Beth Camp Historical Fiction

Tuesday, June 04, 2019

IWSG: Writing into the dark . . .

Just this last week, I read Nora Roberts' Black Hills as a model for writing romantic suspense. With the first paragraphs, she established her characters, the setting, the mood, and the story conflict with precision. I read her story because I wanted to study what made her romantic suspense so compelling for readers. Then I found out that she has written 225 books. Oofta, as my Hollywood mother would say.
We writers shimmy around our stories. Sometimes, the words pour out and sometimes they just stop. In my quest for more efficient writing productivity, I track words daily, use chapter summaries, scaffolding instead of outlines, and I imagine what my characters would say to each other. Sometimes I get caught up more in revision than writing. But, I persevere and hope to meet a very modest daily word count. Even when I revise and even when I draft.
I wonder what writing process Nora Roberts uses. 

And then a writing friend said, "Beth, you seem so organized. I never realized you are an intuitive writer. Have you heard of Dean Wesley Smith's book, Writing Into the Dark?"  Kaboom! Thank goodness for Amazon. Within 3 days, I had my own copy. My favorite advice so far? "Write one sentence," says Dean Wesley Smith. "Then, write another sentence." And, for the first time in decades, I heard someone truly say, "There is no one right way to write a novel."  Did I mention he's written over 150 books?

This merry month of June, the IWSG's question is: Of all the genres you read and write, which is your favorite to write in and why?

I'm never sure why something I see along the way sticks and somehow morphs into a story. But that germ pushes me to write speculative fiction, historical fiction, and now romantic suspense. One sentence at a time.

Why not click your way over to the Insecure Writer's Support Group and read what others have posted? With thanks to Diane Burton, Kim Lajevardi, Sylvia Ney, Sarah Foster, Jennifer Hawes, and Madeline Mora-Summonte for hosting IWSG this month!

And a very special thank you to Dean Wesley Smith -- and Nora Roberts.



10 comments:

  1. I've been reading up on the Writing into the Dark method and trying it out on my current WIP. It's actually quite useful to say, "What happens next?" when I get stuck. It's early days, so we'll see how it goes, but it's a nice change of pace from when I tried to rigidly outline my earlier WIPs.

    Cheers - Ellen

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    1. Hello, Ellen. Thanks for visiting. I actually do 'outline' by writing working chapter summaries as I go. Every single time I've tried extensive outlining, I run out of words in the actual story. "What happens next?" is a perfect, story-focused way to "Write one sentence. Then, write another sentence!" May your own writing continue to roll along. Best, Beth

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  2. Beth,
    Thank you for mentioning Nora Roberts new book on your website. I read almost everything she writes and I just walked over to amazon.de and bought. She is a fantastic writer. Also the advice from Wesley Smith is awesome. Write one sentence at a time. Someone told me a long time ago, there is no right way to write a book. i took that to heart and have managed to stay on my own timeline.
    Wishing you all the best.

    Shalom aleichem,
    Pat G @ EverythingMustChange

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    1. Good to see you online, Pat. We probably know these positive affirmations, but for me, realizing that perseverance helps me reach my writing goals ends up motivating me to keep writing. That advice: one sentence at a time leads me to write that one sentence -- even if the story has paused! Enjoy your new read -- and the writing, yours and hers. Beth

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  3. Another kindred spirit! I haven't read the books you mentioned, but now I'm truly curious. I've read a few others by Nora Roberts, and I tend to lean towards romance myself. I look forward to reading more by you. Happy Writing!

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    1. Thank you, Sylvia. I'm new to Nora Roberts and really respect her skills in drawing the reader into the story to care about her characters. The results: Immersion reading!

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  4. I just saw your comment about writing set in Scotland. I absolutely love that country, and can't wait to head back!

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    1. Me too. My current project is set in Edinburgh and Paris. Guess I want to go back too!

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  5. I’m such a rookie when it comes to reading and writing, so I’ve never heard of the books or authors you mention. I guess that proves that I have different priorities in life. :-) And, I write from within (intuition) without any courses or having read up about the craft much. I do agree that we all have our own methods, pace, and approach to writing our books. None of them are bad ways, I’m sure. We try to stick to what suits us best. It makes sense to me to write one sentence at a time. Just like we walk, one step at a time and explore, one place at a time.

    What does “scaffolding” mean in terms of writing/editing?

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    1. Always good to hear from you, Liesbet, and I agree (though we don't always recognize) that we create our own journeys, one step at a time. Scaffolding just means making a short list -- maybe 2-3 items -- at the beginning of a section or chapter. I'll do this especially when I'm stuck on a chapter or drafting. This way, when I write the next day, I have a starting place, rather than jumping off into the unknown. Scaffolding (used in constructing buildings) creates some structure without being as restrictive as a fully developed outline. I'll use it in drafting and editing (especially to highlight what's missing or needs change), but not so much for down at the word level in editing. Thanks for stopping by! I'm looking forward to reading your adventures.

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