tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post317214817444348467..comments2024-03-18T08:33:25.907-04:00Comments on Inkwell Inspirations: Plotlines...good, bad, and throw book against the wallLisa Karon Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02175430876079208723noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-45376534185218972982011-01-19T12:44:26.868-05:002011-01-19T12:44:26.868-05:00Lisa's right, my first published book was abou...Lisa's right, my first published book was about a pregnant widow who fell in love with her dead husband's brother. (Waving at CJ - great to see you!) But it's okay if not everybody likes it... that's the thing about fiction. We're not always going to enjoy the same thing.<br /><br />Susie, I know EXACTLY which book you're talking about. The author (ABA) was one of my Jennifer AlLeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18178922554247015759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-84109563552697252972011-01-18T14:33:34.318-05:002011-01-18T14:33:34.318-05:00I've done a couple of secret baby stories. In ...I've done a couple of secret baby stories. In neither case did I set out to create a secret baby story -- it just grew organically from the story I was creating.<br /><br />I think a lot of the familiar tropes are used over and over because they provide an easy path to conflict. The trick is to give familiar story lines an unusual twist and make the characters well motivated. Too many times, C.J. Chasehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02026386802434435296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-39428537694799147982011-01-18T14:33:32.625-05:002011-01-18T14:33:32.625-05:00I've done a couple of secret baby stories. In ...I've done a couple of secret baby stories. In neither case did I set out to create a secret baby story -- it just grew organically from the story I was creating.<br /><br />I think a lot of the familiar tropes are used over and over because they provide an easy path to conflict. The trick is to give familiar story lines an unusual twist and make the characters well motivated. Too many times, C.J. Chasehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02026386802434435296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-71446769691007788802011-01-18T08:30:10.710-05:002011-01-18T08:30:10.710-05:00If I remember right, Jennifer Hudson Taylor's ...If I remember right, Jennifer Hudson Taylor's book has the medieval scottish heroine betrothed to one brother, but he dies. That was a good twist on the brother plot, because the heroine wasn't attached to the first brother and wasn't in mourning or anything. Or maybe that was a Kathleen Morgan book?<br /><br />I'm sure with the right "twist" any plot can work.<br /><br Dina Sleimanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05214446103057806111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-8359180590595445832011-01-18T05:36:53.688-05:002011-01-18T05:36:53.688-05:00Way to make me think. If an editor asked me yo wri...Way to make me think. If an editor asked me yo write a secret baby story I'd really struggle. <br /><br />I think I'd play fast and loose with who the baby is secret from. I.e. probably not the dad. (That's the part I hate, because it feels so wrong to me. He has a right to know. And the child has a right to know who its father is.) The plots that try to get the Dad out of the way at Lisa Karon Richardsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02175430876079208723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-27057422813520513392011-01-17T23:44:24.230-05:002011-01-17T23:44:24.230-05:00Lisa, you got me thinking about secret baby storie...Lisa, you got me thinking about secret baby stories. While I do like them, I also despise them. Maybe I've read too many one-night-stand ABA romances.<br /><br />If an editor asked you to write a secret baby story, how would you do it?<br /><br />I know how I would. Will. Someday...when I write a contemporary romance with suspense elements.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18306070937646453722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-35770899530180174092011-01-17T23:41:17.657-05:002011-01-17T23:41:17.657-05:00CJ, I didn't judge your entry. LOL. In fact, I...CJ, I didn't judge your entry. LOL. In fact, I haven't judged the Golden Heart in the last two years. Not that I intended on not judging. Just since I didn't enter, I forgot to sign up to judge.<br /><br />Still, I do my part with judging the Genesis. :-)<br /><br />I suppose I ought to clarify...if the heroine marries dead husband's brother storyline is done well, then I'm Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18306070937646453722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-80233461572844378862011-01-17T21:21:53.644-05:002011-01-17T21:21:53.644-05:00this has been a lot of fun. I've decided I don...this has been a lot of fun. I've decided I don't have any likes or dislikes. Just know what I like when I read it. <br /><br />It can be a great plot idea but if it's not well written... likewise a great writer can make any plot work.