Life, such as it is, has been as non-stop busy as usual, except the weather is getting nicer (and I *know* I am getting older, since the weather figures more and more in my conversation).

BUT I have been reading a lot, which is cool, but not found time to write, which is not cool. I have this little problem called ‘getting distracted,’ usually by ‘the shiny,’ which could be a new book, a friend, or the time-suckage of the internet.

That said, however, I have dug deep to find a renewed fervor to finish revising this ridiculous story I’ve been working on forever. That STILL isn’t done. But I just registered to attend this year’s RWA National Conference in July, so I need to finish it by then, or I will personally cut off my own head.

One friend pointed out recently that perhaps I can only do things under pressure of deadlines, and I know I always notice time deadlines in books and movies–because, after all, what’s the point of staying up another hour to read if the hero and heroine have all the time in the world to sort out their problems and fall in love? I want them to feel as much urgency as I do when reading.

For example, I’m reading a book a Twitter friend recommended, The Guards by Ken Bruen. Very dark, very intriguing writing, with a super-dark protagonist (he is NOT a hero). She called it “Irish noir,” and that’s a good descrip. His time deadline is if he doesn’t figure out how to stop the person he knows is doing bad things, bad things will continue to happen to innocent people. But in order to stop the person, he has to do something bad himself, or convince corrupt purportedly good people to stop it. All while dealing with his personal demons, which make Satan seem like Mr. Rogers.

None of this is Regency-related, but it is life-related, which is a universal truth we all deal with. And time is something we all never have enough of.

This week it seems I am babbling more than usual, which is pretty darn remarkable.

So–have you been reading any new-to-you authors? Do you read noir? Who are your favorites (I could go on and on about mine, but will spare you)? Do you like ambiguously dark characters, or do you want them redeemed by the end of the book (I do not think that is going to happen in this book)? Anything else you want to talk about this fine warm Friday?

Today I pose the semi-facetious question:

Is it really a Good Friday if you’re headed to your in-laws?

Not that they’re not lovely, and all, but the Spouse and I have both had a tough week, and what we would really like to do is not be actors in the Passive Aggressive Theatre this weekend.

So probably one can guess that I have not been able to write much this week, but I did have an epiphany regarding a current WIP. And I finished reading the third book in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series, penned by Julia Spencer-Fleming, which was incredible. Plus I watched the season finale of Life, starring Damian Lewis, which was just amazing.

Maybe it’s a Good Friday after all?

In doing a smidge of research (look! Megan does research!), I discovered that Easter in the Regency was when a lot of folks did traveling; for example, in Pride & Prejudice, Darcy visits his aunt at this time, and other of Austen’s books mention Easter travel as well.

The first recorded instance of egg-shaped candy is 1820, so we have our period to thank for that as well. Yay! One source mentions Austen herself would likely have had a quiet Easter, dyeing eggs and observing the religious significance.

Are you traveling this weekend? Do you have any unique Easter traditions? If you celebrate Passover, how were your seders? Did that Elijah ever show up?

Thanks! And have a Good Friday!

Last week, I talked about the importance of connecting with a character to make a story compelling.

This week, I’d like to continue the discussion, but move it more into the storyline. What if the characters are fine, you like them, you connect with them, but the stakes just aren’t high enough to compel you to keep reading?

Not so much in a DNF way, but in an ‘I’ll finish when I remember to, where did I put it, oh, here’s a good recipe for Brussels sprouts, lemme read that’ way.

I am currently editing a book that has that issue, and I have to figure out how to address it. My characters are interesting, multi-faceted and dynamic, but their stakes are simply not high enough.

Stakes need to be high to compel readers to move onto the next chapter. Like a movie or a TV show that has a deadline–House has to save a life before the unknown virus eats a life, Harry needs to quash Voldemort before he gets enough bad wizards backing him, Edward has to keep Bella safe without turning her into a vampire–books need that kind of compelling plot point, an external one, to reinforce the inner turmoil. I don’t think inner turmoil is enough. I want there to be an actual threat of death, or ruination, or irrevocable life change, for those characters. Something to make me read, even though it’s midnight and 7:04am (yeah, weird, but whatev) comes quickly.

For this book, then, I am going to make it so the hero realizes that if he and the heroine are together, they will be under a constant threat of death because of their respective circumstances (it’s an interracial nineteenth century romance).

What are your favorite time deadline stories? What book surprised you with its solution because you never thought the characters could get out of their situation?

Megan

Last weekend, my Spouse and I got sucked into watching Band of Brothers, a WWII mini-series starring Damian Lewis and a bunch of other actors who’ll have you pointing at the screen going, “I know that guy! What was he in?”

When I first heard about it, I thought it would be a big hunk of cheese: Produced by Steven Spielberg, augmented by Tom Hanks, fresh on the heels of Saving Private Ryan.

Boy, was I wrong.

The characterization is amazing, the individual soldiers’ stories make the history totally come alive. And you care about these people in a heart-wrenching way. You care about the characters as though you know them personally.

This week, I also saw Charlotte Gray, a movie starring Cate Blanchett and Billy Crudup about a British woman in WWII who goes to France (apparently it was WWII week at Chez Frampton). The acting was good, the story was interesting, but I just didn’t care–because I didn’t care that much about the characters. There wasn’t that moment of connection, as there was in Band of Brothers. And this was true, even though the story was romantic, and Crudup is hawt, and the film has nearly as much war drama as BoB.

So what made the difference? I don’t know, but if I could figure out just an iota of it, I would be selling books by the thousands. When you fell in love with Jane Eyre, or Scarlett O’Hara, or Elizabeth Bennet, was it because of their individual stories? I would guess not; I think it’s because something the author did caused you to connect with the characters in a powerful way.

Many times lately, I’ve put down a book and decided not to finish it because even though the writing was good, and the story had some unresolved questions I might have been interested in finding out the answer to, I just didn’t care about the characters. I didn’t care if they fell in love, or resolved their conflict, or whatever. And this is true even if the writing is fine (I have a few books by fave authors I’ve never finished because of this).

As I am in the process of editing, I am asking myself–many times–‘will someone care about these people? Have I done a good enough job of selling their distinct individuality, their passion, their specialness so readers are compelled to finish?‘

Caring about the characters–or not–is my deal-breaker in terms of reading a book. Do you share that? Do you have other deal-breakers? Which characters have you cared about the most?

Thanks,

Megan