Adam Firestone takes questions at the OVRWA workshop

Romance University: At an Ohio Valley RWA workshop in April, you demonstrated how to set up a timeline charting the sequence of events in an action scene (this applies to action scenes in any fiction genre). The key, as I recall, was to determine if the timeline supports the required plot element. I think you called this the Dynamic Entry Sequence. Could you elaborate on that for us?

Adam Firestone: Sure! I think that a bit of explanation as to where this comes from may be useful. I’ve worked in the defense industry for many years as a “systems engineer.” Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering that focuses on the design and management of complex engineering projects over their entire life cycle, from concept to retirement.

I’ve designed systems involving naval mine warfare, amphibious warfare, countermine and demining operations and cruise missiles. All of those systems have a temporal component that is critical in determining system validity, or suitability for use in the intended environment. That is, a system may operate perfectly, but simply take too long a time (or, too short) to do the job it’s meant to do.

Let me give you an example. Let’s say we have an air to ground missile system designed to kill air defense radar. The missile system has to do a number of things to make this happen. For example, it’s got to acquire the target’s emissions, provide an indication that it’s ready for launch, get launched from the attack aircraft, start the motor, ride the target emissions and successfully detonate when it hits the target. The prototype does all of this beautifully, and the engineers throw a wild party to celebrate. Well, as wild a party as engineers ever throw. Wouldn’t want to bend the slide rules too much…

Meanwhile, the program manager, a former Wild Weasel pilot (Wild Weasel pilots flew missions expressly intended to suppress enemy air defenses.) walks in with a very dour look on his face.

“What’s wrong, Burglar?” says one of the engineers. (Former pilots, by the way, always go by their call signs…)

“Exactly,”says Burglar. “For your information, it takes a Greyhound twenty seconds to acquire, two to launch, and one point five to get to the target aircraft. That’s twenty three point five seconds. That means that while your missile is still attached to my wing, thinking about what the *$&#!!@ it wants to do, the bad guys have put a missile right into my air intake, and I’m flying with the angels. Epic FAIL.”

In this case, while the system worked as advertised, it was unsuited for the job because the functional timeline failed to support the operational reality. Similarly, when a writer creates scenes, she may get the detail exquisitely correct, but, due to the cumulative real-world time elapsed for each detail, wind up with a scene that doesn’t ring true, or worse, derails the plotline.

Adam with members of OVRWA

RU: You used the term “Sequence Analysis” to describe this process. “Violent action,” my notes say, “is rapid action, a complex sequence of events.” This process includes decomposing the sequence into Atomic Events, analyzing each event for components and deciding what has to happen first. What sort of components should an author look for?

AF: You do this every day without thinking about it. When you want to make sure there’s food in the fridge, you “Go grocery shopping.” But really, grocery shopping is a collection of a number of atomic events, each of which can have plot impacts. A simple decomposition of the Grocery Shopping process might look like this:

1. Grab list from fridge.
2. Walk to garage.
3. Get into car.
4. Open garage door.
5. Exit garage.
6. Drive to supermarket.
7. Park car.
8. Enter store.
9. Collect products.
10. Checkout.

One or more of these may be broken down into sub-events. We could probably break down “collect products” into another ten (or if you’re a particularly picky shopper, more) sub-events. The important thing for writers to remember is that each sub-event both takes time and is the entry point for a plot element.

In the case of the former, this helps to avoid situations where a character’s back is figuratively turned for fifteen minutes and an hour’s worth of story happens. In the case of the latter, it provides the author a number of potential springboards. For example, the car keys could be dropped when the heroine is getting into her car, and as she unexpectedly bends over to retrieve them, she might spoil the assassin’s sight picture and dodge a bullet.

Becke Martin Davis with a US M-4 Carbine - holding it all wrong, of course!

RU: You cautioned us not to brush off tricky details in an action scene, assuming it will all come together in the end. “They can just…”, you said, isn’t a satisfactory answer, particularly if it breaks the law of physics. My notes include process model, over watch scenario and other mysterious terms. Can you give us an example of a “They can just…” plot twist that ignores natural laws?

AF: It’s a longhand way of pointing to Occam’s Razor. Paraphrased, Occam’s Razor says that the simplest answer to an issue is usually best. For our purposes, this means that authors shouldn’t make characters do inexplicable or extraneous things. For one example, a character (other than in a paranormal story) can’t traverse a three mile distance in five seconds. For another, unless it’s absolutely necessary for the story, a character shouldn’t need to load her pistol at superhuman speed before she uses it.

RU: In a recent post on your blog, you noted that handguns aren’t very good at what they’re intended to do—which is not to kill, but to defend. Timing, as you noted, is critical:

Handguns aren’t especially good at providing effective personal protection. Let’s look at an illustrative example:

It gets worse, by the way. The average person can run seventy yards – that’s most of the way across a football field, folks – after being fatally shot with a handgun. Given that, in the above case, Bert may very well die after Alice shoots him, but not before he carves Alice like a Thanksgiving turkey. From the example and the timing (all of which is real, by the way), we can equate “effective personal protection” with “near instant incapacitation.”

Bearing that in mind, what defensive weapon and ammunition would be optimal for our heroes and heroines in a similar situation?

AF: I’m going to assume that you won’t let me arm your heroine with an AT4 antitank rocket or an M4 carbine with an underbarrel M203 grenade launcher , and that we’re limiting things to handguns. It’s important to realize that with handguns, as can be seen from my blog excerpt above, it’s really about multiple hits and shot placement.

