loved one, or our favorite basketball team. In real life tension doesn’t always end in a fulfilling way. (The team loses, a loved one gets hurt, we have a bad day, etc.) But you can use that knowledge (the basic understanding of what tension feels like) that all your readers innately have to make your characters sympathetic.

For literary purposes, tension is what makes your reader want to keep turning the pages. You want your reader so emotionally invested in your characters that they can’t put the book down.

There are any number of ways of painting tension into a scene, but for the purposes of keeping this post short, I will focus on one way.

**Give your characters conflicting desires.

In romance, for instance, it is common for the heroine to be attracted to the hero, but have a good reason why getting together with him isn’t a great idea. When you portray that image of her heart longing to give in, but her mind telling her this is not the right thing to do, you will draw your readers in because they understand what it is like to want something but know it isn’t what they should do.

Let me give you a short clip from my current WIP of what I’m talking about. Just prior to this scene, my heroine, Victoria, overheard her husband-of-convenience telling another woman that he wasn’t happy with her.

“Ria,” he whispered into her hair, “you misunderstood what you saw today.”

“Did I?” The words came out on a tiny squeak and frustration coursed through her. Why couldn’t she at least sound self-assured around him? She pressed her lips together and tried to step away, but he used the movement to catch her elbow and move her into the corner of the kitchen cabinets; then had the audacity to lean one arm against each cupboard.

He leaned in. “Yes, you did.” There was an intensity in his eyes that she didn’t ever remember seeing before.

She swallowed. “Everything I saw and heard seemed pretty clear. You don’t have to lie to me just to make me feel better, Rocky.”

His brows lowered and a muscle along his jaw bunched as he leaned a little closer. “I’m going to ignore the fact that you just called me a liar, for a moment.” A softness settled around his eyes.  “What did you hear exactly?” He lifted one hand to push back an escaped curl, his touch whisper-soft against her cheek.

Tremulous quivering burst to life in the pit of her stomach. She willed it away and opened her mouth to tell him exactly what it was that she had heard…. What had she heard, again? “Um…” She took in the day-old stubble that dusted his firm jaw, the small white scar that peeked out from the dark curl drooping over his forehead, and the way he worked one side of his lower lip with his teeth, and couldn’t quite remember what it was she wanted to say.

A crinkle appeared at the corners of his eyes and his fingers caressed her cheek more firmly as he leaned even closer. “Having a hard time thinking, Ria?”

So, hopefully you can feel the tension in that piece between what her heart wants and what her mind is telling her. It is hard to get the whole picture, sometimes, from just a short clip.

There are other ways of filling your pages with tension. But this is one that works well. Thoughts? Questions?

Next time we’ll talk about secondary characters.

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Today I’m happy to introduce you to my friend and blogging partner from over at AuthorCulture, K. M. Weiland. I’m excited to have her here today. I’ve always loved books about knights and the crusades, so I was especially excited to learn a little more about Behold the Dawn. A lot of research went into creating an authentic atmosphere for this book.

What is one practice that was very common in Annan’s day that you are ever so thankful no longer exists?

 Oh gosh, can I check “all of the above”? Much as I love the Middle Ages, I’m exceedingly happy I don’t have to live in them! The horrific ignorance and corruption of the church, including the prevalence of “holy hermits” (some of whom thought they best served God by livingi n the desert on top of a pole!), flagellation as a form of worship, the belief in the power of saints and shrines and pilgrimages… yep, I’m glad all those things aren’t with us anymore!

In researching weapons, was there one in particular that made you cringe in horror at the harm it could do?

 Warfare at that time wasn’t about precision; it was all strength and fury—and as a result the victim wasn’t likely to die quick and easy. Injuries were often horrific, and, of course, medicine at that time was completely unable to minister to sufferers. People died long and slow and messy. Maces, claymores, flails, war hammers, crossbows—they’re all horrifying in the damage they’re capable of. One weapon that particularly stuck with was the caltrop, a predecessor of the land mind in some ways. Basically, it was a giant jack (the old children’s toy) that was thrown onto the field of battle. Men or horses running across the field would step on the caltrop and cripple themselves.

What one practice was in vogue back then that you kind of wish we still had around today?

I don’t know if I’d want it around all the time, but I wouldn’t mind the occasional opportunity to get all duded up in the costumes of the period.

Was there a bit of research that first brought Annan to life for you? Or did you have his character in mind and then anchor him in the center of your research?

I didn’t officially begin researching until I had the entire story outlined. But it was a bit of inadvertent research that inspired his character. I happened to glance at a children’s book about William Marshall, the “greatest knight who ever lived,” one of the most famous fighters in the condemned tourney competitions. He fought his way to glory and ended up as an English statesmen. I was captivated by the whole idea of the bloody, brutal tourney games—and Marshall’s eventual journey to the Holy Land to seek absolution.