<br /><br />how's that for being weak and mushy?<br /><br />CJ, it's great to see you here. Good things to come at the Inkwell!Debra E. Marvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17853387871623424853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-46023945274660856122011-01-17T20:32:52.812-05:002011-01-17T20:32:52.812-05:00Least favorite plots: Any story that involves some...Least favorite plots: Any story that involves some terminal illness that the character does not miraculously recover from. <br />Kids are a yes, though the cutesy thing is pesky. Pets are a yes, but if anything happens to the pet I will throw the book away.<br />Favorite plots: Cheesy, I know, but I love the "getting together with crush from HS who doesn't recognize her because she'sNiki Turnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10419436634375255412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-14048842931294857572011-01-17T17:24:29.823-05:002011-01-17T17:24:29.823-05:00CJ, no worries, Jen has a married to the dead man&...CJ, no worries, Jen has a married to the dead man's brother story too. It was her first pubbed book and she did a good job. Luckily we don't have to like all the same things in order to like one another. <br /><br />I'd have to say I'm tired of the return to home town you despised stories. And I really dislike secret baby stories. I mean REALLY dislike. <br /><br />On the other Lisa Karon Richardsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02175430876079208723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-87473132111390431492011-01-17T17:11:28.485-05:002011-01-17T17:11:28.485-05:00Hmm. I think I just solved the mystery of who gave...Hmm. I think I just solved the mystery of who gave my other entry the low score in last year's Golden Heart... (That would be the book where the heroine marries her dead husband's brother. Does it help if dead guy was abusive (as was his father before him)??? And the hero had run away from home years earlier because he couldn't stand his relatives -- and his biggest fear was being C.J. Chasehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02026386802434435296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-61524610263025280852011-01-17T16:25:45.066-05:002011-01-17T16:25:45.066-05:00Sorry ladies, when it comes to HEA - that's wh...Sorry ladies, when it comes to HEA - that's what I love. I read to escape reality - real life is tough enough without finding it in my entertainment. I WANT to put the book down with a contented sigh. I hate it when I am still crying an hour later. Yes, there can be hardships and struggles along the way, but give me a fairytale ending any day. :)<br /><br />As far as plots go, I don't Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-1788800203448057542011-01-17T14:33:31.323-05:002011-01-17T14:33:31.323-05:00Oh, I love marriage of convenience/mail order brid...Oh, I love marriage of convenience/mail order bride plots. They never get old to me. I also love Cinderella plots -- wealthy hunk who falls for the intelligence and grace of the spunky-but-not-wealthy heroine, a la Pride and Prejudice.<br /><br />I confess that I tend to avoid "married to one brother, ends up with the other brother" plots since I read a particular book years ago (which Susanne Dietzehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09710634601407161821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-61906814504618225062011-01-17T13:54:59.217-05:002011-01-17T13:54:59.217-05:00I think the child thing is like any other annoying...I think the child thing is like any other annoying attempt to represent dialect. Focus on using the right words, not cutsie contractions and creative spelling. If you want a lisp, just mention it and let the reader imagine it or not at their own leisure.Dina Sleimanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05214446103057806111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-73174199057505804642011-01-17T13:45:34.415-05:002011-01-17T13:45:34.415-05:00About cutsie kids... I think it's reading word...About cutsie kids... I think it's reading words that are written in lisp form are like nails on chalkboard for me. Anyway, some find it adorable...<br />But yes, a wise child can be effective.<br /><br />Irene Brand did a great job in An Appalachian Christmas, juggling an orphaned child, an aunt who made a promise, and a gorgeous mountain man with a secret... <br /><br />I can go there.Cheryl Klarichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12633250643087095689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-28339235596912946972011-01-17T12:56:31.479-05:002011-01-17T12:56:31.479-05:00Linda,
