How to Write a Memorable Romance Scene

by Michelle Griep, @MichelleGriep

Nobody wants to admit to reading romance novels. Those are for the trashy sort, the kind that hang out in laundromats, the losers with awkward social skills who don't have a hope of ever snagging their own happily-ever-after. Right?

Wrong-o bucko.

Besides that statement being politically incorrect and highly intolerant, it's also a huge misconception. In fact, romance novels are and have been some the hottest selling books flying off the shelves. So rest at ease if one of your guilty pleasures is snuggling up with a romantic tale. In fact, I just wrote a kissy-faced scene today and had to stop and think about the actual nuts and bolts of romance. And since I did all that brain work, thought I'd share . . .

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4 Questions to Ask Yourself After You Write a Scene

By Michelle Griep, @MichelleGriep

Just because you've written a scene doesn't mean you can pack away your computer and grab yourself a brewskie. Guess what, little writer? Your work is NOT done. There are some questions you need to ask yourself after each and every scene you write . . .

1. What was the conflict in this scene? Were the stakes dire enough?

If you can't identify a conflict in your scene, delete it. Yeah, that's harsh, but cut the fat and get to the lean mean story. No one wants to read about characters who don't have problems. Readers want to punch those kinds of characters in the head.

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7 Character Non-Negotiables

by Michelle Griep, @MichelleGriep

What's more important . . . plot or character? Yeah, that's a loaded question. The answer is they're both important. But today let’s focus on character.

To make a really great character—meaning one that sticks in a reader's mind for a long time after they shut the book—you need to have a few essential elements. Okay, I lied. It’s more like seven.

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How Many Books Are Too Many?

by Michelle Griep, @MichelleGriep

Which would you rather have your favorite author do . . .

Pump out three books a year, maybe a little lighter in content, the characters not quite as complex, and the plot is a bit predictable.

-- or --

Write one book in a year with multi-faceted characters, a twisty-turny plot, and a theme that makes you wonder about life's big meanings.

Your choice? And no, you can't have it both ways, not consistently. So pick one. Go ahead. I won't judge you . . . leastwise not on this issue. Shoes are an altogether different topic.

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Hot Headed Heroes

by Michelle Griep, @MichelleGriep

Rage. Everyone blows a gasket now and then . . . or at least feels like it. But anger can be constructive, especially to a writer. It helps create real characters because characters need to feel and express anger as well as real people. Everyone expects the villain to grump and growl and stomp around, but heroes must roar now and then as well.

3 REASONS TO ANGER YOUR HERO

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The Two Demons of Despair

by Michelle Griep, @MichelleGriep

You're writing along, la-de-da-de-dah, all happiness and sunshine. Life is good. Unicorns are romping. Your manuscript is quite possibly one of the best you've ever written.

Then you get an email from an author buddy. They just landed a $20k book deal. At first, you're high-fivin' and fist-bumpin' and even tossing in a hip-check for congratulations.

But after the celebratory pat on the back for your buddy, two ugly demons perch on each side, right there on your shoulders, talons drawing blood. Their names? Jealousy and doubt.

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Writing On Demand

by Michelle Griep, @MichelleGriep

I'm operating under a deadline. There's a reason for the negativity of that word, because it's freaking killing me. Okay, so maybe not all that dramatic, like I'm not currently bleeding out on the kitchen floor or anything. But being on a deadline means I have to write every day whether I feel like it or not. Most often I do, but some days, sheesh, I tell you . . .
So for my sanity -- and yours -- here is a handy dandy list of ideas to keep you on the writing track, or whatever track it is that you're currently running on.

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5 Tips For Writing An Emotional Scene

by Michelle Griep, @MichelleGriep

I can write a fight scene like nobody's business. A slapstick slip-on-the-banana peel piece of humor? No problem. But when it comes to penning an emotional scene, whoa baby. Those are super hard. Why? Because the emotions I feel in relation to what's happening with my characters might not be the same emotions someone else would feel. Everyone reacts differently. The trick is to write the scene so that it appeals to readers across the board.

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Writers Are Magicians

by Michelle Griep

Every writer has a little Houdini in them because a great story is a slight-of-hand magic trick. Here's how it works . . .

The writer grabs the reader's hand and takes them into a story world. Think of this as the pulling out of the black top hat. Exposing the reader to how things are, turning the hat one way and another beneath the spotlight, showing there are no strings attached.