It’s an article of faith in defensive handgun training that the threat is engaged with two rapid shots (a “double tap”), assessed to determine if it is still a danger, and either engaged again or attention is shifted to a new threat. Given that I’m a belt and suspenders kind of guy, I’m more a fan of what is called the “Mozambique Drill.”

This tactic, according to legend, derived from an experience by a Rhodesian mercenary during the Mozambican War of Independence. The Rhodesian, armed with a 9mm Parabellum pistol, turned a corner and bumped into a terrorist with an AK-47. The Rhodesian double tapped the terrorist, two rounds to the chest, but the terrorist didn’t go down. Taking deliberate aim, the Rhodesian shot the terrorist in the head. This time he went down and stayed that way. A Mozambique Drill, then, is a quick double tap to the chest followed by a deliberate aimed shot to the head.

It isn’t about being bloodthirsty, it’s about stopping someone who wants to do very, very bad things to you. Useful in plot situations where the bad guy is wearing a vest!

Anyway, the “best” is a combination of the largest and most potent caliber the character can carry that’s consistent with the story – it may be a pistol in some cases and a rifle in others, the most effective defense ammunition available – usually some form of jacketed hollowpoint and effective control of the firearm.

Author Kay Stockham at the OVRWA workshop

RU: In a sequence diagram, time is vertical—I think I’ve grasped that concept. In the workshop, you discussed breaking the diagram components into the technical and operational aspects of the scene. How does an author determine which category an event falls under?

AF: Operational refers to the character’s or the story’s goal. The character might need, to, oh, I don’t know, kill a dragon with a pistol. The technical refers to the means by which the goal or objective is achieved. Continuing the dragon killing example, the technical means would be the pistol itself. The writer should compare the technical means to the operational requirements to see if the two mesh.

For example, a 9mm Parabellum Glock, given the currently popular crypto-biology of dragons, wouldn’t work, and would likely turn off readers who are knowledgeable paranormal fans and gun buffs. A modern incarnation of the Confederate LeMat revolver firing a custom shaped charge shell would fulfill the scene’s technical requirements and resonate well with a wide spectrum of readers. To reiterate, operational equals the “what,” technical is the “how.”

RU: In the example I quoted earlier, you noted that an average man can run 21 feet in about 1.5 seconds. Is it necessary to know this kind of information, as well as details like the time it takes to shoot a gun or the speed of the bullet before we can create an accurate timeline?

AF: The short answer is “yes.” Timelines are as much a product of the “how” as the “what.” If you don’t have a handle on the mechanism by which the scene is effected, then the scene fails. This spans genres and historical periods. For example, a realistic description of transportation by horse requires at least some understanding of the horse’s carrying capacity, average speed, food and rest needs and the effects of terrain. Taking that a step further, you have a system consisting of horse, rider and environment and writing effectively requires familiarity with all three.

RU: Do you have any other tips for choreographing action scenes?

AF: Can I be shamelessly self serving for a moment? The best tip I can give is to retain me as a consultant to help with your novels.

Following that, the answer is to learn as much as you can as often as you can. Knowledge of the “how” makes the vision of the “what” much easier to convey. In the end, writing is about creating and sharing a vision with the reader, and the more you know, the richer, more complete and more plausible that shared vision will be.

RU: Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us!

***

Do your stories include action scenes? Do you plan them out step by step?

Join us Friday when author Amy Atwell discusses taming chaos in story structure.

***

Bio:

Adam Firestone brings more than 25 years of experience with weapon systems including small arms, artillery, armor, area denial systems and precision guided munitions to Romance University. Additionally, Adam is an accomplished small arms instructor, editor, literary consultant and co-author of a recently published work on the production of rifles in the United States for Allied forces during the First World War.

Adam has been providing general and technical editing services to authors and publishing houses specializing in firearms books since the early 2000s. Additionally, Adam provides literary consulting services to fiction authors including action scene choreography, technical vetting and technical editing. In this line of experience, Adam has had the fortune to work with well known authors including Shannon McKenna and Elizabeth Jennings.

You can read Adam’s full bio here. Check out Adam’s blog, Arma Virumque Cano. He’s also on Facebook

I’m stunned that nearly 3 years have passed since that interview and the subsequent blogs. Not so much time, however, to forget being bruised and staggered by the tough questions you and your RU cohorts, Adrienne and Kelsey, asked me. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to turn the table and interview you. I should warn you that I intend to ask questions that uncover the guarded and aloof Tracey Devlyn.

Before I begin, however, congratulations! Since we last spoke, you published a book, A Lady’s Revenge, which became available April 3^rd.  And news just as exciting for you—book two, Checkmate, My Lord, is in the hands of your editor. As you can see, I did a little homework in preparation of this interview. Yes, my homework included reading A Lady’s Revenge, which brought the total of romance books that I’ve read to four. In case you’re wondering, I liked it in a manly way. Seriously, I enjoyed reading your story and look forward to book two. Will Dinks make an appearance in Checkmate, My Lord?

Hey, Jack! So nice to have you back with us. Be gentle—I know where you live now and I have a contingent of spies/assassins at my disposal.

Yep, Cora’s maid, Dinks, shows up in the second book. Wreaking as much havoc as ever. Not sure if readers know this about her yet or not, but Dinks has a bit of a matchmaker in her.

While I was gathering the most recent information about you, I was astounded at the amount of time you dedicate, not only to your writing, but also to self-promotion activities. How much time do you dedicate to your writing career?

Wow, that’s a tough question to answer, because it varies from day-to-day. Like many writers, I have a full-time job, so I lose about 50 hours a week of writing time. If I were to add up the time I spend in the morning, at lunch, and after dinner writing and working on the business side, I’d guesstimate about twenty hours during the workweek and then another twenty on the weekend.

