Susan Elizabeth Phillips on Writing
“Successful writers show up at the blank page. What makes them writers is not the instant excellence, but the sheer dumb repetition of showing up.” – Opera Magazine (at least that’s what my notes say)
More notes taken at the RWA National Conference in San Francisco. This was a very motivating talk by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (SEP) on “Six Magic Words That Lead to Publishing Success.” My notes do not precisely match the handout because I didn’t have it in front of me during the workshop. I don’t read much contemporary romance, but I do love me some SEP. If you haven’t tried her, I strongly recommend IT HAD TO BE YOU and THIS HEART OF MINE, both in the Chicago Stars series.
6 Magic Words: Keep The Reader In The Story
The focal point of writing well is: Keep the Reader In the Story. A bestseller is a book that is so compelling you can’t put it down. Not the book that is so perfect. The book that is so compelling. Riveting plot. Characters are people you care so much about you are really invested in them. A bestseller may be plot driven. It may be character driven. It may have new fascinating world. It may be the author’s voice that is the spark. Regardless, the focal point – keep the reader in the story – lets everything else settle into place.
Tip 1: Work to master good craft
Good craft is the basics: grammar, spelling, basic rules of writing. If you don’t have good mastery of craft it will pull reader out of story. Following all rules will not necessarily get you published or on the bestseller list, but not practicing good craft will keep you off. Watch out for: poor grammar, repetitive phrases, and extra words like just, actually, very, felt. Avoid long boring paragraphs of description and awkward sentence structure. People have different rules about Point of View, but it comes down to one thing: does it work or doesn’t it? The is no problem switching between characters POV or not switching if it doesn’t throw reader out of the story. People who have good craft can break the rules.
RISEN GLORY was the first book SEP ever wrote. It was an historical romance. For the re-release this year she revised the original in 2 months, and realized she did know something about writing. We all feel like pretend writers. It was affirming to know that after all this time she has learned a lot about craft. JUST IMAGINE – the new title for the re-release – is 100 pages shorter after revision!
Tip 2: Create dazzling characters.
When SEP starts a new book, she gives herself permission to put garbage on the screen – knowing she can fix it later. When she starts writing a character it is only two-dimensional, she knows she will fix later. She doesn’t start with ANY advanced character descriptions, instead fumbles and stumbles around for 500 pages until she finds out who they are. She doesn’t know until END of book. But SEP doesn’t recommend that tactic. She starts with a general idea and peel each layer of character as she goes.
A) Create a hero or heroine that is sympathetic but flawed.
SEP recommends reading her book AIN’T SHE SWEET as a writer. It was an interesting writing challenge to start with a heroine who has done terrible things at beginning of book (she’s the mean girl in high school), coming back to town where everyone hates her. How do you make a character like that likable? SEP enjoys creating heroines who have their flaws and have their problems. Her guiding principal is to give them flaws but keep their heart PURE. (Though she isn’t sure she’s followed this excellent advice with her current hero!) SEP said, “I love writing a woman that is less than beautiful and a gorgeous hero. Depends on your personal world view.”
B) Make your characters realistic, but still larger than life.
C) Make your characters’ actions well motivated.
Their actions must make sense. A writer cannot manipulate her character’s actions to advance the plot. Don’t make heroine Too Stupid To Live. If you do not let your characters be manipulated by plot, how do you keep plot going? Do that by giving your characters strengths and weaknesses. The things that get them into trouble are their strengths and weaknesses; Move the plot forward by the characters’ internal conflict. Always keep the characters true to themselves. It is a disservice to the characters you create to make them do things that aren’t loyal to who they are.
D) Let your characters grow and develop through the story.
The heroine and hero should be capable of doing something at the end of the story that they are not capable of doing at the beginning of the story.
E) Give your characters individual voices.
This comes second nature to SEP. She hears the hero and heroine’s voices separately and distinctly. It is a challenge to make a voice ring true without resorting to slang (that disappears and reappears), especially when creating younger characters. She recommends having younger ears reread manuscript when done.