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3 Elements of a Good book

by Michelle Griep

As I was just about dozing off to sleep last night, hubby elbows me and asks, "Hey, how do you write a good book? What are the top 3 elements?"

I replied with a snore, hoping he'd think I was sleeping.

He nudged me again. Gah! So, rather than discussing the building blocks of a great story at midnight, I told him I'd do a blog post on it.

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5 Reasons to Tell Instead of Show

by Michelle Griep

You've all heard it, usually at a volume ratcheted up enough to shred your eardrums to tiny little ribbons . . .

"SHOW, DON'T TELL!"

Yeah, yeah. Whatever. For the most part, I heartily agree with this rule. Showing is hands-down better than telling because, hey, who likes to be told anything? That's about as comfortable as having your mom wag her finger in your face.

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3 Reasons You Will Never Get That Book Written

by Michelle Griep

Whenever I tell someone I'm an author, immediately following the deer-in-the-headlights stare, the person I'm talking to invariably says, "Hey! I've got this great story idea."

To which I reply, "Then you should write it."

That's when Mr. Slump Shoulders takes over, and the person wilts in front of me. "Yeah, I should," he murmurs. Then he slinks off into the sunset, and I know that book will never get written. Why? Three reasons . . .

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It's Normal to Feel Like a Loser

by Michelle Griep

So you're writing a novel, la-de-dah. Typing away like a rock star. Day after day after day.

After day.

And then, out of nowhere, whap! A horrific thought slaps you upside the head, yanking you out of the story and paralyzing you so that your daily word count takes a serious nosedive. Suddenly you wonder if you're an author, that maybe all the things you write are just slobbery bits of drivel bubbling out of you. Panic sets in. Perhaps you're not a for-real writer. Maybe you're an impostor. A poser. An orangutan mimicking kissy noises in front of a mirror. Or worse -- maybe the zombie apocalypse really did happen and you're nothing but a body operating on rote memory because shoot, if you read what you've written, those words certainly look like a person with no brain wrote them.

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Pitching Pointers

by Michelle Griep @MichelleGriep

It’s that time of year to start registering for writers conferences. That means there will be a whole lot of angst-filled author wannabes out there, biting their fingernails down to stubs . . . which makes it super hard to type anything.

Not that it’s scary to go to a conference, mind you. The real terror sets in when it’s story-pitching time. Sitting across from a god-like agent or editor who can crush you faster than the bat of an eyelash—or fast-track you to stardom. I'm not going to lie. It is a bit daunting. 

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Author Newsletters ~ A Love/Hate Relationship

by Michelle Griep @MichelleGriep

Recently I attended a writing day with some authorly type buddies of mine. These are the big kids. The ones who've zipped around the writerly block on their scooters a time or two -- without skinning their knees. Honestly, I just try to keep my mouth shut so drool doesn't leak out at the corners.

Anyway, the topic of author newsletters came up. They all have one. Every last one . . . except for moi. Talk about peer pressure.

So, I voiced my biggest concern, that hey, who really needs one more stupid piece of spam filling their inbox? But here's the deal . . . apparently when people sign up for a newsletter, they actually want the dang thing. Go figure.

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Mid-Winter Kick in the Writerly Pants

by Michelle Griep

The days are grey. It's Siberia cold outside. And all I really want to do is sit around in my yoga pants and eat boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. Hey, don't judge me. You know you've been there.

What I really should be doing, though, is kicking butt on my manuscript if I'm hoping to get it finished by summer. Somewhere along the way, though, I lost my motivation. I think it might be outside, on the far corner of the porch, underneath the frozen pile of Christmas lights I haven't yet put away. What to do? Make a list, of course . . .

5 Ways to Gain Momentum When You're in a Writerly Slump

1. Read

Dive into a well-written book. Reading great writing inspires your own great writing. Then pull off a dud of a book from the shelf. A real wing-dinger of a gag-inducing I-can't-believe-this-ever-got-published kind of book. You can usually find these on the bottom of a rack at Goodwill. Read it. This will fan the flames of your sweet-mercy-I-can-write-better-than-that reflex, and you'll be off and running in no time.

2. Meditate

Don't worry. I'm not advocating some wackadoodle contortionist pose while mumbling gibberish. Just take a few moments to think about where you're story is headed and allow yourself to get excited about it. That helicopter crash you've got planned? Yeah! Ka-blooey, baby! Or the upcoming boy-wins-girl scene? Warmth and fuzziness. Spend some time with your characters in your mind, because if you're expecting your readers to hang out with them, then you should too.