Tell us a little bit about the lady of the story.

Lady Mairead enters the story as the wife of Lord William, Earl of Keaton, an old friend of Annan’s. He married her to save her from her enemies, and she flees with him to the Crusade, where he is mortally wounded. Despite the tragedies she’s suffered, Mairead holds fast to a simple faith and a natural optimism. But she has struggled with prejudices all her life and tends to make hasty judgments about others.

Which one character in the book would you say is most like you? Least?

None of the characters are based on me, but I suppose I identify most with Annan: his disapproval of naïveté, his deep but often hidden emotional core, his sense of justice. I hope the villainous Norman Hugh de Guerrant is least like me!

The Tournaments were very dangerous. What made knights choose to fight in the Tourneys? And particularly Annan – why has he chosen that lifestyle?

Fighting was like breathing for men in the Middle Ages. At that time, a man’s education was warfare. Reading and writing were considered extraneous; fighting was vital. The tourneys were a natural extension of the social immersion in violence. If everyone was going to fight anyway, why not fight for money and glory? For second-born sons like Annan, who would receive no inheritance from their families, the tourneys were an opportunity to make their own fortunes. However, Annan’s personal decision to join the tourneys was largely an attempt to flee from the sins of his past. He thought he could go out in a blaze of glory in the tournaments; he never expected to live for sixteen more years.

What was your favorite part of writing this story? Least?

The beginning was torture—as beginnings usually are for me. I must have written it half a dozen times, pulling my hair out and shoving back overwhelming doubts the whole way. But once I got past about the fifty-page mark, everything fell into place. The story just flew from that point on—and I was just along for the ride!

What message did you feel God was speaking to you while you were writing and editing this book?

It’s ironic (or maybe not!) how often God takes the themes I’m writing about and puts them to work in my own life at that same time. The theme of Behold the Dawn is finding the new beginning in each day. Life was a bit chaotic while I was writing Behold and I really did have to learn to take each day as it came. At one point, I was even questioning whether writing was something I was supposed to be pursuing at all. I just had to keep giving my writing to Him on a daily basis. And, day by day, He kept giving it back to me!

So, what now? Next project? Published when?

I have several projects in the works. I have a completed fantasy, Dreamers Come (about a man who discovers that his dreams are really memories of another world) waiting for another round of edits. I also just started outlining my next project, a historical novel called The Deepest Breath about the passion, betrayal, and vengeance that dog two men and the woman they both love through the trenches of World War I, corruption in colonial Kenya, and the criminal underbelly of London. And I’m also working on a fun co-writing project that asks, “What if Robin Hood met Sleeping Beauty?” Dreamers is on deck for publication, but it’ll be a year or two yet before it’s released. 

Thanks so much Katie for visiting with us today. Do you have any questions of your own for Katie? Feel free to ask them in the comments. I know she’ll be dropping by and can answer them for you.

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Different publishing houses have different rules on what needs to happen by the end of your romance novel.

But here are two universal expectations for category romance.

1. The couple needs to overcome all their difficulties and either get married, or be together as a couple by the end of the book. Romance, after all, is a happily ever after genre. Most people who read romance read it for the happy ending.

I’ve heard of authors who’ve lost readers because they didn’t follow this rule. So if you want to hang onto your readers there needs to be a happy ending.

Also of note: If throughout your book the heroine has been debating between two guys, there needs to be a front runner in the minds of your readers and, to fulfill this point, he is the man she needs to get together with in the end.

2. Point number two is pretty obvious, but you need to tie up any loose ends. Unless you are going on to write a sequel you need to carefully read over your manuscript to make sure you’ve neatly solved all the conflict and problems you introduced in the story.

Don’t belabor this process. There is nothing more frustrating to a reader than for a story to be over and still have 3 chapters of resolution.

I read one not too long ago that belabored the ending. I kept flipping through the remaining pages thinking, “The story is over already, what more is there to say?” I did push on to read through to the end, but it was frustrating. You want to leave your reader wanting more, not frustrated that the story is dragging on forever.

Did you read any romances recently that broke one of these rules? How did that make you feel as a reader?

Tomorrow is an interview with my friend K.M. Weiland about her novel Behold the Dawn. The next regular post we’ll talk about a couple ways to build tension between the hero and heroine.

Image from: http://cdn-write.demandstudios.com/upload//8000/800/00/3/58803.jpg

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I have to laugh about my hero in Rocky Mountain Oasis. I’ve been told on one side that he’s too perfect/good. And I’ve also read reviews saying he was a very attractive hero.

Like the people we come in contact with in everyday life, we are all attracted to some hero’s more than to others.

For me:

- I like my heroes to be self confident on the outside, but a little unsure of themselves on the inside.