Have you received any advice along the way, related to writing, publishing, or marketing that has helped you more than any other guidance?

I’ve received a ton of advice over the last six years, much of which I’ve applied in some way. The best advice I can pass on to aspiring authors is—if writing is in your heart, never give up. The journey will be hard, the sacrifices many. But, the very second you see your first cover, all the tough times fade into the background and you’ll immediately begin dreaming about the next one. Never. Give. Up.

In living life, you often hear the saying that it’s not the end result that’s the most important but the journey itself. What has been the most memorable moment of your journey thus far Tracey?

I’ve had so many memorable moments in the last couple years. The handful that standout is partnering with Kelsey and Adrienne to create Romance University, getting The Calls (editor and agent), seeing my debut’s cover, holding A Lady’s Revenge in my hands, seeing ALR in Barnes & Noble, attending my first book signing and reading, and seeing tears in my proud husband’s eyes. Every single moment is seared into my heart.

During my research, I learned that as you were writing A Lady’s Revenge you envisioned your hero, Guy Trevelyan, as Adrian Paul from the TV series The Highlander. What’s up with that? Are you married to an Adrian Paul look-alike? Are you in love with the Highlander?

Jack, did my husband put you up to this? I swear he’s jealous of a fictional character, which makes no sense because he’s my one and only hero. He might not have the Highlander’s long locks or six-foot-something frame, but he has Duncan MacLeod’s noble heart and steadfast nature. I would never have made it through the last six years with my sanity intact without my husband’s love and support. He’s the Highlander of my dreams.

Have you envisioned the image or personality of anyone you know personally, Tracey, like friends and family members while building the characters for your stories?

Uh, no.

You have shared that you are married and we now know your husband is not Adrian Paul. How does your husband feel about you creating a world of romance, sex and handsome heroes? Does he have moments of insecurity? If so, how do you respond to those moments?

I pretty much tell him to buck up. LOL My husband’s probably a better person to answer these questions. Tim, are you there?

My research also uncovered a comment of yours that I found interesting. You mentioned that the concept of A Lady’s Revenge came from a visualization you had of a woman shackled to a table in a dreary dungeon. I have to ask—did this visualization cross from fiction to personal fantasy?  Perhaps, it came from an interest in being restrained in a dark dungeon by the Highlander?

Jack, don’t make me hurt you. I learned a few tactics from my heroine spy, Cora deBeau, that would not go good for you.

If you could be anything or anyone you desired, other than a famous writer, what or who would it be?

Famous writer? LOL Well, at one point, I really wanted to follow in the footsteps of Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey.  Living in Africa and studying either Chimpanzees or Mountain Gorillas always seemed like a great adventure and wonderful cause. Too bad I couldn’t pass my Chemistry class.

I came across a blog you did for Elise Rome. You said, “Romance nourished my soul for many years before I ever set pencil to paper. I’ve always loved the anticipation of a first kiss…” Tell us about your best first kiss?

I’m pretty proud of this one…

Guy’s temples pounded with a sudden burst of anger. Who was she to deny his help? By God, if it weren’t for him, she would be quite dead by now. The awful thought socked him in the gut. He’d be damned if he would allow her to take foolish chances with her life again.

He rose, allowing his serviette to fall heedlessly to the floor. With dispassion, he watched her eyes widen at his approach. Bracing one hand on the back of her chair and the other on the table, he bent forward until he could feel the heat from her skin and smell the fresh scent of her recent bath.

“If you were so good at taking care of yourself, I would not have had to traipse across the Channel to rescue you. Or shall I say the Raven? After all, it was the Raven I was sent to fetch.”

Her eyes widened even more. “Did Somerton tell you?”

“You’ve been at this too long, old girl, if you think Somerton capable of revealing your alias. Even to me.”

“But how—?”

“I’m good at putting the pieces together, remember?” he asked.

All the joy he had felt upon entering her chamber had disintegrated into a pile of half-truths, missed opportunities, and bitter regrets. Tomorrow, during the long ride to his country estate, he would try to reach her again. This morning, he’d had enough.

He leaned closer until the soft curls above her ears grazed his cheek. He lowered his voice. “Depending on others will not weaken you, Cora.” He pulled back until their gazes met. “You’ll still be the strong and courageous person you’ve always been.” Before he thought better of it, he placed a tender kiss on her lips. He lingered there to make sure she understood the difference between this kiss and the pecks of greeting he used to give her. He wanted her to remember how a man’s touch could bring comfort rather than pain and humiliation.

When he straightened, he was relieved to see the dazed look in her eyes. So much better than the terror he witnessed yesterday. Progress.

Tracey again: Nice try, Jack.

Your full response to the Elise Rome blog was, “Romance nourished my soul for many years before I ever set pencil to paper. I’ve always loved the anticipation of a first kiss, the journey to forgiveness, the inevitable capture of a damaged heart, and the guarantee of a satisfying and happy ending. I want this for my readers. In a world where nothing is certain any longer, I want readers to know they always have a safe place between the pages of my books. Though the journey might be a tad bit grievous.” I believe your statement reveals a great deal about the aloof Tracey Devlyn.  But, my final question is this, what question would you dread being asked in an interview? 

What is the world’s population? It’s always right on the tip of my tongue, but under pressure I buckle. Sigh.

* * *

RU Readers, do you have any tough questions for Tracey? Don’t let Jack off the hook! Ask him about romance and any other guy-type question. Who know when he’ll be back?!!

