The journey just got a whole lot more interesting…

Hello, my dear supporters and enthusiastic cheerleaders! I hope you survived the festive season and came out of it relatively unscathed and ready for a brand new year!

I have a lot to tell you today (oy vey, it’s been quite a week!):

More Plottr detail, including how it works for non-fiction books
Fiction Tip 📌
The “Sharp Left!” I mentioned 👆
Progress report 🥵

I’ve been talking about Plottr on this journey (and it’s quickly becoming my new best friend! — even with just the most basic features) and thought I’d share a bit more detail, including how it can help with non-fiction books.

Here’s a peek at some of what’s in the non-fiction template. See where it says “Scene Cards”? These are in every template, fiction and non-fiction, and when you click on them, they tell you what needs to be in that section, as you’ll see below. And “Notes” on the second pic gives a list of some of the other elements you need in your book.

Screenshot of Plottr non-fiction template

Scene cards in templates are so helpful for both fiction and non-fiction. For the example below, I used the “Hero’s Journey” template. In the first photo, you can see the beats required for this type of story. The second photo shows what happens when you click on the scene card in Beat 1. It tells you what needs to happen in that beat.

The third photo offers a better view, as well as the breakdown — in this case, Act 1 should be 25% of the story, and Beat 1 should take about 12%.

You might not have a clue if you’re hitting these percentages as you’re writing and that’s fine. Just follow the beats and write the story, and once you finish your first draft, you can see the whole story on your plot line and will be able to tell if it’s lopsided somewhere, not just in length of acts or beats, but in many other ways.

So yep. There is a LOT to learn about crafting a balanced story — fiction or non-fiction — so it hits all the beats readers need if they’re going to love your book and come back for more.

I love using Plottr’s scene cards for plotting! I can write a few words or I can dump in a whole lot of information for what I want to have happen at that point. I’m also using them for my characters in plotting, popping in some specifics I’ll want to keep in mind as I reach the scene.

Fiction Tip

Let Characters Make Mistakes

Let’s be honest. Perfect characters are often more boring than watching paint dry, and mistakes are what make your protagonist real. When you let them fail, or make poor choices and completely mess up, you get to show their growth. That’s what keeps readers engaged. They don’t want to see a character stay the same all the way through.

Take Scarlett O’Hara from Gone With the Wind. Massively impulsive, hot-headed, and incredibly selfish, her choices often lead to powerful conflicts and an awful lot of consequences (she’s a slow learner. Sadly, I can relate. 🤦🏻‍♀️).

Whether it’s her relentless pursuit of Ashley Wilkes despite his marriage or the way she alienates others to make sure she gets whatever she needs, Scarlett’s mistakes are what make her journey compelling. She’s flawed (understated), and that’s exactly what allows her to evolve. But it’s these very flaws that make her feel authentic. She’s a complex character, which is why readers love her even when she’s making poor choices.

To make your characters’ mistakes work:

They need to make decisions that lead to consequences: Characters who never mess up can seem completely unrealistic (and boring!). Let your protagonist make choices that backfire to create tension and give the story depth.
Use mistakes to show growth: It’s not just about messing up and getting it wrong. It’s also about how the character learns and changes from those mistakes. In order for your characters to feel more relatable and human, they have to be allowed to grow.
Reveal something deeper through failure: Sometimes, a character’s mistakes can reveal vulnerabilities, fears, or desires that they didn’t previously express (or perhaps even know they had). These revelations add layers complexity and make the character more interesting.

Mistakes allow characters to grow. This makes them intriguing and keeps readers invested in their journeys. Scarlett was deliciously interesting, as once the horrors of the Civil War set in, her selfishness became a useful tool for survival. From spoiled brat to tough, determined woman, Scarlett did whatever it took to keep her family safe. Including murder.

Course Correcting…

So … I’ve mentioned that I’m writing a small town romance series in the sub-category “clean and wholesome.” I’ve also talked about how when I first began planning it 4 years ago, this was a pretty new category and was wide open for new writers. Lots of demand, not much supply. Yay! And then … my health issues derailed me for 4 years. And now that I’m getting back to the series, this genre is full and it’s tough to break into it.

I wish I had a buck for every great idea I had that was 5 minutes too late.

Not just in writing, but in so many other things. Even some things I wanted to invent. Didn’t know how. Great ideas, but no clue how to turn them into real ‘things.’ Only to see them in stores a few years later… 🤦🏻‍♀️

So here’s the thing. I love small town romance. Those stories make me happy and light me up. And I love creating characters with flaws and lots of emotional baggage and having them overcome their wounds while navigating the relationship they don’t think they want.