- I can never seem to enjoy a hero that isn’t handsome. Call me shallow. (I’m married to a hottie and I can’t take them any other way. ) Give me muscles, five-o’clock shadows, and intense eyes, any day.

- The heroes that I enjoy the most go out of their way to please the heroine - except when it isn’t in her best interest. Then they are willing to push her buttons and sit back to enjoy the fireworks.

- Then there are the fun heroes who constantly tick the heroine off just to get her attention. Fun reads.

- I like my heroes to have spiritual leadership qualities without being know-it-all Christians. And it’s okay for them to question their relationship with God, or even be unsure if they have a relationship.

- I like them to have a sense of humor.

- Oh, and being good with kids is never a bad thing if there are kids in the story. In my current WIP the hero and heroine have three adopted kids that have some fun issues to explore. I’m enjoying working on that aspect of the hero. Funny thing is, he gets the girls, but he’s having a hard time connecting with the boy.

These obviously don’t nearly cover all the great characteristics romantic heroes can have. So what are your favorite hero characteristics?

Next time we’ll talk about romance endings.

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In thinking through this topic I went through my favorite romance novels and scanned the first several pages of the book. Since the books I chose to look at are all fairly popular books, let’s just assume that these are good ways to start a book if you want it to be widely read in the future. ;>)

• Fairly close to the beginning of your romance novel (ie. the first couple pages) your protagonists should meet - and there needs to be tension between them. This tension can either derive from the fact that they hate each other, or they are extremely attracted to each other and for some reason they just can’t justify the relationship, or, or, or…. Whatever the reason, just put some tension between them.

In The Convenient Groomby Denise Hunter (very fun read, btw) Kate and Lucas are interacting by the top of page 5. And boy is there tension between them. Kate, a syndicated relationship guru, has just been dumped by her fiance 5 hours from the start of her wedding and Lucas has just offered to jump in and save her career by standing in for the groom who’d been kept under wraps. Now, just from that little snippet don’t you want to read on and find out what happens?

One of my favorite romances is an old Heartsong Presents book that I bought when I was in high school - Shadows Along the Iceby Judy Baer. This book has stuck with me through the years and I just read it again the other day. The pages are brown and crisp and I think some tape may be in order for the next reading.  But oh my goodness I love that little book.  Why? In the first few pages of the book  Pam, a newspaper reporter on her first sports writing assignment meets Tiger Evans, ice-hockey player extraordinaire. She’s been assigned to interview him. And is there tension? Oh you better believe it. She’s a good girl, been raised in the church all her life, and the first time she sees him he is stripping off his hockey gear in the locker room and daring her with his eyes to look away. Whoo boy…

The tension combined with the curiosity of where this relationship is going will keep your readers flipping the pages, trust me.

• A second common element from excellent romance beginnings is that the heroine is in some sort of peril. But being that these are romances, don’t put off introducing your hero for too long. He should still be introduced fairly close to the beginning of the story.

In the first several pages of Silkby Linda Chaikin the heroine Coral Kendal is in several kinds of peril. In our first glimpse of her we find out she has been battling some sort of ferocious fever which has sapped her strength. A few pages later an Indian woman giving birth passes away, but not before she extracts a promise from Coral that she will raise her child. Given the political climate of that time and place, a white woman raising an Indian child, particularly this child, puts her in peril. As soon as we sufficiently understand her peril, Chaikin skillfully introduces us to the hero who, of course, is going to save the heroine from said peril (and is also very hot! ).

Who hasn’t heard of The Voice in the Windby Francine Rivers? In the few pages after we meet Hadassah, her mother dies, her brother is cut down by a Roman sword in front of her eyes, and she is taken captive. Now, Mrs. Rivers being the skillful author that she is puts off introducing Marcus for quite a few pages, but she uses those pages to bring out other tension building themes that the story called for.  So as with any rule, there are some exceptions, but you better make sure you are super good at what you do if you are going to try and bend the rules.

My own book, Rocky Mountain Oasis, uses this beginning. My heroine Brooke, sent west as a mail-order-bride by her uncle, is promised to an evil, abusive man. But then in steps Sky.

This method could also be reversed for those of you who like a contemporary romance. The hero could be the one in peril with the heroine stepping in to save him.

Wondering what is going to happen to the heroine combined with the attraction between the two main characters will incite your readers to keep turning pages.

• In Summary Then - A good way to begin your romance novel is with one of the following combinations:

- Hero/Heroine meet early on (before page 10) and there is tension between them
- Hero/Heroine is in some sort of peril and needs to be rescued whether they know it or not.

Now, these are just two methods of creating beginnings that I noticed in some of my favorite romance novels. But I’m sure there are more out there. Can you think of one that differs from the two I’ve mentioned?

Next time we’ll talk about what we feel makes a hero attractive.

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