Be sure to stop  back on Friday for author Sherry Thomas’s discussion on beauty is in the details.

* * *

Tracey Devlyn writes historical romantic thrillers (translation: a slightly more grievous journey toward the heroine’s happy ending). An Illinois native, Tracey spends her evenings harassing her once-in-a-lifetime husband and her weekends torturing her characters. For more information on Tracey, including her Internet haunts, contest updates, and details on her upcoming novels, please visit her website at:

TraceyDevlyn.com  |  Twitter.com/TraceyDevlyn |  Facebook.com/AuthorTraceyDevlyn

LadyJanesSalonNaperville.com

Let’s face it, Valentine’s Day wasn’t invented for men. It was an idea latched onto ages ago by women who needed at least one day a year where they could count on their man to go out of his way to express his love for her… hopefully with some sincerity behind it.

At the risk of sounding a bit whiny…it’s a lot of pressure to put on a man. The wounds from the holidays have finally healed. The last rogue pieces of confetti from the New Years Party have all been accounted for and thrown away. All just in time for Hallmark to spin us around and throw us back in the ring for another round, with barely a splash of water on our face. Why do we not resist getting thrown back in, ladies? Because we love you and are willing to go to any length to prove it. Even if we get our ass kicked in the meantime.

My point was proven this afternoon at the local mall. I needed inspiration for characters to write about so I decided to go people watch for a while. Standing in line at Starbucks in the heart of the mall, I couldn’t help but eavesdrop on the conversation between the two thirty-something men behind me. In the time it took for the barista to make my drink, I learned they were at the mall with the intention of “knocking out” their Valentine’s Day shopping during their lunch hour. (Keep in mind ladies, we love you.)

Taking a little longer than usual stirring sweetener into my coffee, I wait until the guys are handed theirs and decide to follow them. I’m genuinely interested to see if they will be able to accumulate enough tokens of love and affection in under 60 minutes to warrant their significant others holding onto them for a while longer.

Obviously intending to get the easiest gift out of the way first, they make a beeline for the card shop. As they scour the racks looking for the just the right card with just the right words and just the right pictures, I take a moment to size them up. While they both come in at around 6 feet tall that is the only similarity they share. The dark haired one is dressed in a casual suit and is closing in on 40. He’s also the only one wearing a wedding ring. His fair-haired friend is in the shallow end of his 30s and is wearing jeans and a shirt with his name stitched on it. They’re expediently skimming each card, occasionally sharing one they think comes close to what they want to say. After a dozen or so tries, they each find a card that suits them and it’s off to the next stop.

For the next half hour, I watch as they pin-ball from store to store,, buying gifts for their lovers. Gifts that say what they can’t put into words.

Married guy’s gifts are more practical. His wife is getting a couple candles, the obligatory stuffed animal and a classy, yet sexy, pair of pajamas from Victoria’s Secret which scream, “I’ve learned my lesson from the Valentine’s Day of ’07 thong debacle.”

Single guy on the other hand will be showering his girlfriend with an assortment of bath oils, the obligatory stuffed animal, some bedroom “novelty” items from Spencer’s, and a lace teddy with matching thong from VS which earns him an all-knowing, Don’t do it! shake of the head from Married Guy.

It’s obvious they have wrapped up their shopping trip and I was about to break off and find a place to write when Married Guy nudges his buddy and nods his head towards a jewelry store. As I drew closer there was some good-natured ribbing going on and I heard Married Guy ask, “When are you finally going to ask Julie to marry you?”

“Soon. I’m thinking when we take our vacation in a couple months. I really want to do it right. She deserves it.”

“I couldn’t agree more. Asking Em to marry me was one of the best days of my life, right behind our wedding day.”

Single Guy seemed to reflect on this then asks, “No regrets?”

Without hesitation, “None. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

They exchange a goodbye handshake peppered with a few more chuckles. I toss my cup in the garbage and as I head for the door I can’t help but wonder if our attempts to be romantic through gifts, cards and sweets on Valentine’s Day can ever express what us men truly feel deep in our hearts but fall over ourselves sometimes to say. Sometimes the best gift you can give is one that’s not bought.

***

RU Readers – Here’s your chance to get the man’s eye view on romance, Valentine’s Day and love – got questions?

Join us on Monday for Creating Characters for the Keeper Shelf with Donna MacMeans – and don’t forget the Tainted Love Contest RU is hosting for Valentine’s Day.

***

Bio: Like most of us, I’ve been around the block a time or two (or three) in the relationship world. I like to think of myself as having a pretty thick skin, however, that skin doesn’t surround the heart.

I’ve been in love; I’ve been in lust. I’ve been hurt and got up to do it all again, each time having learned more of myself as well as “wants” and “don’t wants” for my next relationship. Amazingly enough, I never gave up on that one true love wrapped in Romance. You can visit me here, at http://thedanceofromanceonline.com

What do query critiques, blogs, and men fumbling through romance on Valentine’s Day? This week’s fabulous lectures! Join us for an enlightening and entertaining line-up of Visiting Professors.

Mon, 2/6 – Monthly columnist C.J. Redwine returns with a critique of a reader submitted query letter. Join C.J. as she celebrates the release of her query book and kicks off QUERY PALOOZA! http://cjredwine.blogspot.com

Wed, 2/8 – RU columnist and agent Sara Megibow shares her thoughts on blogs. Are they an effective tool in an agent’s toolbox? http://www.nelsonagency.com

Fri, 2/10 – Handsome Hansel’s humorous take on the trials, tribulations and occasional triumphs men experience while attempting to pull-off romance (with some form of sincerity) on Valentine’s Day. It seems most men still don’t have it figured out. http://thedanceofromanceonline.com/

All Romance University lectures are generously provided by our Visiting Professors. RU is a tuition-free zone!
All our best,
Tracey Devlyn, Jennifer Tanner, Becke Martin-Davis, Kelsey Browning, Adrienne Giordano, Robin Covington, and Carrie Spencer

Welcome back, Damon!

