Would you like a trick to keep the momentum going between chapters?
One of my biggest frustrations in writing a novel is that I can’t write it all in one sitting. Seriously. I’ve tried. I once wrote a novel in 10 days. But even then, I had to sleep, eat…maybe have a conversation with the other people in the house. Still, it was the closest thing to being able to simply step into the story and download it from my brain. I love being able to write a novel in a concentrated amount of time because the storyline is never far from me and while it’s exhausting, the story always seems to emerge with fewer jolts in the plot.
However, like most authors, I have a busy schedule filled with PR and speaking and teaching events. I also spend at least two days per week focusing on My Book Therapy. Often I only have two or three days to really sit down and dive into a book.
Which means I might find myself struggling to climb back inside a character’s head as I start writing. In the days when I was homeschooling, I learned a trick that I employ to this day that keeps my momentum going.
After a chapter is over, I quickly interview the POV character whose scene I will write next.
I ask him/her the following questions.
- What did you think about what just happened?
- What are your choices?
- What will you do next, and why?
- What is the one thing you fear happening?
- And, if it’s a romance –how do you feel about this person? What is the one thing you fear happening Emotionally?
It simply helps me get into his/her head and start mulling over the next scene as I go about driving my kids to football practice, or getting on an airplane to speak at an event.
Here are my notes for Luke, who is about to make an appearance in Chapter 5.
What did you think about what just happened?
I have to admit that when I pulled up and saw the black smoke pouring out of the house I wanted to strangle my cousin, Greg, for dumping this girl into my life. I don’t care who she is, I don’t have room in my life for anyone, and frankly with the reporter nosing into my past, it could actually be more dangerous for her to be here. The entire thing has me on edge. However, then she started crying. Crying. Okay, I hate crying. And she seemed genuinely sorry, not at all the girl I met hours earlier. It occurred to me that she might be hiding out too – maybe behind the glitzy actress persona. What Greg had said about her brush with death rang true to me. She was tyring to be brave, and probably living out in the woods was the last thing she wanted to do, too. My heart went out to her a bit.
And, okay, she’s pretty.
What are your choices?
I could send her packing back to LA, or maybe just move into the Silver Stream and keep an eye on her. I doubt Nils, or whoever bombed her apartment will find her in Roan Mountain, but it’s a possibility.
What will you do next, and why?
I don’t believe for a second that this is a publicity stunt, so I’m game for keeping her under wraps. As long as she doesn’t set anything else on fire.
What is the one thing you fear happening?
I’m most concerned about someone find me, and making it public so that my enemies might track me down and hurt her, too. I can’t bear getting someone else under my watch killed.
How do you feel about Kenzie? What is the one thing you fear happening emotionally?
I admit that she’s not the girl I imagined her to be, and now that I have some distance from the event with the reporter, I can see she was actually coming to me rescue. Although, thanks, I don’t need anyone to rescue me, I can see that she truly doesn’t expect me to fetch her coffee. In fact, she’s been nice to have around these past few days, if not a bit quirky. She keeps reading lines from one of her movies, like she’s talking to herself. And, she’s not hard on the eyes. As long as she doesn’t start probing around in my past, she can stick around.
Thanks, Luke!
The interview helps me now put together the pieces of the next chapter. My author goals will be to:
Bring the suspense thread forward by exposing Luke to the world. (what he fears)
Bring the Romance thread forward by having her probe into his past (maybe I’ll even have him tell her – I’d have to figure out a way to make that happen. Maybe I’ll give him a push through his PTSD).
I’ll mull this over, and tomorrow you’ll see how I put them all together.
Happy Writing!
Susie May