3. Research

Sometimes all it takes is a new idea to spur your story into a full-out gallop. Where will you find that new idea? Google it. Search the ol' web for something related to your plot or era. You may come across something cool to include.

4. Exercise

I know. I see you, darting your eyes everywhere except at this paragraph. You were really hoping I'd skip over this, hmm? Trust me. I hate this one as much as you do, but doggone if hiking my body outside for a walk, even when it's cold, doesn't give me a whole new perspective.

5. Write

Get out of the chair and write!

Go to a library, a coffee shop, or the writerly nook where you know you're most likely to be able to crank out something. Turn off the internet. No emails. No tweets. No Trivia Crack or Candy Crush. Then write. Yep. That simple. Keep your heinie in the chair for at least two hours. I don't care if you have to stare at a blank screen for the first hour and fifty-five minutes **lifts two jedi-fingers in the air and swirls them around all Obi-wan style** you will accomplish some kind of word count.
So there you have it, Sparky. Step away from the Girl Scout Cookies and get cracking. Don't make me come over there.

TWEETABLES

Mid-Winter Kick in the Writerly Pants by Michelle Griep (Click to Tweet)

5 Ways to Gain Momentum When You're in a Writerly Slump~ Michelle Griep (Click to Tweet)

Somewhere along the way I lost my motivation~ Michelle Griep (Click to Tweet)

Author Michelle Griep

ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~ MICHELLE GRIEP

Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. Follow her adventures and find out about upcoming new releases at her blog, Writer Off the Leash, or stop by her website. You can also find her at the usual haunts of Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Like what you read? There’s more. WRITER OFF THE LEASH: GROWING IN THE WRITING CRAFT is a kick in the pants for anyone who wants to write but is stymied by fear, doubt, or simply doesn’t know how to take their writing to the next level.

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The Half-Way Blues

by Michelle Griep

I like jazz when it has a tune to it. Something I can whistle along with. A melody I can listen to even when the music isn't playing because it's captured inside my head.

The jazz I don't like is the crazy zig-jiggidy sort. The kind that's unpredictable. Saxophones wailing like banshees getting an enema. Bass's that thump up, down, and sideways on a semi-scale. The kind of jazz where the notes don't mean anything, and they certainly don't stay within the boundaries of something I can hum along to. It's just noise.

But doggone if that same effect doesn't happen to my writing sometimes, usually around the half-way mark of a manuscript. The beginning was a big honeymoon love fest. Creating new characters. Setting the plot into action. The end is where all the flash-bang fireworks explode across the novelly sky. These things have a rhythm, a quick-paced rat-a-tat-tat.

Then there's the middle. That's where things get squiggy. Usually this is when panic sets in and you consider flipping burgers at McDonalds instead of finishing the manuscript. That's followed by self-loathing. 

And then it really gets ugly.

What to do? How to push past the roadblock of my-writing-sucks-with-a-side-of-sucky-sauce? Have I got a handy dandy list for you . . .

The 3 R's to Regain Your Writerly Self-Esteem

Respiration

Air is good. No, really. Take some deep breaths. See what you're doing? Your doing what every human being does, and that's exactly what you need to realize. Not the breathing part per se. You are doing something just like every other author out there on the planet: dealing with doubt. You are not alone in this. You are normal. And guess what? This, too, shall pass . . . kind of like a kidney stone.

Review

Take a moment to remember all of your accomplishments up to this point. Chances are there are quite a few. Clearly you are not a loser, so quit lying to yourself. Even if you're not an award-winning author-o-maniac, if you've simply written half a manuscript, hey, that's more than most people accomplish. Read what other writers or readers have said about your writing. Soak in the encouragement that's been offered to you in the past.

Refill

Drafting a story drains the ever-loving creative juices right out you. Sweet mercy! If only it burned calories half as fast. It's important to keep the inspirational embers glowing red-hot. Now is the time to buy that mp3 on Amazon you've been wanting, pick up one of your favorite author's books, or cough up the cash for tickets to that theater production that's in town. Sometimes to keep your creativity from going bankrupt you've got to borrow some from others.

Remember, the only way out of these doldrums is through, and the only way through is to write, even if--especially if--you think your words are steaming piles of literary manure. Sure, some of them might be, but odds are they're not all. 