Depression, disaster, and disillusionment are the secret throbbing heart of romantic fantasy. As Hitchcock once pointed out, “The stronger the evil, the stronger the film.” While it may seem obvious to apply that rule to the crime genre or action-adventure, darkness is the mainspring of all stories: fear, anger, brutality, and deceit. Think I’m bonkers? Look to the personal suffering that drives your people and the bigger shadows cloaking their world. In a real sense, the thing that makes romance compelling is not the happiness of its ending but the gloom that make that ending possible and satisfying.

Every love story has a painful core that makes its pleasure possible.

Haven’t we made the McRomance mistake at some point? One of the most common traps for young romance writers is to invent two dazzling protagonists, concoct a saucy meet-cute and then let them have exactly what they want as they march in lockstep to their predetermined life as cheerful automatons…which is about as entertaining as watching oatmeal simmer. Without highs and lows, grist and grit, nothing can happen…no one can changes… Hell, without friction even SEX doesn’t feel good.

The thing is, for a romance to feel satisfying, protagonists need to change and develop, and in fiction (as in life) real growth is never a cakewalk. Who’s gonna take your hero’s epiphany seriously if it doesn’t come with a cost and a real impetus? Certainly no reader who has ever faced adversity, that is to say, anyone who has ever drawn breath. To get your characters out of their status quo you have to hit them where they live and hit hard. Destroy their old selves so that their new selves can emerge, together. The satisfaction in romance fiction is not that the ending is happy, but that it overcomes overwhelming odds by unlikely people.

To put it another way: love stories are unleashed not by license, but limitations.

Take a look at your work-in-progress. All catastrophes are not created equal and every story deserves its own distinct shading. It’s up to you to determine the lower limit you’re willing to broach: whether it’s cutting glances from trusted friends or madwomen in attics. The dark patches don’t have to be violent or event depressing, but they need to provide chiaroscuro for your fictional folks. Evil produces context and sets up the limits of the world you’re building. The personal voids within each character draws on the powerful forces shadowing the book and vice versa. What is the worst thing that could possibly happen to your characters and how soon can you make it happen? I’m only half-joking.

In the weakest romance fiction, perfect couples amble through a few mild complications before snicking into place like a greased lock. In essence these books telegraph their endings from page one, not because they end happily but because they start happily and stay that way for long stretches. A jog through the daisies, as some folks would have it…contentment but not joy. Most books that fail for me blow it by wrapping all their characters in cotton wool and completely skipping the kind of “Dark night of the Soul” that might transform the protagonists and their world.

Love hurts.

Think back over romance novels you’ve loved or the genre-defining books that drive our industry. The most unforgettable stories and characters spring from crushing opposition. What we remember about romance novels is the darkness that drives them. Three hundred pages of folks being happy together makes for a hefty sleeping pill, but three hundred pages of a couple finding a way to be happy in the face of impossible odds makes our hearts soar. In darkness, we are all alone.

So don’t just make love, make anguish for your characters. As you structure a story, don’t satisfy your hero’s desires, thwart them. Make sure your solutions create new problems. Nurture your characters doubts and despair. Make them earn the happy ending they want, even better…make them deserve it. Delay and disappointment charge situations and validate character growth.  Misery accompanies love. It’s no accident that many of the stories we think of as timeless romances in Western Literature are fiercely tragic: Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, Cupid and Psyche… the pain in them drags us back again and again, hoping that this time we’ll find a way out of the dark.

Only if you let your characters get lost will we get lost in them. And that, more than anything else, is what romance can and should do for its protagonists and its readers: lead us through the labyrinth, skirt the monstrous despair roaming its halls, and find our way into daylight.

***

RU Crew, how do you create anguish for your characters so they really deserve that HEA at the end of the story?

Join us Friday for Extreme Makeover, Writer’s Office Edition with Jeanne Adams.

***

Bio: Damon Suede grew up out-n-proud deep in the anus of right-wing America, and escaped as soon as it was legal. Though new to M/M, Damon has been writing for print, stage, and screen for two decades. He’s won some awards, but counts his blessings more often: his amazing friends, his demented family, his beautiful husband, his loyal fans, and his silly, stern, seductive Muse who keeps whispering in his ear, year after year. Get in touch with him at DamonSuede.com.

Mon, 1/30 - Get the inside scoop on how the three RU co-founders have handled their careers progressing at different paces.

Wed, 2/1 – Join Damon Suede as he explores the role of the dark moment in romances in making your happy endings even more satisfying to your reader.

Fri, 2/3  – Join Jeanne Adams for her before and after Extreme Maker Over, Writer’s Office Edition.

All RomanceUniversitylectures are generously provided by our Visiting Professors. RU is a tuition-free zone!

Best regards,

Carrie Spencer, Kelsey Browning, Adrienne Giordano, Tracey Devlyn, Jennifer Tanner, Robin Covington and Becke Martin Davis.

Ed Gaffney, Suzanne Brockmann and Jason Gaffney

About a year and a half ago, I took a break from writing legal-thrillers and I co-wrote a screenplay called “The Perfect Wedding” with Suzanne Brockmann (my wife, who is a New York Times bestselling author) and our son, Jason. We liked the result, and we went on to produce the movie. (It’s an ensemble romantic comedy featuring Hollywood veterans James Rebhorn and Kristine Sutherland. It’s in post-production now–we’ll be submitting it to film festivals starting in February or March.)

