Well, it’s official. Despite all my vows to the contrary, yesterday afternoon I was forced to send a Dear John letter to my current work in progress. With the flourish of my imaginary pen, the manuscript I had promised to see through until the end became my former love. This is not without regret, and it probably isn’t permanent, but while I could ignore my yen to work on something different, I couldn’t ignore logic. And logic told me to go back to my earlier WIP, the one that reappeared last weekend, because that’s the one I really should sell first (assuming I do, in fact, sell it). So, there you go: Another good relationship done in by common sense and consumerism.
This means I’m back to plotting. This is one of my favorite parts of writing, and a step I generally take alone. But last night I was in the mood for a good brainstorming, and since I’m currently without a critique partner, I enlisted my husband. Plotting with hubs is often amusing and always interesting, because he and I have wildly different views on writing. (You may remember the Great Title Search of 2008.) To my everlasting amazement, however, it’s often productive. You see, as I try to find ways to gently explain why his suggestions won’t work, I often either come up with variations that will work or discover that he was right all along. As a bonus, I’m usually so pleased with the developments that I forget to be annoyed that he’s the one who gave me all the good ideas.
The best part of brainstorming with hubs, however, is not ironing out plot points, developing character motivations, or crafting the perfect title. No, I do it for the entertainment. You see, I write happy books, mostly romantic comedies. There are a lot of variations in plot, but the promise is there: the hero and heroine, while flawed, are decent (and usually sane) human beings, and although they find plenty of trouble along the way they will end up together in the end. But hubs, who reads Shakespeare for fun (he’s especially fond of the histories) did not get this memo. Which means that yesterday evening I actually got to point out that romance heroes do not:
- Decide they do not love the heroine after all.
- Ride their bicycles naked across the country — yes, even at night, when no one can see them.
- Aspire to “find a sugar mama and retire early”.
- Die at the end of the book.
Amazingly, besides plenty of laughter, some good stuff came out of our brainstorming, and I had a great day of writing today. Now, though, I can’t wait until hubs finally starts writing that book he sometimes talks about, so I can suggest some really wild things, like that his main characters actually find somebody to love. Somebody who loves them back and lives until long after the story ends. But he’ll probably reject those suggestions just like I often reject his. And that? Is the real spirit of brainstorming: Anything goes, even the truly crazy. And none of it is meant to be taken seriously — unless, that is, it actually works in the book.
I just absolutely must try this brainstorming session on my hubby! lols:)
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I may have to try this with my hubby. I can only imagine what he’d come up with–he reads mostly sci-fi, but more often, software programming manuals. He is a big computer gamer, though, and a D&D’er. Hmm…he could probably help come up with some interesting paranormal story lines.
Am I the only one who’s more shy to show my romance writing to my husband than I am to practical strangers? I guess I feel like he’d think I was writing about him, or maybe worse, NOT writing about him.
Ha! My husband is more of a Wolverine, less of a Shakespeare guy. I write realistic MG, so having someone suddenly go SNIKT! just isn’t an option. This is why I cannot brainstorm with My Precious.
Congrats on making the break with Current WIP and reengaging with former WIP. I am about to embark on a questionable path of trying to polyWIPous (more than one WIP in active work at a time), perhaps. But I dunno. Sounds dangerous. More dangerous even, perhaps, than riding a bike naked.
My husband tends to come up with some good stuff too, but I get so exhausted trying to explain the important plot points and charaterization so that he ‘gets’ it, I don’t do this often. My husband thanks me.
Best of luck with the new (old) manuscript!
Awww. Thanks, Robin! I enjoy reading yours, too. As for pantsing vs. plotting, I actually do a little of each.
Good luck with it, Damyantig! Hope it works for you, or that you at least have a lot of fun with it. 🙂
Kristi, I am definitely nervous about showing my writing to my husband. Although he’s been very supportive, I still always fear that he will secretly think, “Well, her writing is definitely a bad investment, but everyone needs a hobby, I guess…”
LOL, Susan! You never know. Could spice things up a bit.
Thanks, pjd! And I love your word, polyWIPous. Good luck with the endeavor. Lots of people do it successfully, but I put so much into each project that I have trouble focusing on two at once. (I think I get a little obsessed, to be honest. It’s probably not healthy.)
Alyssa, I have that same problem! And without letting him read what you have so far (which is probably in early draft form), all the explaining in the world really won’t capture it.
Um, I don’t have a hubby, but my wife sometimes helps. I usually bounce things off her (figuratively) when I want to guage a female reaction to some scenes. Then we will throw around some ideas.
I can tell if I did well when she either cries (and that was the intended reaction), or when she throws it back at me (literally).
Love your posts…I bounce them off my wife too (figuratively) when I think she needs a chuckle.
DH hates plotting with me because I never take his suggestions. Well. They’re not the right suggestions. He won’t do it unless I agree to use every one of his suggestions. Or so it seems.
So we don’t do that, LOL. But it is amusing to hear his ideas! (Don’t tell!)
Sure wish I’d got that memo about not dying.
May I just add that sometimes sending the WIP a Dear John letter is the best possible thing. Then the fabulous Law of Relinquishment sets in, and the WIP shapes itself up and starts sending you messages, “Come baack to me! Come baaaack! I promise I’m a real book, and I’ll behave like one!” It’s like a bad boyfriend situation. Never known it to fail! 🙂