Typically, the characters in this genre are 30-somethings. Their stories aren’t as “meaty” as I like but I was gonna write “meaty” anyway and pray the readers would get on board with it. I was also contemplating writing some of the stories about older couples. They’d have had a lot more life experience and richer, more complex backstories and challenges.

But … it’s a huge risk to give an audience something different from what it knows, loves and expects — especially when I’d already be swimming upstream with one fin tied behind my back trying to break into the genre.

I went to a couple of people I know well — and trust — in this industry, both of whom would be able to give me excellent advice (Ain’t it great to have friends in high places?). I asked three questions:

Would it be a bad move to include some older couples in the standard “small town romance” genre?
Does the “later in life” romance genre have room for authors trying to break into it?
Does this genre allow “clean” content?

The answers: 1) YES. 2) YES! And 3) YES! Although the stories can include sex, they can also be “clean” (that bugs me, as if sex is “dirty”!) or “behind closed doors” — where we know there’s some hanky panky goin’ on, but we don’t have to read (or write!) the explicit bits. Ew. That just ain’t my style!

And a bonus bit of info — to qualify as “later in life,” the characters only need to be 40+. Loads of room to play in this age bracket!

Next questions for myself were…what about my current story? And the backstories for the main characters? And the supporting cast? What about the plans I had for the series and future stories?? Can I use any of the work I’ve already put into it or do I need to start from scratch? 🫣🤦🏻‍♀️

But dang! I love Noah and Ivy! They’re like real people to me. They’ve been waiting patiently for 4 years! I love their story! I want to see it play out!

What would happen if I age them from 35 and 30 respectively to being in their 40s? How would this fit with the backstories for each of them — and their siblings and others associated with them? Everyone would be at least a decade older and would need a whole lot more backstory.

Oh, dear. What to do, what to do?

I know that if I stick to that original story and age group, I’m going to have a tough time breaking into the genre, whereas if I charge down the “later in life” path, full steam ahead, I have a far better chance of being successful.

It’s a no-brainer, really. The only thing that makes sense is to switch. Plus, given the extensive life experience I’ve had, I can offer a whole lot more in terms of character arcs and meatier storylines — without annoying an audience that would prefer a lighter read.

So it’s been a busy week. I’ll divide the timeline of my activities into BC and AD. “Before Change” and “After Doingit.” 😂

What I did this week — BC:

Did more detailed plotting (using my new pal, Plottr! Woohoo!)
Yay! Finished adding Canadian / Albertan flavour to Chapters 8–20.
Spent one whole day working on a premise for Book 2, building backstories for the relevant characters and fleshing out the complex connections that will be necessary to create conflict between our hero and heroine. This was essential so I could figure out how to give you the first glimpse of their interactions in Book 1. And oh…the headaches — uh, I mean, the creative challenges in thinking through the possibilities and spotting plot holes and things that wouldn’t fit or make sense. 🤦🏻‍♀️😵‍💫

What I did this week — AD:

Started reworking some of the backstories for my suddenly ageing MCs and main supporting cast (such a challenge but so much fun!). I worked out their birthdays and wrote timelines for some of them, especially in relation to the ones that are related or connected to be sure there are no plot holes in the timing of things over the years leading up to this point.
Realised that although I know the beats to hit for the previous category, I don’t know if they’ll be different in this one. I’ve never read a “later in life” romance, so now I need to do some research and read a bunch of them so I can learn exactly what’s required.
Also need to research some of the bestselling books in this category, read the 5 stars and the 1 star reviews. These tell you what readers love and what they really didn’t like.

Next Week’s Mission:

Research! (Read books in this genre, look up info on beats, requirements etc.)
Revising and developing backstories for all characters

Gosh, such a lot has happened. I’m so excited! I want to skip the research and start writing! But I’ve done that before and if you read My Novel Journey Thus Far, you’ll know how that turned out. Enough stumbling in the dark, charging ahead without the necessary information and tools. Enough “winging it.” Everything is falling into place and I’m listening.

For once, I’m not 5 minutes too late.

For once, I’m right on time.

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Thanks so much for following along on this wild, wonderful journey toward my career as a novelist! If you’d like to be part of the adventure, I’d love to have you join me on Patreon. Your support means the world to me, and in return, you’ll get access to exclusive behind-the-scenes content, expanded writing tips, and fun bonus goodies. I’m so grateful for your encouragement and excited to share tools, tips and insights, as well as stories that inspire and support you along the way.

And Suddenly, I Must Hang a Sharp Left…