As the film went through the long journey from idea to completed picture, I got a front row seat to the radical differences between telling a story through novel-writing and telling a story through movie-making. For those authors out there considering pointing their talents (and their keyboards) in the direction of the big screen, here are a few things I’ve learned.

Actor Eric Aragon ("Paul Fowler"), Director Scott Gabriel, Line Producer Matt Dunnam

Lesson One – When you complete the final draft of your screenplay, it is not even close to being finished.

One of the joys I experience as a novelist is reaching the end of the journey with my characters. I really like getting through the climactic moment of the story, tying up the loose ends, and bringing the book to a tight, neat closing. A closing that is very much defined by me typing the words: The End.

And I have never had a reader come to me after reading one of my books and say, “You know what? I think you should change the end of chapter three, and the dialogue in the scene at the diner between the lawyer and the investigator should be tighter.”

It’s not that I write perfect books — it’s just that everyone understands that when the book is out there for sale, it’s done. No changing the end of chapter three. No tightening the dialogue in the diner scene. A reader may or may not like any particular part of the book, but there’s no changing it. It’s published. It’s done.

So I was far from prepared when virtually everyone who read the completed script (I’m talking about everyone — the director, the actors, the investors, my mother-in-law — you name it) acted as if our completed, finished, and very very polished screenplay were just a draft.

Because for the writers, we were done. We’d gone over the screenplay many times, and we’d gotten it just the way we wanted it. We’d written the final scene — we’d written FADE TO BLACK and CREDITS at the bottom of the last page.

And yet, everyone assumed that the script wasn’t finished.

You know what? They were right.

(L to R) Actors Eric Aragon ("Paul Fowler") and Jason T. Gaffney ("Gavin Greene")

The problem is that for book writers, when you’ve gone through revisions and editing, and you finally stand up from the computer for the last time, the writing really is finished. The manuscript goes to the printer, printed books get shipped to the stores, and then (fingers crossed) books get bought by the readers. But when you’re telling a story through the movies, when you stand up from the computer after the last page of the screenplay is written, you’re just getting started. Because what ends up on the screen isn’t necessarily what you wrote on the page. And that’s thanks in large part to something else that I learned about movies….

Lesson Two — Every screenplay has a million co-writers.

There is a very real possibility that dozens of people who work on the movie that you’ve written might end up suggesting or creating something that adds to, or replaces something in your script. The script that was already finished, and that you had deemed just right. And as unnerving as that might sound to a writer, when the right people are on the team, that kind of collaboration can sometimes lead to something very special.

For example, in The Perfect Wedding, a critical moment arises when Richard (played by James Rebhorn) attempts to reassure his wife, Meryl (played by Kristine Sutherland) that despite his recent diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s, no matter what happens, he will never forget her or their children, Paul and Alana. Richard’s dialogue includes the following passage: “They haven’t invented a disease that will make me forget you, or Paul, or Alana, or how much I love all of you. Maybe my body will stop working. Maybe even my mind. But my heart — Alzheimer’s isn’t going to touch my heart.”

No matter what else Suz, Jace and I changed about the script as we went from draft to draft, we always left that section alone. We felt like we’d gotten it just right. The emotion, the language, the content, everything.

And then, our big star, Jim Rebhorn, took me aside and asked me to change it.

I had no idea how to handle the situation. Jim had appeared in over a hundred movies and televisions shows, including blockbusters (Independence Day, Meet the Parents), Oscar nominees and winners (My Cousin Vinny, Cold Mountain, The Talented Mr. Ripley), and Emmy winners (30 Rock, Seinfeld, Homeland). And on top of all of that experience, he was nice, he was smart, and he was really talented. Yet every instinct I had was telling me that the message that Richard was delivering, and the way the language flowed, was going to make this monologue and this scene one of the emotional high points of the movie. I was sure that changing it would weaken the writing, and the scene.

(L to R) Actors Kristine Sutherland ("Meryl Fowler") and James Rebhorn ("Richard Fowler")

But Jim was concerned that Richard’s message to Meryl might mislead people into believing that all Alzheimer’s patients needed to do to counteract any loss of memory was to will themselves into remembering. So he suggested adding some language to make clear that Richard was speaking in an emotional context, not in a clinical one.

And while we certainly did not intend to leave anyone with the impression that Alzheimer’s patients had some control over the loss of their memory, we really didn’t want to tinker with what we’d written.

And then, I got an idea. I suggested that Richard start to say the words that Jim wanted to add, but then get too emotionally caught up to continue. So the new line read, “…Maybe even my mind. But my heart, that’s where … Alzheimer’s isn’t going to touch my heart.”

And you know what? The addition of those two words — “that’s where” — made the scene better. You should see what Jim and Kristine did with that moment. It’s one of my favorites in the movie. And it never would have happened it without Jim’s input.

Lesson Three — You are not in control of your story. (A less delicate way to say it would be: It’s not really your story.)

Imagine this: You’ve written a book, a time travel story, set in Phoenix. The story isn’t dependent on taking place in Phoenix, but that’s what you’ve imagined, and like any good writer, you carefully weave the story into its setting. You think it would make a good movie, and so, as an exercise, you decide to write a screenplay version of the book. You show the screenplay to some people in the film industry, and they’re impressed. One (an agent) decides it’s so good that he wants to try to sell it.