Maybe fiction should be labeled HEA. The fi...Linda,<br />Maybe fiction should be labeled HEA. The fiction genre known as romance does not give that option. We blogged about the lack of realism in romances and if it even is detrimental at times.<br /><br />It certainly raises the expectations of 'love' in an unrealistic way if we're not careful!<br /><br />Oh, I see Gina the cat lady is at work again making friends with other Debra E. Marvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17853387871623424853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-56501950088012493232011-01-17T12:36:26.806-05:002011-01-17T12:36:26.806-05:00Cheryl, on disliking cutsey children...I'm wit...Cheryl, on disliking cutsey children...I'm with ya. That said from a mom who has more than one cutsey child. <br /><br />How about children who say just the right thing at just the right moment? Wisdom from a child.<br /><br />Here's one for discussion: What about books with prominant pets?<br /><br />I read a romance few years back where I felt I was reading a SPCA pamplet on pet Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18306070937646453722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-13098433295584253262011-01-17T12:31:46.095-05:002011-01-17T12:31:46.095-05:00Deb, I so totally could go for 'my dark secret...Deb, I so totally could go for 'my dark secret is darker than your dark secret' plot lines. CBA needs more gothic romances.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18306070937646453722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-5818280551333866622011-01-17T12:30:36.805-05:002011-01-17T12:30:36.805-05:00Linda, I hear you about romances that end with HEA...Linda, I hear you about romances that end with HEA Everthings. Some problems shouldn't be resolved...or even worked out so everything is happy.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18306070937646453722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-90854060848053665092011-01-17T12:29:00.276-05:002011-01-17T12:29:00.276-05:00So, Anita, was the pregnant-widow-dead-husband-bro...So, Anita, was the pregnant-widow-dead-husband-brother-hero romance one by Mary Hawkins? What was it about that set-up that worked for you?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18306070937646453722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-34792981426419770212011-01-17T12:27:32.675-05:002011-01-17T12:27:32.675-05:00Dina, I read a mystery novel with three "hero...Dina, I read a mystery novel with three "heroes" in it. Drove me bonkers not knowing which one to care about the most. Ended up, one of the heroes was the villain.<br /><br />I'm sorta with you on romance and suspense. I don't mind where one is stronger than the other, but when the author tries to balance the two, well, it just doesn't work for me.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18306070937646453722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-81982733193088952102011-01-17T11:53:44.735-05:002011-01-17T11:53:44.735-05:00My number one blech is small child involved who is...My number one blech is small child involved who is wayyy to cute... really dislike cutsie dialect. A very famous author does this and I'm sorry, but it makes my skin crawl. <br /><br />So shoot me. (I probably deserve it.)<br /><br />I'm reading Someone to Blame right now, by C.S.Lakin. Very intense.<br /><br />I've got Patti Lacy's Rythm of Secrets and Michael Phillips' Cheryl Klarichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12633250643087095689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-8720862985857663282011-01-17T11:25:48.525-05:002011-01-17T11:25:48.525-05:00I agree with Linda to a point. I'd prefer not ...I agree with Linda to a point. I'd prefer not to know how the book ends by midway through chapter one. Of course I realize that it's not classic romance at that point. <br /><br />I love...<br />Books where several men are introduced and you don't know who the heroine is going to choose.<br /><br />For romance...<br />I like arranged marriage and mail order bride stories, maybe Dina Sleimanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05214446103057806111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-31493557926247167562011-01-17T11:05:04.157-05:002011-01-17T11:05:04.157-05:00Blechy--when all romance novels end with 'happ...Blechy--when all romance novels end with 'happily ever after.' Life doesn't happen that way most of the time. Life is hard work. The opposite is difficult and shocking, but something we need to hear so we can trust the Lord more for the 'endings' of our life circumstances, not Romeo! OR books with explicit sex scenes that are not Biblical.Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7502152359497137754.post-3699838522881316572011-01-17T07:34:19.621-05:002011-01-17T07:34:19.621-05:00I can't think of my preferences. So why, you a...I can't think of my preferences. So why, you ask, do I bother to get in this conversation?<br /><br />I don't know but I do know that I've seen a lot of "emotionally burned woman returns to home town she promised herself she'd never go back to." I've liked the ones I've read but saw a lot of them while judging contests in the last two years.<br /><br />I love &#Debra E. Marvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17853387871623424853noreply@blogger.com