Week Two: The Chocolate Solution

Typical IM session....


Sherry: ...see what I do to myself? LOLOL.
Laura: Hiding under desk from dry erase boards, flow charts and diagrams.
Sherry: *dragging dry erase boards, flow charts and diagrams into the center of the room..*
Laura: Throwing spitballs at Sherry's dry erase boards, et al...
Sherry: Mebbe they will tell me in a few. See? Pantstering.
Laura: LOL. Yeah, nice try, Jones. Not buyin' it.

Minutes later, after I’ve IM’d a bit of my WIP to Sherry:

Sherry: You just need to expand it and toss in some motivation.
Laura: Yeah. Yeah, Yeah. Right now, they are all motivated to bop like bunnies.

Gee, don’t understand why she snorted at that last line. Am muchly confuzzled by that. You mean to tell me that “wanna engage in a bunch o’ boinking” isn’t sufficient motivation to carry off the entire novel?

Who knew?

Jones did, apparently, for she immediately found a tiny blank space on her dry erase board and began diagraming how I should go about finding the motivation. Now, it’s not that I don’t appreciate her help (to the contrary, I don’t honestly know how I’d write without her)...but sheesh! I was in shock she’d managed to find a free area (tiny) on her dry erase board.

After I picked myself up off the floor (where I’d fallen off my chair— the shock you doncha know— ), Sherry IM’d, “Just reading all this, and I’m wondering how this all works for us.”

My brilliantly pithy response? “Don’t question it... It just does.”

Which of course, has the wheels turning for both of us now. Just HOW do we take our divergent writing styles and mesh so beautifully? We’ll have to ponder upon this later. Right now, we have other issues to address.

Here we are, addressing conflict and motivation in our WIPS (Sherry is wrestling with conflict today, I’m wrestling with motivation)... and clearly, neither of us has a goal in mind. (Yeah, ya’d think that Ms. Flow-Chart would have that written down somewhere, wouldn’t ya? Another shocker for the day...)

So, off we go, calling, “Here GMC, GMC, GMC! Good, GMC! I have some chocolate for you!”

Now, don’t worry. We always manage to work out our issues— the benefits of having a writing partner, IMHO— and a large supply of chocolate. This is what makes this journey so fun and productive for us both: two heads are always better than one, and having a pal along for the ride to share the giggles (and woes) with makes it Worth The Trip.


Sherry: So, Laura…. I have this lil problem. I’m on the verge of breaking open one of the big conflict issues in the book, but I’m going to need another “bear” to chunk into the canoe. No, no… come out from under your desk. This won’t take long. Let me just get out my dry erase board and flow charts. Seen my markers? Oh, well, doesn’t matter. I have post-it notes around here somewhere…

Later, waving a white flag over the top of her dry erase board to halt the onslaught of Laura-thrown spitballs…

Me: So, maybe the characters will just tell what the new conflict is in a few. See? I’m panstering.

Laura: I’m not buying it, Jones….

Actually, I’m not buying it either. I'm looking at my conflict issue and she’s looking at her motivation and it's all tied up in the GOAL we clearly don't have a handle on.

This is clearly going to require more chocolate to get to a solution.

Later in a chocolate haze…

So far we’ve not resolved our issues from above. It’s okay though. Oh, we'll get to where we need to be. We always do. The smoke from my dry erase markers will dissipate and Laura will catch her breath from haring after GMC and the whole thing will sort itself out. After we've laughed ourselves silly and hidden all the chocolate wrappers under our mouse pads. Whatever our system is, (if we ever figger it out) it works for us. And the best part is that we always have fun. And a never-ending supply of post-it notes.

Hmmm, either I have indigestion from all the chocolate, or I feel a solution coming on. Anyone seen my markers?

The Adventure Continues...

Sherry: After digging my way free of an avalanche of flow charts, character worksheets, copious notes, and not an inconsiderable number of empty Hershey kisses wrappers, I looked up to realize I’d written my way to the mid-point of chapter (or, as I like to term it, in this early stage of the rough draft – a CRAPter. But I digress) three. Yay, me! A terrific plot twist suddenly slammed into my brain. O, spontaneous idea! So why couldn’t I get it to mesh? Suddenly the Crows of Doubt (or COD) were pecking my noggin and causing me a brain fugue. This called for an emergency brainstorm session with Laura.