(L to R) actors Apolonia Davalos ("Alana Fowler"), Kristine Sutherland ("Meryl Fowler"), Eric Aragon ("Paul Fowler") and James Rebhorn ("Richard Fowler")

Fast forward a few years. Nothing has come of the screenplay, and you are back to writing books.

Then, one day, you get approached by a producer/director (let’s call him “Mr. Hollywood”) who would like to make your Phoenix time travel book into a movie. And when you show Mr. Hollywood your screenplay, he’s thrilled. He’s even more interested in doing the movie.

And then imagine learning that Mr. Hollywood has met with an investor, and everything is a go, as long as the movie is set in Pittsburgh, and not Phoenix. Because the investor lives in Pittsburgh, and would like to fund a movie that’s set in Pittsburgh.

This really happened to Suz some years ago. And because she wanted to see her book made into a movie, she busted her rear end, researching Pittsburgh and the surrounding area to rewrite the screenplay so that it would believably take place in Western Pennsylvania.

She overhauled the script in a week, in order to have it ready for a big meeting between the investor and Mr. Hollywood.

Talks stalled, and the movie never happened.

(L to R) actors Brendan Griffin ("Kirk Corbett") and Apolonia Davalos ("Alana Fowler")

So what’s the take-away? Unless you write, produce, direct, and star in your own movie, you aren’t in control of the screenplay that you write. Your six-foot tall African-American hero? Now he’s five-foot eight, and he’s from Japan. That beautiful scene in front of the waterfall? Didn’t have the budget — now it’s going to take place in a grocery store parking lot.

And you know that scene with the young girl and the dog? Can’t do it. The actress is allergic.

It’s probably going to drive you crazy.

But if you enjoy sharing the creative process with dozens of others, and if you are lucky enough to be a part of a caring, bright and respectful team, you might find yourself in the middle of an unforgettable and a truly enriching experience.

As long as you’re okay setting the whole thing in Pittsburgh.

I’d write more, but I’ve got to go. Because despite the fact that we wrote the screenplay for The Perfect Wedding nearly two years ago, and despite the fact that we filmed it last year, and despite the fact that we’re less than two months from submitting it to film festivals, I’ve got to help write some more dialogue for the sound edit. Because the screenplay isn’t done yet.

I’m not kidding.

***

Have any of you attempted screenwriting? What difficulties did you encounter that were different from novel writing?

We have a full week – not just our usual Mon-Weds-Fri, but EVERY day! Tomorrow JO ROBERTSON of the Romance Bandits is our Visiting Professor. Hope you’ll join us!

***

Bio:

2009 Edgar Award Nominee ENEMY COMBATANT

Ed Gaffney is an attorney, an EDGAR nominee for his legal thriller Enemy Combatant, the critically acclaimed author of three other novels (Premeditated Murder, Suffering Fools and Diary of a Serial Killer), as well as the co-producer and co-writer of the off-Broadway production Looking for Billy Haines, the writer and director of the independent feature film Jolly, and one of the writer and producers of The Perfect Wedding. He lives in Florida with his wife, New York Times bestselling author, Suzanne Brockmann.

Ed’s website is here: http://edgaffney.com/

LIKE The Perfect Wedding on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ThePerfectWeddingMovie

Mon, 1/23 - Author Ed Gaffney – husband of Suzanne Brockmann – discusses how writing a screenplay is different from writing a novel.

Tue, 1/24 – Jo Roberson of the Romance Bandits focuses on when indie publishing is a viable option for writers.

Wed, 1/25 – Wednesday’s guest is weapons expert Adam Firestone, who advises writers on choreographing action scenes and how to accurately bring on the big guns.

Thu, 1/26 – Best-selling author Shannon McKenna shares her writing process with us.

Fri, 1/27 – Melinda Leigh tells us how she gives an animal a character arc.

All RomanceUniversitylectures are generously provided by our Visiting Professors. RU is a tuition-free zone!

Best regards,

Carrie Spencer, Kelsey Browning, Adrienne Giordano, Tracey Devlyn, Jennifer Tanner, Robin Covington and Becke Martin Davis.

Mon,  1/16 – New York Times bestselling author Teresa Medeiros puts your opening scene to the test. If you can answer “yes!” to Teresa’s three questions, you might have the next best seller. Teresa’s giving away a copy of her Dec 27th release THE PLEASURE OF YOUR KISS to one lucky commenter. #bookgiveaway http://www.teresamedeiros.com

Wed, 1/18 – Author Wendy S. Marcus talks about reader reviews and how an author should handle the not so pleasant ones. Wendy’s generously giving away two copies of her latest release ONCE A GOOD GIRL.  http://wendysmarcus.com

Fri, 1/20 – Theresa Stevens, publisher of Star Publishing, stops by to give us her monthly dose of good writing advice! This week: The goods on line editing.  http://edittorrent.blogspot.com/

AllRomanceUniversitylectures are generously provided by our Visiting Professors. RU is a tuition-free zone!

Best regards,

Carrie Spencer, Jennifer Tanner, Robin Covington, Kelsey Browning, Becke Martin-Davis, Adrienne Giordano and Tracey Devlyn

Question for Paige – Were you already a published author when you and Paul met? If not, at what point did the two of you start working together?

A. I wrote stories before we met, but I wasn’t published yet. I really didin’t get serious about making it a career until five or six years ago. I started writing that first book – SAMANTHA AND THE DETECTIVE – myself, but I was a panster, which got me into trouble quickly. Paul, who is much more organized than I am, told me if I wanted to be successful, I should outline books before writing them. I told him I wasn’t very good at that kind of thing, then gave him my best butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-my-mouth look (he knows the one!) and asked if he’d help me. How could he say no, right?