And you can't edit something you haven't written.

TWEETABLES

The Half-Way Blues by Michelle Griep (Click to Tweet)

Usually this is when panic sets in~ Michelle Griep (Click to Tweet)

You can't edit something you haven't written~ Michelle Griep (Click to Tweet)

Author Michelle Griep

ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~ MICHELLE GRIEP

Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. Follow her adventures and find out about upcoming new releases at her blog, Writer Off the Leash, or stop by her website. You can also find her at the usual haunts of Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Like what you read? There’s more. WRITER OFF THE LEASH: GROWING IN THE WRITING CRAFT is a kick in the pants for anyone who wants to write but is stymied by fear, doubt, or simply doesn’t know how to take their writing to the next level.

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Failure is Not a Four-Letter Word

by Michelle Griep

Newsflash: you are going to fail.

Some way, some how, you will fall and bloody your writerly knees, possibly your chin, and maybe even knock a few teeth out in the process. It can happen in many ways. A Tommy gun of a review will pepper your soul with bullet holes, or you find a piece of your writing used as a birdcage liner at your Great Aunt Nina's house. Maybe you just can't sell your manuscript because the writing is like a preschooler's.

Whatever mask failure parades around in, it's a guarantee that it will find you like a creepy stalker. Wearing a clown costume. And smelling of beer and gorgonzola.

So the question I pose to you today isn't what will happen if you fail, it's what will happen when you fail? Will you:

• Wail like a three-year-old on an all-day crying jag?
• Take out your angst on the dog, cat, chameleon or your mother?
• Quit writing? Just take your ball and go home?

How you handle failure exposes what's on the inside of you and how you view the world. My kids hate it when I say this, but you're not one of my offspring so I can stand on top of the table and shout:

"Failure is an opportunity. 

It's a gift-wrapped chance to go back to the drawing board and re-create."

If you change your mindset about failure, take away all of it's negative power and infuse it with positive, then you will eventually be a winner. Why? Because you won't have quit.

Failure is part of a writer's life. If you can't deal with that, then maybe you're not a writer. Yeah, that's an offensive statement, but perseverance and determination are the two qualities every successful writer owns.

So go out there and fail, little writers. Wait a minute. Fail is a four-letter word. Gah! I technically failed with my title. Hmm. Is that opportunity I hear knocking?

TWEETABLES
Failure is Not a Four-Letter Word by Michelle Griep (Click to Tweet)

How you handle failure exposes what's on the inside of you~ Michelle Griep (Click to Tweet)

Failure is an opportunity~ Michelle Griep (Click to Tweet)

Author Michelle Griep

ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~ MICHELLE GRIEP

Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. Follow her adventures and find out about upcoming new releases at her blog, Writer Off the Leash, or stop by her website. You can also find her at the usual haunts of Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Like what you read? There’s more. WRITER OFF THE LEASH: GROWING IN THE WRITING CRAFT is a kick in the pants for anyone who wants to write but is stymied by fear, doubt, or simply doesn’t know how to take their writing to the next level.

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Is it Possible to Wrangle an Epic Idea onto Paper?

by Michelle Griep

QUESTION:

"My story ideas always seem so different (better) in my mind. How do you get a story from your head to paper without having it freak out and become something totally different?"

SHORT ANSWER:

You don't.

LONG ANSWER:

Don't panic because of the short answer. I hate to be the pin holder bursting your authorly balloon into flying shreds of latex, but honestly, there's no way you'll ever capture the Cinemagraphic story in your head so that readers see exactly what you do . . . but that is the inherent beauty of every story. Just because your idea changes and comes out differently by the time you type THE END, that doesn't mean that it's bad.

But sometimes it is. Recently I read a Facebook status from one of my favorite authors, Travis Thrasher. He said:

"Hello, Solitary Tales fans. I wanted to let you know about this particular title that I had planned on releasing before the end of the year. Well, that plan changed, not because of busyness but because the story went places that I didn't want it to go. Actually, Chris Buckley (that's his main character) said that it was unbelievable. He told me he'd never do that stuff. He said that readers would be confused if I went in this direction. So yeah . . . I stopped writing and am now figuring out how to tell this story."

Writers at every stage of the game continually wrestle with the beast of wrangling a story into words. At times it can be downright discouraging.

Do you really think this is what DaVinci
originally had in his mind when he
started painting?