Too often writers try to amp up the conflict between the hero and heroine by making the heroine bitchy. This is cheating. Dig deeper. The conflict must be motivated. SEP said, “I don’t know about men in your life, but men in mine seldom love bitchiness.”
On male behavior: Men think differently than women do! Let your male characters act like men, instead of women in men’s bodies. If you do this you will find conflict naturally. Let men be men – readers will recognize that and go along.
Tip 3: After you’re done with your manuscript, read only the scenes with the heroine in it.
See if you have her relationships and motivations with hero firmly anchored in every scene. Then go back through and do the same with the hero. No instant attraction. Instant energy, but usually they don’t like each other at beginning. There should be a natural progression and it should be consistent. Do the same with the secondary characters. Characters should be emotionally anchored in every scene. You must have a clear sense of emotion and purpose and goal in every scene.
Tip 4: Write a fast moving plot
So easy: Just leave out the boring parts! Where do the boring parts come from?
A) Back Story
With new writers just throw out chapter one and start with chapter two. This problem never ever goes away. Writers try to fill opening with back story. Throw it out! And start with chap 2. The challenge is the same for getting reader into science fiction/fantasy world without bogging down the story with narrative. You must introduce it with action. Treat the world building like you would treat back-story.
Nothing slows a story down more than a flashbacks. No front-loading: You must work information in slowly. (In Ain’t She Sweet SEP learned how to do back story. She started with a prolog knowing she would take out later. Eventually she buried it in chapter four where reader was already invested in story. She didn’t start chapter with it; she buried it.) Advice for back story – be sneaky! SEP used little lines of italics/dialog of mean things Sugar Beth’s father said to her sprinkled through out. Do NOT frontload. Prologs are a cheap trick. This is not hard fast rule (look at the prolog in Lord of Scoundrels for an example of one that is well done). In general, use little bits that keep reader in the story.
B) Description
Look for only the two or three sentences that are so evocative they tell it all.
C) Internal Dialog
Long pages of internal thought bog down the plot. Lengthy descriptions that do not illuminate character or move plot forward need to go. Precious dialog needs to go. Don’t fall so in love with own sentences that you lose the big picture. Don’t sacrifice the mental state of your character either for moving the plot forward or cute lines of dialog!
SEP is a pantser. She never outlines ahead of time. Almost every plot she’s read has been done before – but that’s what’s fun.
Tip 4: Don’t switch into secondary plot on a cliffhanger.
Instead, resume the cliffhanger at beginning of next chapter. Reader will skip the secondary plot. You want to make it impossible for the reader to put down your book.
How to juggle plot and subplot. SEP usually has a secondary love story – ones that don’t have enough story to sustain a whole plot. Generally these secondary love stories complicate things for hero and heroine.
Tip 5: Write to your strengths, NOT the market.
It is difficult to do that listening to editors at RWA! By the time you get your manuscript done, something else will be hot. Try not to get sucked in to opinions of other people. Good feedback helps you figure out your strengths. Try a critique group or reader feedback. Listen to your instincts, but don’t get stupid. Remember you need to defend your work through your work, not by verbalizing about your work. You can’t explain to people what they should have gotten out of the book.
SEP doesn’t use a critique group in process. She recommends you figure out which one you are. If you come out energized – do it. If you come out feeling “I suck” – don’t use one. There are a million people at RWA who will tell you how to write a book, but what they are telling you is how THEY write a book.
Tags: "romance novels", 2008 RWA Conference, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, writing
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September 12, 2008 at 5:51 am
I really enjoyed this. I think, or rather I know, I have some SEP in my TBR stacks. I’ll need to dig her out and read.
September 12, 2008 at 9:26 am
2:00 am? Girl, what are you doing?
Great post though. I love SEP and completely agree about prologues and flashbacks.
September 12, 2008 at 9:39 am
I like the SEP books that I’ve read so far. I think it’s great that she can give such clear tips on keeping the reader in the story. :)
September 13, 2008 at 2:31 pm
I read Natural Born Charmer and loved it! I’d really like to more of her books. I think she gives really great writing advice and if I was a writer, I’d definitely try what she says. :)