Question for Paige – How many books have you had published? Out of that total, how many has Paul worked with you on?

A. I have thirty-nine books published to date, plus another coming out in Nov. (a Christmas story called SANTA’S WAYWARD ELF!) and he’s helped me on all of them!

Question for Paige and Paul – Would you say working together has been good for your marriage overall?

A. We wouldn’t necessarily say it’s been either good or bad. It’s indicative of how we approach marriage. We try to be very supportive of each other’s goals and dreams. Sure, writing has led to some heated disagreements, but we handle them the same way we do any other argument. (i.e. I let Paul vent for a while until he’s ready to listen to me and agree that I’m right. LOL!)

Question for Paul – How did your working relationship with Paige begin? Did you offer to help, or did she ask for your input?

A. Originally, Paige would ask for my thoughts on how a story should flow, and I’d try to dictate random thoughts to her as she typed. That didn’t work out too well. So, I started writing bubble outlines similar to a flowchart on paper and she’d use that to write the story. The more we started working together, though, the more it made sense for me to outline the story on my computer, then give it to her when I finished. I started to add a lot more detail, especially to the action scenes, which helped her get the books written faster. I like her to write fast. Fast = more money! I’m a bottom line type of guy.

Question for Paige – Did you find it awkward when Paul first started reading your stories, or have you always shared them with him?

A. Not awkward, no. But when he criticized something, it hurt my feelings in the beginning. Which was silly, especially since his suggestions were usually good ones, but I’m a very sensitive person! The more books we worked on, though, the better I got at taking his suggestions – and his criticism! LOL! Paul’s nudging me, saying he got better at giving worthwhile suggestions instead of just ranting.

Question for Paige and Paul – What happens when you disagree over how a scene should go? Are you more likely to argue over a sexy scene or, say, an action scene?

A. We’re more likely to argue about an action scene. As a guy, he’ll approach it like an action flick, instead of a romance book. I tell him women don’t want read about all that gross stuff, so we’ve had to tone down some stuff. He’s getting better at that, though! We also disagree about overall plot development sometimes. Paul can get too focused on the story or the suspense or the paranormal elements, and forget it needs to be first and foremost a romance. As far as how we deal with that, it’s a work in progress. I worry I’ll hurt his feelings if I say I don’t like something he put in the story. He tells me I have complete creative control, though. Two people can’t write a book equally – one person has to be in charge.

Question for Paige and Paul – Would you describe your writing process? What are your “areas of expertise”? (Oh man, that sounds really suggestive, but I’m aiming for plotting vs. dialogue type answers here. Although…!)

A. LOL! Cute! We start by coming up with a story idea, then talking about it before putting anything on paper. Paul then writes the outline, initially focusing on the plot and actions scenes which I read while I’m working on writing another book he’s already outlined. That way I can keep him on track with what my vision is for the story. When he’s done with the outline, I write the book, then we edit it together. As to what we’re both good at, I love getting to know the characters and getting inside their heads, adding emotion to the story, as well as writing dialogue. Paul’s much better with action scenes and plotting the overall story. When it comes to sex scenes, Paul focuses on the mechanics – where all the hands, feet, tabs and slots go – while I concentrate on the emotions and pillow talk. Just a side note – we do some of our best thinking at PF Chang’s!

Question for Paul – Have you ever considered writing a book yourself?

A. Not really. I could certainly outline and draft a story, but it would lack depth and soul. Those are the key elements that Paige adds to the mix. Also, it sounds bad to say, but after I had an outline done, my creative interest would wane, and I’d be more likely to want to jump to the next outline. In the business world, I’d be the one getting the start-up business going, but then turning it over to someone else once the wheels are all rolling in the right direction.

Question for Paige and Paul – What are some of the benefits of writing together? What are the drawbacks?

A. You have a built-in critique partner, sounding board, editor, research assistant (in every sense of the word!). You also have someone who gives you a fresh look at a story and can tell you when it’s headed off track. He’s also my emotional support, too. When I get a crappy review, he says opinions are like a-holes – everyone has them. Plus, he lets me vent! We don’t think there are any drawbacks (Paul says being forced to look at guys with six-pack abs on my covers is a drawback, but I don’t agree!)

Paige and Paul, thank you so much for answering all these questions!

***

So, all you writers – do your spouses read your work? Do you ask for their input when you’re writing?

Join us on Monday when debut author NANCY NAIGLE visits with us!

***

Bio:

Paige Tyler is a full-time, multi-published, award-winning writer of erotic romance. She and her research assistant and writing partner (otherwise known as her husband!) live on the beautiful Florida coast with their easy going dog and their lazy, I-refuse-to-get-off-the-couch-for-anything-but-food cat. When not working on her latest book, Paige enjoys reading, jogging, doing Pilates, P90X, going to the beach, watching Pro football, and vacationing with her husband at Disney. She loves writing about strong, sexy, alpha males and the feisty, independent women who fall for them. From verbal foreplay to sexual heat, her wickedly hot stories of romance, adventure, passion and true love will bring a blush to your cheeks and leave you breathlessly panting for more!

Look for her stories at Ellora’s Cave, Whiskey Creek Press Torrid and Blushing Books, as well as Amazon, All Romance eBooks and Barnes & Noble.

Paige’s Links:

Website: http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com
Blog: http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1111715782
Facebook Newsletter: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1111715782#!/groups/28772293974/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/PaigeTyler
Email: paigetyler@paigetylertheauthor.com
Email Newsletter: Just email me with “Add Me to Your Mailing List” in the subject line!