All that being said, though, I'm still of the belief that change is good, and here's why . . . even if you wrote exactly the story you wanted to tell, every reader who picks that book up will experience it in a different way than you intended. Why? Because readers come to the table with different baggage, a plethora of backgrounds, and assumptions galore.

Writing is art, and art is like that. For all we know, daVinci had a blonde-haired, blue-eyed vixen with a toothy grin in mind when he painted the Mona Lisa, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a beloved masterpiece.

Go forth fearlessly, little writers, and pen your masterpieces. Embrace change. And it never hurts to eat much chocolate along the way.

TWEETABLES

Is it Possible to Wrangle an Epic Idea onto Paper? by Michelle Griep (Click to Tweet)
I'm still of the belief that change is good~ Michelle Griep (Click to Tweet)

Author Michelle Griep

ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~ MICHELLE GRIEP

Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. Follow her adventures and find out about upcoming new releases at her blog, Writer Off the Leash, or stop by her website. You can also find her at the usual haunts of Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Like what you read? There’s more. WRITER OFF THE LEASH: GROWING IN THE WRITING CRAFT is a kick in the pants for anyone who wants to write but is stymied by fear, doubt, or simply doesn’t know how to take their writing to the next level.

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Not All the Voices in a Writer's Head are Characters

by MICHELLE GRIEP

Writers are psychotic little mammals. All wired up and worried about contracts and sales numbers and does-this-book-make-my-butt-look-big? One of the biggest angst generators is guilt.

We've all been there. Don't tell me you haven't got an internal mother inside your head pointing her finger at you. There's a plethora of things an author feels guilty about, everything from all the money you wasted getting a doctorate in osteopathic medicine and here you are writing Amish Zombie Romances, or that your family is destined to eat frozen pizza for dinner yet again. Okay, so maybe you don't feel guilty about those things, but there are common anxiety causing situations that most writers face.

Top 5 Guilt Inducing Scenarios

An overwhelming amount of regret for a sub-par word count.
Sometimes when you sit down to write, words clog into tangly globs. You feel bad because you know you're capable of more, but for whatever cosmic reason, the ol' creative juices just aren't flowing.

Shame weighs heavy on your shoulders when you think of the poor slobs out there in Nine-to-Five land.
Others eek out a living by the sweat of their brow, clocking 8-10 hours of back-breaking labor while you park your royal heinie on a cushioned office chair whenever you dang well feel like it.

Lack of a regular paycheck makes you feel a metric ton load of disgrace.
If you got paid by the word, this wouldn't be a problem. But it is. This kind of work doesn't bring immediate financial benefits, so there's not a whole lot to show for it up front . . . which creates tension.

You landed a contract and your critique partner didn't.
I hate it when this happens. There are so many fantastic writers out there who deserve to be published, so why did an editor scoop up my story and not theirs?

You should hate what you're doing like every self-respecting employee on the face of the earth.
But you don't. You love creating worlds and characters and super cool car chases that end in fiery explosions. But everyone else complains 24/7 about their drudgery at work, and though you try, you can't quite work up a single "drudgery" emotion to relate to them.

And that, my friends, is only the tip of the guilt iceberg. So, what's a writer to do with all this angst?

GUILT SOLUTIONS:

• Ignore all the naysayers and joy-crushers who heap coals of you're-having-way-too-much-fun on your head.
• Look at your writing as a  long-term investment, not a get-rich-quick money making scheme.
• Incorporate a paradigm shift: writing involves a LOT of thinking, so just because your fingers aren't flying over the keyboard, that doesn't mean you're not working.
• Keep in mind that creativity takes time. Michelangelo didn't paint the Sistine Chapel in a weekend.
• Make a to-do list and cross items off as you finish them so that you can see what you're accomplishing.

And always remember: the act of pursuing a dream tends to make a lot of people cranky because they didn't have the guts or stamina to pursue theirs. Don't let them steal your joy.

TWEETABLE

Not All the Voices in a Writer's Head are Characters by MICHELLE GRIEP (Click to Tweet)

Author Michelle Griep

ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~ MICHELLE GRIEP

Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. Follow her adventures and find out about upcoming new releases at her blog, Writer Off the Leash, or stop by her website. You can also find her at the usual haunts of Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Like what you read? There’s more. WRITER OFF THE LEASH: GROWING IN THE WRITING CRAFT is a kick in the pants for anyone who wants to write but is stymied by fear, doubt, or simply doesn’t know how to take their writing to the next level.

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