After much wailing and whining (on her part, really – echoes of JWTFB), we realized that I was rushing a potential plot point and I needed to pull things back a tad. Fine. Completely doable. So I steered the crapter back in the direction it needed to go.

How had that happened? I have flow charts and copious notes, and I still got off track. A flaw in my brilliantly anal system? she asked with a wibble in her voice.

Nope. Just part of the process. Even a dyed-in-the-wool Plotter takes the Pantster route sometimes.

Just this time, the Muse jumped the gun. And then again, it could just be an old fashioned sugar rush. Heh.

Think I’ll let the ole Muse just sleep this one off.

Ssssh…..

Laura: What? Jones had written herself into a corner? Had all the dry erase markers dried up? The flow charts stopped flowing? And just who was really doing all the whinging? (Hint: her initials stand for "Sherry Jones," but I digress.)

"Go sniff a dry erase marker."

"Very funny. I'm stuck! WAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"Okay, so, whatcha got?"

Jones pulls out her pointer stick, lines up her flow charts, diagrams, character charts and dry erase boards, explains what she needs to happen, and WAAAAAHHHH.... Boo hoo hoo, woe is me--- I can't make it happen, Laura!

"Um, why do they have to do this right now?" I ask, completely ignoring her flow charts, diagrams, character charts and dry erase boards. "What purpose does it serve? How will it make the story progress? Is it really necessary at this point? Can't you do something a little less drastic?"

Now, mind you, I have a special expression I reserve for when Sherry says to me, "What's your character's GMC?" whenever I howl at her to bail my Panster Bootie out of the fire. And darned if she didn't make the same face at me when I blithely ignored her Plotter tendencies and went for what I saw from a purely Panster Prospective.

I drew my conclusions, IM'd them to her as she was IMing her conclusions to me.

And that, boys and girls, is how a Plotter and a Panster come to EXACTLY the SAME conclusion from totally different perspectives.

Days 2 and 3 of the Grand Adventure...

Laura: So, there’s Sherry, writing like a fiend on her Project. What am I doing? Looking at the novel I must finish for my e-publisher, for its November publication— that, in addition to only being 10% finished when I started yesterday, must be turned in, ready for publication in October, due to my publisher’s end of November due date. Got all that?

So, what’s the problem, you ask?

Oh, other than there’s no conflict (quit snickering, Sherry! That’s not very polite, yanno ;-) )... There’s no problem. None at all. So I whinged at Sherry via the Always Open IM window we have while we write together.

Me: "Houston, we have a problem."
Houston: "What’s up?"
Me: "You’ll be shocked and dismayed. I have no conflict."
Houston: "No way. Not you!"
Me: (Detecting more than a wee bit of sarcasm in that previous IM): "Sad, but true."
Houston: "What’s the H/h’s GMC?"
Me: *Inserts shrugging yahoo icon.
Houston: *Inserts rolling on the floor, peeing on self with laughter icon...

Okay, so that’s a tad bit fictionalized, but not much. I fully expect Sherry to comment, "See what I have to put up with?"— but allow me to defend myself. (As I stuff chocolates into the "Mail to Sherry Box"...)

I don’t always struggle with GMC. I really don’t. I’m just not as... *ahem*... as, um, well, anal as some about establishing it before I start writing. I’ve never gotten to the end of writing a book, slapped my forehead (a la "I shoulda had a V-8!") and moaned, "Gee, how ever did I manage to write an entire book with absolutely no conflict?" Some of my ideas arrive, fully loaded for bear with conflict. Others, well, I have to dig around for it— but honestly, it always comes together beautifully for me— Panster Style.

Progress on my e-novel: I’m up to about 20%. HOORAY!!!!!

