Ask SD Tracy Harper #14

Ask SD Tracy Harper #14
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Q:  SD, what makes for a good love story?

A:  The first answer off the top of my head is stupidity.  Of course, this is my personal opinion and has absolutely everything to do with my imagination.  The questions You will have to answer first are who, what, and why.  The last question you have to answer is what genre you wish to tailor your story to.

1^st questions
     Who are these people?  Who will the two of them being together will it affect?  Who will cheer them on or try to tear them down for wanting to be together?  Who were they involved with before they realized that the person wasn’t the right one for them?  What caused them to be together?  What obstacles do they have to overcome to be together?  What will be the result if they don’t have a happy ending compared to if they do have a happy ending?  Why is this story important? Why are these two people together?  Why can’t this happen in real life?

Last Question
     Is this story a romantic comedy, lust at first sight, just two people in need, to share themselves with someone, just dumb luck, fate, or forced cohabitation (plane crash, boat sinks, virus outbreak with few immune, frozen in a chamber by mistake or is automatically triggered as the world is nuked). This can go on and on, but no matter what genre you choose, the who, what, and why is a good place to start. I hope this helped. SD

Q:  SD, I’m having a problem ending my story. What should I do?

A:  The first thing I would suggest is to take a break. Completely remove yourself from your story in every way possible. This includes thinking about it, talking about it, and doing anything that has associated with it (Voodoo Dolls included). Take about a week away from your story completely and find something else to do. Kiss your dog and kick your significant other is a good place to start. Watch a movie, catchup on your laundry and fix that pesky refrigerator’s light that hasn’t worked two days after you started writing on the greatest book the world will ever know. Once the week is up, sit down and read your first two chapters and go directly to the last few paragraphs you wrote. Once you had done this, ask yourself if this is the same story you had in mind. 

     If your answer is yes, then you will remember what you had planned as the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If your answer is no, then you know why your story doesn’t have an ending. You had started writing another story or had moved into the world of the sequel (or book 2). Trust me; I’ve done it myself a few times. The easiest way to check to see if you had kept running after you had crossed the finish line is by doing a simple word count. If this is your draft and you are past 70,000 to 80,000 words, then you have entered the world of the sequel (or book 2-3-4), you get the idea. Any way you want to look at it, you just got too wrapped up and lost focus of your author’s bucket list. I hope this helped. SD

Q:  SD, Why is it so important to have test readers?  I would think if you have someone read your manuscript and they don’t like your story, that you may get disheartened and quit.

A:  I am tempted to answer your question with a question, but I will just keep this one clean. I understand your worries and yet I would hope that you would look on any criticism as positive. I know this is a glass half full view on your concerns, but it is what it is. You must realize that not everyone is going to like what you write, but when it comes to test readers, it is up to you to make sure they are chosen mainly because their reading preference is aligned with what you write. I know this may sound like stacking the deck, feeding your ego, and pandering to a select audience and you would be correct on all accounts. Now don’t misunderstand this truth, but you are writing for a particular audience, you are pandering to their likes, and hopefully those readers who pay good money for your work will enjoy what you had given them, tell all their friends, and will bother you for more. But, to force you to perform at your best, you do need a few people who you have to work hard to get them to like your work or give them something so mesmerizing that they have no choice but to read every last word. You should first play the music of those who like the same music as you do and then focus on converting others as a way to improve on your sound. I hope this helps. SD

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