Progress on my Project: Um, *ahem,* coughsputterwheezehemhaw... Well, see I have to finish the e-novel first. :D

Sherry: Reads the above, barely restraining from using the eye-rolling icon. Whereas, I, on the other hand, stress and angst over GMC. Is there enough? *consults diagrams, charts, and numerous post-it notes..*

Me: “But, do we really understand what the heroine wants?”
Laura: “Just write the book, Sherry”
Me: “Okay, but after consulting my chart and dry erase board, I’m sure I’m going to need more...”
Laura: “Just WRITE the book, Sherry” (at this point, I’m beginning to detect a faint edge in her IM message)
Me: “I think I need to mull it over, lie in a darkened room and ponder a bit.”
Laura: Just write the freakin’ BOOK, JONES!!!”

I made that up. Mostly. Artistic license, yanno, but I can nearly “see” the hair-pulling icon coming my way one of these days.

Plotter vs. Pantster – Yep, that pretty well sizes us up. Still, it’s been a beautiful comradeship these past few years. Somehow, Laura winds up with all the GMC she needs, and I become well rested from all my “pondering” naps. In the end, we have the product of our imaginings -- shiny, polished and winging its way to its audience.

Then we take a deep breath, throw open the doors to our respective characters lounges, and begin all over again. And don’t we just love it?

Chocolate, anyone?

Day 1 of Our New Adventure...

Laura: Last night, I spent my time researching the state in which I intend to set my as-of-right-this-very-moment untitled novel. I love this stage. I’m partial to making up my own towns, but I have a fierce desire to make sure it will fit where I need it to fit. I’ve found pictures, maps, state government sites— all most helpful for Getting This Ball Rolling. I also research names— first and last, to make sure they’ll fit with the setting I’ve chosen. I created my character list, and began sketching out a few details.

Allow me to admit right now: I’m a Panster of the Worst Kind. I’ve already done more organizing of THIS particular novel than I’ve done for any other (I don’t generally go searching for actual pictures)— and I’m even (gasp) contemplating writing a blurb and at least a very general outline of the story line. For these latest blows to my Pansterhood, I blame Sherry— completely and entirely. It’s all her fault.

Next on my agenda: yeah, that blurb and general outline I mentioned above. But most immediately, I’m going to go wash my mouth out with chocolate for uttering/keyboarding the "B" and "O" words out loud.

Sherry: I began my Day 1 Adventure by racing home from a beach weekend getaway to see Laura’s efforts in the making of this blog. Could it be real? Did we really commit to this? As usual, she had everything up and running before I could say ‘cowabunga’.

No going back now. The Adventure Begins in earnest.

Talk about diametrically opposite writers! I’m a planner. I have to "know" my characters. I have to understand their conflict. Plot, plot, plot – that’s me. I’ve just spent at least an hour scanning the Internet for the best articles on character conflict. I’ve assembled, highlighted, and studied my efforts. A diagram! Oh my! We get to make a diagram. (happy dance!) The anal part of my brain is leaping for joy. The sensible part of my brain knows that Laura is going to kill me for said diagram. Yes, Laura needs more to blame me for (snicker) so I sent HER a copy too. Hey, if I’m going to corrupt her Pantster routine, might as well go all the way. (Double evil snicker)

Of course, I’m sure this will cost me a truckload of chocolate to soothe her savaged writer’s nerves, but I know her well enough to know that she’ll rise to the challenge and love me again when I walk into my local bookseller and see the culmination of her efforts on the shelf.
If our plan goes well, then my book will be sitting close by to keep hers company. Stay tuned…

Here We Come, World!

So, here we are, ready to take the plunge. We've tested the waters. We've found success as e-published romance authors. We're thinkin' it's time to do more than just stick our big toes in to test the temperature. Darn it, it's time to swim or get out of the water! So, with our arms stuffed into water wings, we're going for it. Fortunately, neither one of us is blonde, so we don't have to worry about chlorine-green hair. We joyfully invite you along for what's sure to be a wild and crazy trip!

C: Commitment to our goal

O: Owning our dreams

N: Never give up

F: Friends smooth the bumpy road

I: I will learn and grow in my craft

D: Dream big

E: Eyes on the prize

N: Network with other writers

C: Chocolate... A necessity for a romance author

E: Everyday write something

Watch out, world! Here we come!